impact application gtpk-fmnn-yy securing sustainable ......project “empowering civil society to...

Impact Application GTPK-FMNN-YY

Securing sustainable livelihoods and socio-economicresilience for vulnerable young people in Burma

Securing sustainable livelihoods and… - GTPK-FMNN-YY

SMILE by AIMD Digital Ltd: 18th April 2017 UK Aid Direct Application - GTPK-FMNN-YY

Eligibility

1.1 Are you a registered not-for-profit organisation?

Yes

1.2 Which country are you registered in?

1.3 In which country will your project be implemented?

Myanmar (formerly Burma)

1.4 Is your project between 3 to 5 years in duration?

Yes

1.5 Do you have less than GBP 10 million annual turnover for the past 3 years?

Yes

1.6 Does total DFID funding from grants over the last 3 years represent less than 40% of your

income over the same period?

Yes

1.7 Will you provide 25% of your proposed project funds as match funding?

Yes

1.8 Can you confirm that you are NOT a governmental or an inter-governmental organisation?

Yes

1.9 Can you confirm that your organisation does not:



Yes

1.10 Do you currently hold 0, 1 or 2 live Impact grants from UK Aid Direct?

Yes

1.11 Do you currently hold 0 or 1 live Community Partnership grants from UK Aid Direct?

Yes

1.12 Does your organisation or your family of organisations hold 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 live grants from

UK Aid Direct?

Yes



Introduction

2.1 What is the name of your project?

Securing sustainable livelihoods and socio-economic resilience for vulnerable young people in Burma

2.2 Please describe your proposed project.

Poor young people in Burma face multiple barriers to economic resilience & participation in their new

democracy. This project aims to build the knowledge, skills, assets & networks of vulnerable YP in Lashio,

Maubin, Monywa & Taunggyi, enabling them to achieve sustainable livelihoods, be resilient against shocks &

become active citizens. A two-pronged approach, combining individual training & post-training support with

activities to promote an enabling environment, will enable YP to gain jobs through enterprise & participate

actively in communities. The project includes tailored approaches & additional support to reach particularly

marginalized young women (70%), indigenous groups & PWD. This will contribute to achievement of SDGs 1

and 8.

2.3 What is the proposed duration of your project (in months)?

36

2.4 Do you hold any other funding from DFID?

Yes



Organisational details

3.1 Please enter the details of your organisation and those of your implementing partners and

matched funding partners.

Y Care InternationalGrant Holder - GB-CHC-1109789

Registered Address: 67-69 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6BP, United Kingdom (Great Britain)

Postal Address: (As above)

National Council of YMCA Myanmar (Implementing Partner - MM-MHA-2068

Registered Address: No. 263, Mahabandoola Street, Botataung Township, Yangon, Myanmar (formerlyBurma)

Postal Address: (As above)

3.2 Please provide details of the primary contact for this application.

First Name

Elena

Second Name

Marin-Yanez

Phone Number

020 7549 3150

Skype ID

elenamarinyanez.ycare

3.3 Please provide details of a secondary contact for this application.

First Name

Susannah

Second Name

Taylor

Phone Number

020 7549 3150

Skype ID

susannahtaylor.ycare



3.4 Please upload your Organisational Strategy (i.e. your organisation's strategic plan or

equivalent.)

Current Strategy Files

PDF ❍

Yci Strategy 2020 Summary April 14, 2017 540 Kb❍

PDF ❍

Yci Our Approach Nov 2016 Final April 14, 2017 1.7 Mb❍

PPTX ❍

Theory Of Change Summary Ref Gtpk Fmnn Yy January 31, 2017 76 Kb❍

PPTX ❍

Theory Of Change Ref Gtpk Fmnn Yy January 31, 2017 110 Kb❍

3.5 Please upload your organogram.

Current Organogram Files

PDF ❍

Yci Organisational Chart 10mar17 March 27, 2017 850 Kb❍

3.6 Please upload the following fiduciary documents:

Current Fiduciary Files

PDF ❍

Letter From Bank April 18, 2017 140 Kb❍

DOCX ❍

Referees List Y Care International April 18, 2017 160 Kb❍

PDF ❍

Bt Bill Yci Proof Of Address April 13, 2017 130 Kb❍

PDF ❍

Charity Registration Certificate Charity Commission April 13, 2017 7.6 Mb❍

3.7 Which Global Goal is your primary focus?

8. Decent work and economic growth

3.8 Which Global Goal is your secondary focus?

1. No poverty



3.9 What is the geographic coverage of your organisation?

Latin America and the Carribean●

South America●

South Asia●

South East Asia●

Sub-Saharan Africa●

West Asia●

3.10 Within the regions you have identified above which countries do you work in?

Latin America and the Carribean

Guatemala●

Haiti●

Nicaragua●

South America

Colombia●

South Asia

Bangladesh●

Pakistan●

Sri Lanka●

South East Asia

Myanmar (formerly Burma)●

Philippines●

Sub-Saharan Africa

Liberia●

Madagascar●

Senegal●

Sierra Leone●

South Africa (zuid Afrika)●

Togo●

Zambia●

Zimbabwe●

West Asia

Palestinian Territory, Occupied●



3.11 How would you describe your organisation?

Registered charity / trust●

3.12 How would you describe your organisation in terms of its core business?

Youth organisation/working with youth●

3.13 Are you applying on behalf of a consortium?

No

3.13.1What are the names of the other organisations in your consortium?

3.14 Whether in a consortium or not please provide a list of your proposed implementation

partners.

The National Council of YMCAs of Myanmar (based in Yangon) YMCAs of Lashio, Maubin, Monywa and

Taunggyi

3.15 Please provide a list of acronyms.

IP - indigenous people NA - Needs Assessment PWD - people with disabilities TOC - Theory of Change UKAD

- UK Aid Direct VFM - Value for Money YCI - Y Care International YMCA - Young Men's Christian Association

YP - young people

3.16 If you wish to add more acronyms, please enter them here.

Beneficiaries: IP: Indigenous People YP: Young People YW: Young Women YM: Young Men YPWD: Young

People With Disabilities Organisations: CBOs: Community Based Organisations ILO: International Labour

Organisation MILI: Myanmar Independent Life Initiative YMCA: Young Men’s Christian Association YCI: Y Care

International Activities: BT: Business skills Training CE: Civic Education Training CPE: Civic Peer Educators

GB: Group Businesses MTR: Mid Term Review NA: Needs Assessment NFE: Non Formal Education SC:

Steering Committees SG: Saving Groups VT: Vocational skills Training Staff: AMELA PM: Asia, Middle East



and Latin America Programme Manager (YCI) EDS: Enterprise Development Specialist (YCI) GWW: Gender

Working Group (YCI) MELA: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Adviser (YCI) MEO: Monitoring and

Evaluation Officer (YMCA) MPM: Myanmar Programme Manager (YMCA) Others: MEL: Monitoring, Evaluation

and Learning ToC: Theory of Change UKAD: UK Aid Direct VfM: Value for Money



Proposed Project

4.1 Please tick all the DFID strategic objectives that your project addresses

Promoting global prosperity●

Tackling extreme poverty and helping the world’s most vulnerable●

4.2 In which region(s) will your project be implemented?

South East Asia●

4.3 Which country/countries will your proposed project be implemented?

South East Asia

Myanmar (formerly Burma)●

4.4 What regions will the intervention cover within the country or countries of implementation?

Maubin, Ayeyarwady Division Taungyy, Shan State Monywa, Sagaing Region Lashio, Shan State

4.5 Describe the process of preparing this project proposal.

The action has been prepared based on the findings of a comprehensive, participatory, youth-led Needs

Assessment (NA) conducted between October 2014 and January 2015 by YCI and the YMCA. The NA

involved 358 YP (252 female and 106 male) focusing specifically on the most vulnerable YW and YM, including

young mothers, female-headed households, indigenous people (IP), YP with disabilities (YPWD) and YW

affected by gender-based violence and drug addiction. It took place in Lashio district, Ayeyarwady division,

Taungoo district, Karen State and Mon State. To complement this information YCI also carried out a rapid

needs assessment in Shan State in November 2016 where 58 YP (32 female and 26 male) were consulted on

their needs around employment, health, violence and civic participation. More detailed information about YP’s

needs in Taungyy and Monywa was collected in March-May 2016 during the final evaluation of the EC funded

project “Empowering civil society to promote the enhanced socio-economic wellbeing of vulnerable young

people in Myanmar” where 222 former beneficiaries (57 males and 165 females) were consulted. Since then,

YCI and the YMCA have collaboratively developed the project proposal . The intensive development process

has involved in-country meetings between the YMCA and staff from the four local YMCAs (Lashio, Monywa,

Maubin and Taunggy) to discuss activities, budget and roles and responsibilities; the YMCA has also met with

representatives from local CSOs, local authorities, businesses and public and private training providers. This

process has already generated positive outcomes in promoting new linkages and collaborations across civil



society, public and private sectors. Based on this learning and information collected in the field, YCI and the

YMCA worked together to design the Theory of Change (ToC), log frame (including indicators) and project

plans (activities, beneficiaries, work plan and budget). Once drafted by the YCI and YMCA focal points the

plans were reviewed and strengthened with inputs from YCI’s International Programmes team: Monitoring,

Evaluation and Learning Adviser (MELA), Management Accountant, Enterprise Development Specialist EDS),

Gender Working Group (GWW) and International Programmes Director, before their final approval by the

YMCA and four local YMCAs Boards of Directors. This intense and participative process has been possible

because of the strong relationships between the two organisations. The partnership between YCI and the

YMCA was initiated in 2008 when YCI supported the YMCA in its emergency response efforts following

Cyclone Nargis in the Ayeyarwaddy delta. Since then, YCI has supported the YMCA with entrepreneurship-

focused capacity building, piloting (a mentorship programme) and project implementation (including an EC-

funded project) in Monywa, Taungyy and Maubin, amongst others.

4.6 What lessons have you drawn on (from your own and others’ past experience) in designing

this project?

Key lessons drawn from 30 years of YCI experience working with marginalized YP to build their skills, assets,

resilience, voice and networks for enterprise and employment: Working at different levels: a focus on the

individual should be combined with family sensitisation to ensure families support YP; community sensitisation

to ensure an enabling local environment; youth-led advocacy to improve government policy. Reaching the most

vulnerable, such as YPWD, costs more: these YP are the least likely and able to maintain attendance and most

likely to suffer from external shocks. They require additional support and investment e.g. free hot meals,

transport allowances, and accelerated training courses. Life skills: to build YP’s self-esteem and confidence.

Life skills contribute to improving YP’s wellbeing and self-efficacy, allowing them to learn with peers, participate

in a structured programme of support and guidance, and build a long-term vision for their future. Working with

YW: YW experience different social and cultural barriers compared to YM. This requires strong family and

community sensitisation to change embedded cultural gender norms and a clear understanding of the specific

contextual barriers that YW face (ensured by consultation with YW during the project life). Steering Comitees

(SCs) are key: They have a coordination and monitoring function, ensuring local ownership, sustainability,

accountability, and managing community expectations. Lessons from YCI and YMCA’s EU-funded project

(2013-2016) focused on livelihoods and civic education: Skills package: life skills, vocational and business skills

training resulted in unemployment amongst our target YP dropping from 27% to 3%. By the project end, 35%

had developed their own business and 52% were in full/part time employment. Business mind-set: YCI

previously provided vocational training followed by business training. This led to YP choosing vocations based

on preference rather than market analysis. To develop YP’s business mindset and to ensure they select

market-relevant business ideas, this project will deliver business skills training first informed by market-

analysis. Local business people: vocational training will continue to be delivered by local business people - a

successful and cost-effective strategy - building up local expertise and allowing for stronger links between YP



and the local private sector.Post-training support: bolster post-training support to increase the success of YP’s

businesses, including providing mentoring, savings groups, refresher training, using former YP beneficiaries as

role models and motivational speeches. Economic and civic participation: YCI’s experience shows that YP’s

economic empowerment and civic participation are mutually reinforcing. As YP become economic actors they

gain respect and value in their communities; learning about their rights enables them to build on that

confidence to participate in their community’s development as change agents.

4.7 What is the context in which your proposed project will work?

Poor YP in Burma lack skills to achieve economic resilience&participate in society. Our NA (Oct ‘14, 358YP)

identified lack of jobs as the main challenge. YP face family pressure to earn an income but options are mostly

daily labour in hazardous conditions. 35% don’t earn enough to cover basic needs. 63% are unable to save. YP

opinions are not valued: 58% say they can’t influence community decisions. 60% are not aware of their rights.

74% believe men have more power than women. Only15% of PWD have stable livelihoods. IP (80% in selected

locations) face human rights abuses. Lack of inclusiveness&low participation of YP create tensions (NA, Nov

‘16). Burma’s transition to democracy offers opportunities to engage YP in development&prosperity.

4.8 Please provide a more in-depth explanation of the context in which your proposed project

will work.

Myanmar is a Least Developed Country and ranks 150 out of 187 countries (UNDP Human De-velopment

Index 2015). Per capita income in this nation of 54 million people stands as the lowest among East Asian

economies ($702, Human Development Report, 2014); a quarter of residents still live on under the national

poverty line, which doubles in rural areas where 70% of the population lives (Asia Development bank, 2016).

26% of the population lives under (UNDP, 2014). This project will be implemented in semi-rural areas.

According to ILO, 2015, the labour force participation rate for persons aged 15 years and older is 63.4%

(81.7% for men and 47.1% for women); youth female labour force ages 15-24 was 10.70% as of 2014. Women

in Myanmar face discrimination and gender-based violence. The country ranks 83 out of 149 countries in the

2013 Gender Inequality Index (GII). While solid improvements have been made in gender parity in education

women’s participation in the labour market is still lower than men (75% versus 82%) (World Bank, 2013).

Although there is a ten-year National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women (2012-2021), the shortage

of gender statistics and research, a lack of awareness, and limited institu-tional capacity hinder the

development and implementation of effective policies and programmes for the empowerment of women. The

results of the NA carried out by YCI and Myanmar YMCA in 2015 revealed that most of the young people

questioned worked in low income professions- day laborers, students or care giv-ers, and 11% considered

themselves to be unemployed. Most young people (46.7%) reported an income between 45,000 Myanmar

Kyats (MMK, equivalent to £28.3) to 100,000 MMK (£63) monthly. Of 358 young people questioned, 11.5%

described their income level as inadequate for food. Although men and women entrepreneurs face many



obstacles, including burdensome tax policies and collection practices, women must overcome an additional

challenge: financing their businesses. Just 17.4 per cent of women (compared with 29% of men) hold accounts

at formal banking institutions, and of 46% of women surveyed who had borrowed money in the previous year

(2013–14), only 15.5% had borrowed from a formal institution. 22% borrowed from family or friends, and

16.3%from an informal lender, according to the World Bank’s Global Financial Inclusion (Findex) survey,

published in 2015. The country has experienced internal conflicts for more than half a century and inter-

communal violence and consequent mass displacements of people remain a challenge. Nevertheless, political

reforms were initiated in 2011 and peace negotiations are on-going which signals a critical moment in the

development of the country. Reforms focus on democratic governance and rule of law; national unity and

peace via reconciliation with political parties and ethnic armed organizations; market-oriented economic

adjustments, inclusive growth, and bottom-up planning.

4.9 Please explain who else works in this context (other organisations, government, UN

agencies) and how your project adds value to what is already being done.

Interventions by different actors to fight exclusion and poverty have so far been limited in scope due to the

difficulty of accessing the most at risk groups. Our intervention focuses on empowering marginalised and low

skilled YP, while complementing the following plans and in-country strategies: The Myanmar Government’s

Framework for Economic and Social Reforms has a short-term (2012–2015) and a long-term National

Comprehensive Development Plan (2011–2030) which prioritises good governance, including Civic Education

(CE) and youth participation, as also emphasised by the project. The project also refers to the National

Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women (2013–2022), based on the Beijing Platform for Action, to

address gender inequalities. Under these strategies, women have benefited from skills training, small/business

loans, and improvements in microfinance and microcredit. However, the most marginalised and vulnerable

groups have no access to these programmes as they lack the minimum skillset required. In this regard, the

project aims to build knowledge, skills, assets & networks of young people to enable their access to existing

opportunities and achieve sustainable livelihoods. To achieve social empowerment, the project will promote

family sensitisation&community gender awareness; and YP’s participation in Myanmar's democratisation

through CE, peer education on rights & responsibilities & youth-led community actions. This is in line with the

UK AID strategy and Country Plan (DFID Burma operational plan 2014) which focuses on: democratic

governance and accountability, economic transformation and job creation; supporting the development of a

dynamic and resilient rural population and economy. The intervention is also informed by ILO-Myanmar which

is currently promoting different actions through the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security for

Youth Employment and the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement. The key elements of these

actions are: establishing (77) Labour Exchange Offices alongside government & private Vocational Training

(VT) centres, & pre-employment training programmes. The project also uses ILO recommended interventions

such as awareness-raising, establishing information networks for employment, VT, on-job training, & supporting

the creation of employment opportunities. Many INGOS have presence in Myanmar, with projects focused on



Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Transparency&Accountability, Peace Promotion, Access to Land & Water and

Child Protection&Education. Livelihoods-focused projects exist in several regions (including those where our

project will be implemented) delivered by Oxfam, Help Age and the LIFT Fund. Overlaps are minimal due to

different target groups (e.g. elderlies and children) and focus (agriculture, fisheries&livestock and nutrition in

the case of LIFT). YMCA coordinates and participates in local networks to remain up-to-date, design relevant

synergies and avoid duplication.

4.10 What is your strategy to address the contextual needs?

The project will enable marginalized YP (70% female) to achieve economic resilience & social empowerment

by: increasing knowledge through literacy & numeracy classes; improving business & vocational skills;

providing assets to establish micro-enterprises (equipment & start-up grants); promoting resilience through

savings clubs, links to credit & life skills training; building supportive networks & creating an enabling

environment through structured mentoring & inspirational talks by business people, family sensitization visits &

community gender awareness activities; and promoting YP’s participation in Burma's democratization through

civic education, voter education, peer education on rights & responsibilities & youth-led community actions.

4.11 Please provide more detail on your strategy to address the contextual needs.

The project will aim to leave no one behind by focusing on some of the most vulnerable young people: YW, IP

and YPWD. The project will employ a proven approach of working closely with YP’s families to gain support

and reduce pressure on YP to seek low, short-term income. This approach improves access to YPWD and YW

and reduces drop-outs. NFE will be provided to those with lower educational levels, enabling improved

participation in Business skills Training (BT) and CE training. Youth-led market analysis in each location. YMCA

staff and YP will be trained by local consultants to lead the data collection; data will be validated and analysed

in a consultant-led workshop and a report produced. This analysis will inform the BT (400 YP, 70%YW, 70

YPWD), ensuring it’s market-relevant. Training will include entrepreneurship mind-set; managing Group

Businesses (GB) and Saving Groups (SG); business plans, financial management, access to credit, and

marketing.. All 400 young beneficiaries will receive VT and on-the-job training by local business people (who

would have received previous ToT). A refresher on both VT and BT will be delivered in the final year to bolster

YP’s learning. All 400 YP will receive toolkits and apply for small grants in year 3 (16 to 23 business groups will

be granted). The application process will prepare YP to access micro-finance in the future. YP’s resilience will

be built through life skills training to enhance YP’s self-confidence and communication skills (400 YP and 400

family&community members to build an enabling environment); (ii) SGs: each GB will be trained to set up

savings and open a bank account for future access to credit; (iii) links to credit providers: YMCA has started

contacting potential lenders. Supportive networks for YP will be created through: a mentoring programme with

selected local business people and experienced young entrepreneurs; Quarterly Inspirational talks in each

location by role models (youth entrepreneurs, local business people, including successful business women). To



combat traditional gender roles and high levels of discrimination against YPWD, a gender training course will

be delivered (for 400 YP and 400 family and community members) by two local gender based organisations

(ThinnGaHa and MILI) in year 2; Training will be based on youth-led research on inequality faced by women

and YPWD. YCI’s experience shows that economic empowerment leads to significant improvements in YP’s

self-esteem and confidence, enabling active community participation. In order to promote YP’s civic

participation, 400 YP and 400 family/ community members will receive CE training, including basic concepts on

democracy, voting and civic rights. 120 of the most enthusiastic YP will be trained as Civic Peer Educators

(CPEs) to communicate messages of participation and responsible citizenship to a further 3,600 community

members. They will plan youth-led community actions to engage a further 2,400 YP.

4.12 How do you know this is the right response to the need? What other strategies did you

consider?

Vocational Training: in previous EU-funded project in Myanmar, the YMCA tried to work with local VT providers,

but their distance from the communities made it costly and challenging for YP to use their services. A new

strategy for VT delivery was developed: training local business people on how to deliver on-the-job training,

which proved much better value for money (VfM). Group work: as per direct feedback from YP after the EC

funded project they feel more confident forming GBs than working individually. This option was tested by the

YMCA in 2016 and the positive learning from this will be used and scaled up in this project. Also after feedback

from YP, young PCE will be encouraged to form groups of approx. 5 people to deliver community workshops,

rather than working alone. This will increase their confidence to explain concepts around democracy and civic

rights, which can initially be challenging and intimidating for YP. Choice of trade: YMCA/YCI previously

delivered VT first, allowing young people to choose their preferred trade. This led to many YP to select a trade

based on their personal preferences without a fully-informed knowledge of the market opportunities (niches,

competitors, growing sectors, etc.). This methodology will be re-oriented by firstly conducting youth-led market

analysis followed by BT, to develop an entrepreneurial mind-set. YP will then be in a better position to make an

informed choice about the nature of their trade for VT. Post-training support: YCI and YMCA discussed at

length the advantages and disadvantages of different post-training support options for YP (mentoring versus

coaching) based on VfM, YP’s needs and the reality of the context. Mentoring was chosen because it adds

significant value, provides broader development beyond the business, helps young entrepreneurs to take

responsibility for a relationship and be independent, and provides them with an additional source of support

and encouragement. It can be undertaken by local business people already engaged for VT, as well as

experienced YP from previous projects. Coaching and technical support are usually delivered by professionals

which involves less face-to-face meetings and is more expensive; it is also unlikely to find professional coaches

available in the local areas. Youth-led research: YCI has trained Gender Activists in other projects to tackle

specific barriers faced by YW. This project will also include YPD, therefore rather than training Gender

Activists, the project will include youth-led research on gender and disability discrimination. This process will

train and empower young people (YM, YW and YPD) to relate to others, analyse information and assess the



specific barriers they face and the possible solutions. YCI has developed a toolkit for youth-led research which

will be rolled out to this project.

4.13 How does your project fit with the UK Aid Direct theory of change?

The project will promote sustainable & resilient poverty reduction in marginalized communities in line with the

UKAD TOC outcome. The project explicitly addresses three of the TOC outputs: 1. The project will provide

increased opportunities for economic empowerment through supporting YP to establish & grow resilient micro-

enterprises; 2. The initiative tackles gender discriminatory social attitudes & behaviours, contributing towards

positive norm change to enable young women to work as entrepreneurs & participate more actively in their

communities; 3. The project will promote better informed YP through civic education on their rights &

democracy, enabling them to hold decision makers to account through participating in the 2020 elections.

4.14 Please detail a recent example that demonstrates your organisation’s track record and

capability in engaging in and contributing to bringing about a similar type of change in the

past five years.

YCI/YMCA conducted an EC-funded project in Burma (2013-16) with a similar TOC: skills training & assets to

establish businesses, & civic & peer education to promote youth participation. The external evaluation found

that 94% of targeted YP, who were daily labourers before, now felt they had job security. Youth entrepreneurs

increased their wellbeing: 42% felt confident at the start, 90% at the end. 80% have become more active in

their communities & knowledge of civic rights & responsibilities increased by 70%. However, youth businesses

required further support to survive & grow. This project will build on this learning and provide additional support

to new YP: mentoring, savings promotion, links to credit & skills refresher training.

4.15 What is the value added of your organisation in delivering the proposed intervention? What

is your organisation’s track record in delivering similar interventions in similar contexts for a

similar cost?

YCI has a 30 year track record of working with marginalized YP through local partners in the poorest countries

to improve their livelihoods. YCI’s ToC on Enterprise and Employability recognises that sustainable change for

YP happens through a combination of factors that create opportunities to secure decent work and help them lift

themselves out of poverty. The key dimensions of change are: 1) improvements in young people’s capabilities

acquired through Skills (life & technical), Assets (human and material) and Networks; 2) strengthened capacity

of YP to cope and adapt to shock (Resilience) and making the most of their influence (Voice and Leadership);

3) an enabling environment responsive to YP’s needs. This ToC derives from similar interventions in a variety

of contexts: (i) EU-funded “Socio-economic Empowerment of Vulnerable Young People, Madagascar” (2012-



16; £575,000); (ii) DFID-funded “Women's livelihoods and women's empowerment in Pakistan (2016-18;

£774,711); DFID-funded “Securing healthy lives and sustainable livelihoods for young people in Liberia” (2014-

17); (iii) EU-SIDA funded “Empowering socially excluded young women in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

to become economically active” (2014-17; £1,032,750); (iv) EU-funded “Empowering civil society to promote

the enhanced socio-economic wellbeing of vulnerable young people in Myanmar (2013-16; £583,000) and its

extension (v) “Business development support and civic education for vulnerable young people in Myanmar

(2016-17; £60,000). Success was demonstrated through the EU-funded project in Myanmar (iv – above) with a

similar ToC: VT, BT & assets to establish businesses, & CE to promote youth participation. The final evaluation

showed that YP’s unemployment dropped from 27% to 3%. By the end of the project, 35% had their own

business and 52% were in employment. 92% believed the project helped them gain a more reliable income: the

average income for YW rose from $27 to $55; and $25 to $80 for YM. Work to develop YP’s knowledge of their

civic rights and responsibilities resulted in YP reporting their knowledge on these topics rise by 70% with 50%

of YP feeling confident to take part in community decision making. 80% of YP reported being more active in

their communities and many were keen to vote in the 2015 national elections. YMCA has long-standing

experience in providing VT for poor YP, including YWPD, through its 21 branches. They have provided grants

and business start-up support through multiple projects. YCI’s added value also lies in its investment in

capacity building with local partners, including in MEL systems and analysis, financial management, project

management, building resilience, Climate Change Adaptation, and guidance on safe-guarding for vulnerable

YP. YCI has recently invested in building its capacity further by employing an YCI’s EDS to develop training

and resources on youth enterprise and employability, which will be rolled out to local partners.

4.16 If your organisation has not delivered this type of intervention before, what

learning/evidence underpins your proposal?

YCI has delivered this type of intervention before, however we regularly improve and adapt our tested

approach and Theory of Change to ensure we are embedding learning and evidence from our and others’

experience. For this project we will test the mentoring programme as a key activity in the post-training support

provided to YP. YCI has recognized that mentoring can be a valid and important part of supporting YP to make

their businesses viable and successful after training. We have started to pilot different mentoring approaches in

different countries and are actively learning through collaboration and discussion with other expert

organisations, including Youth Business International (YBI), Hand in Hand, Practical Action and Raleigh

International. According to YBI’s “Evidence and Learning Review: Supporting Young Entrepreneurs, what

works?” (2016): (i) 37% of young entrepreneurs globally consider their mentor more influential than money to

the success of their business; (ii) youth entrepreneurs with mentors have more profitable businesses (e.g.

Uganda: 9% benefit-cost ratio in 5 years compared to 0% for YP who received training only and 6% for YP who

received training and 2 follow ups); (iii) young entrepreneurs without mentors find it more difficult to start and

sustain a business; (iv) YP with mentors made 50% more monthly sales than those supported with training

only. During a small-scale project together with the YMCA in 2016, YCI and YMCA tested a mentorship



approach using the YMCA staff. This approach proved challenging as it overloaded the staff with work and their

lack of mentorship experience did not allow them to provide the support YP needed. Therefore, in this project,

the mentorship role will be taken on by the local business providers who provide the vocational training. They

will be given specific support, including an induction session with mentors and mentees to ensure they

understand the programme and manage expectations, terms of reference with clear roles and responsibilities,

and continuous guidance from the YMCA Enterprise and Employment Officer.

4.17 What would a UK Aid Direct grant enable you to do that you aren’t currently doing?

This project will allow YCI and the YMCA to build on the success and learning from the EU-funded project

(ended 2015) and a smaller-scale pilot project (ended 2016), contributing to the reduction of poverty and

increasing economic security and social empowerment for marginalised YP in Myanmar. This project will allow

us to continue supporting the work and organisational capacity of the YMCA, a respected and professional

local organisation with long-standing experience of successfully responding to the needs of the most

marginalised YP in Myanmar. The project would also improve YCI’s approach to enterprise and employability

with new components, such as the above-mentioned mentoring programme, and new learning, such as the

specific barriers that YW and YPWD in Myanmar face when accessing employment and enterprise. Learning

will not only benefit YP in Myanmar; using YCI’s learning framework (see section 5.5) we will share and

disseminate it through the global YMCA network and UK-based organisations; it will strengthen our Theory of

Change across the +15 countries were YCI operates.

4.18 Which of the following UK Aid Direct approaches will your proposed project contribute to?

Demonstrate partnerships with youth as agents and advocates for change●

Show positive behaviour change in targeted groups as a result of the interventions●

Demonstrate increased opportunities for economic empowerment through job creation, income generation●

and improving market access

4.19 Please explain your rationale for choosing the three (maximum) UK Aid Direct approaches

you will take; how will they help you to achieve your programme goals and why are they

needed?

Demonstrate partnerships with youth as agents and advocates for change: In line with DFID’s Youth Agenda,

YCI and YMCA strongly believe that YP are a positive force for development when provided with the

knowledge and opportunities they need to thrive. In YCI programmes, YP are involved throughout project

design and implementation, from needs assessment, to monitoring and feeding back on the project through the

SCs. Myanmar is at a crucial stage in its history as it evolves towards democracy and it needs to ensure the

participation of all groups, including YP and those left furthest behind (women, YPWD, IP). A YCI/YMCA needs



assessment (2014-2015; 258 YP surveyed; Lashio, Ayeyarwady Division, Karen and Mon States) showed that

58.4% felt that they could not influence community decisions and only 8.7% felt respected by their community.

Although 85.5% felt they could make a positive change, 59.8% reported they didn’t understand their basic

rights as citizens. This project will enhance a proven methodology to build YP’s capacity on civil rights,

citizenship and democracy resulting in them becoming active citizens in their communities as CPEs, in

community activities and participating in the 2020 elections. This approach will be reinforced by increasing

opportunities for economic empowerment: YCI believes that enterprise and employment are the best routes out

of poverty for YP. Helping YP to learn skills, secure jobs or start businesses that can thrive makes economic

sense. It benefits the wider community, tackling poverty, reducing dependency on aid and combatting

corruption, ultimately contributing to achieving SDGs 1 and 8. However, YCI/YMCA’s needs assessment

showed that most YP worked in low-paid, unskilled, unsafe and unpredictable daily labour. The most significant

barrier to income generation was lack of skills and jobs. 35.2% reported not having enough income, particularly

for education or medical costs. YCI/YMCA’s experience in Myanmar shows that, given the right package of

skills training and post-training support, YP can establish successful micro-businesses and increase their

income. Becoming economic actors bolsters their active citizenship and standing in the community, allowing

them to actively contribute to developing their society. Show positive behaviour change in targeted groups:

creating an enabling environment for YP to flourish is critical to positive change, starting with ensuring that

families and households are key allies for YP planning to start small businesses or gain employment. Families

that support yYP to attend training and participate in their community are more likely to see long-term success

for their children and, in turn, the wider family. It is also crucial in combating discrimination towards the most

vulnerable groups, including YW, YPWD and IP. Therefore, family and community members will be actively

included in several activities together with YP: life skills, CE and gender training.

4.20 Please number and list any references you have used in your proposal.

Primary data resources: Youth-led Needs Assessment conducted between October 2014 and January 2015 by

YCI and the YMCA; 358 young people (252 female and 106 male) consulted (in sections 4.5, 4.7, 4.8, 6.4, 6.9,

6.10, 6.11 Rapid needs assessment in Shan State conducted in November 2016 by YCI and the YMCA. 58

young people (32 female and 26 male) consulted (in sections 4.5, 4.7, 4.8, 6.4, 6.9, 6.10, 6.11) External Final

evaluation of the EC funded project “Empowering civil society to promote the enhanced socio-economic

wellbeing of vulnerable young people in Myanmar” conducted in March- May 2016. 222 former beneficiaries

(57 males and 165 females) were consulted (in section 4.5) Secondary data resources: UNDP Human

Development Index 2015 (in section 4.8) UNDP, Human Development Report, 2014 (in section 4.8) Asia

Development Bank, Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific report, 2016 (in section 4.8) Myanmar Census 2014

(in section 4.8) Myanmar labour force, child labour and school to work transition survey 2015 Executive

summary report, by the Myanmar Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security and Central Statistical

Organization in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (in sections 4.8; 4.9) 2013 Gender

Inequality Index (GII) (in section 4.8) World Bank Indicators Database, 2013 (in section 4.8) Myanmar National



Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women (2012-2021) (in sections 4.8; 4.9; 6.20) World Bank’s Global

Financial Inclusion (Findex) survey, 2015 (in section 4.8) ILO, Global Employment trends for Youth, 2015 (in

section 4.8 and across the proposal as general reference). The Myanmar Government’s Framework for

Economic and Social Reforms has a short-term (2012–2015) Myanmar National Comprehensive Development

Plan (2011–2030) Myanmar National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women (2013–2022) UK AID

strategy and Country Plan (DFID Burma operational plan 2014) Oxfam, Help Age and LIFT Fund websites

Youth Business International’s “Evidence and Learning Review: Supporting Young Entrepreneurs, what

works?” (2016) Washington Group questions on disability UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with

Disabilities UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment 2016



Monitoring and Evaluation

5.1 What is your proposed approach to monitoring? What methodologies, tools and approaches

will you use? How will you measure change? Who will be involved? What training is required

for partners to monitor and evaluate the project?

YCI and the YMCA have well established and tested MEL theory based systems and processes. At the design

and planning stage a project ToC was designed with the YMCA based on needs and input from stakeholders

and potential beneficiaries. The ToC process identified underlying assumptions and learning questions. The

change pathways supported YMCA/YCI to identify metrics and indicators. SDG indicators and YCI’s Indicator

Bank were also referenced to ensure best practice. MEL frameworks at activity and result define tools for

measuring change, when we will measure, who will be involved in data collection and why this data is

necessary for the project. Capacity Building for MEL is key for YCI and YMCA. YCI will continue to build and

strengthen its approach to beneficiary feedback and engagement. YCI will support the YMCA to review its own

MEL capacity and work together to identify areas which YCI can provide technical support. The monitoring

processes will triangulate data and answer the logical framework indicators. As the project follows on from

previous work many of the monitoring systems will be updated and integrated to build upon best practice. The

MEL frameworks will reduce data fatigue by focusing only on relevant and necessary. The YMCA will

coordinate all monitoring activities within the project. All staff, volunteers and beneficiaries who collect data will

be provided with training or technical support. Activities and beneficiaries will be monitored regularly with strong

reporting chains ensuring timely feedback to the community. Monitoring Tools are designed to be clear and

engaging and where possible, beneficiaries will be charged with monitoring their own activities to increase buy-

in. Data from the field will be assessed for quality, completion levels and to identify gaps. On-going monitoring

visits (weekly, monthly and quarterly) by YMCA project and national staff and at least twice-yearly visits by YCI

and monthly/quarterly reports will ensure internal validation of data, information and learning. This will be

triangulated with SCs findings, annual learning workshops, and external evaluations. YMCA and YCI will

identify the most appropriate data management information system Access, Excel or Salesforce). Discussions

will be linked to wider discussions on data needs of the organisations. This project will take a theory based

approach to evaluation. Within the first 6 months, an independent baseline survey will set benchmarks. An

internal mid-term review will allow YCI, YMCA staff, beneficiaries and other key stakeholders to assess the

progress of the project and to identify learning. This mid-term will likely use an Outcome Harvesting

methodology. The final evaluation will be conducted by an independent evaluator to verify and validate existing

monitoring data, and assess the changes in the lives of the beneficiaries. It is likely that the consultant will use

Outcome Harvesting or Realist evaluation approaches to do this.

5.2 How will you measure disability within your project?

This programme includes productive employment and decent work for 70 YPWD (18% of livelihoods

beneficiaries), therefore, measuring disability will be a key consideration. The design and planning stage



identified learning questions which will contribute to the body of knowledge, including the DfID Disability

Framework. The indicators have been assessed for suitability within a disability framework. The targets reflect

discussions with YPWD and the challenges they face in accessing economic opportunities. Indicators will be

reviewed during the baseline process to ensure relevance. Additional opportunities will be available to adapt

the indicators and targets based on our growing learning. The YMCA has specialised on disability based issues

for young people in the last 5 years building strong relationships with other organisations and the wider

disability sector (e.g. MILI will provide support to reach YPWD). The YMCA will be asked to provide support to

YCI on working with YPWD in the Myanmar context and the most effective approaches for monitoring gains for

this group. The Washington Group questions on disability will be integrated into the existing beneficiary

selection and registration process of the YMCA. The questions will strengthen YMCA’s approach for identifying

vulnerability and additional needs. Each young person will have a case file held securely by the YMCA which

supports their individual progress and charts any challenges and how these are being met. The baseline

process will disaggregate data by gender and disability. Targets will be reviewed and disaggregated

suggestions made for indicators where progress may be achieved on a different timescale or to a different

effect by the targeted beneficiaries. Data collection will adhere to best practice and be sensitive to the

challenges faced by YPWD. All staff will be trained on approaching data collection in a sensitive approach and

supporting YPWD to define their own situation and progress. Data collection tools and approaches, and

analysis will avoid treating YPWD as a homogeneous group facing the same issues. Disability is not the only

defining feature of these young people and their gender, context, familial relations and other factors will play a

significant factor in their progress. For this reason theory based approaches, such as Outcome Harvesting and

Most Significant Change, will be used for evaluations. These approaches are more likely to provide YPWD the

opportunity to assess their context and relationships and define the factors contributing to change. YPWD will

be active in data collection and analysis procedures as many of the beneficiaries will monitor and report on

their own work in the project and how their perceptions of themselves and their disability are changing.

5.3 Please explain the budget allocated to M&E. Please ensure there is provision for baseline,

on-going data collection and an end of project independent evaluation.

9% of the overall project budget has been allocated to costs for MEL purposes. This is based on YCI’s own

best practice for budgeting for MEL work and has been reviewed against YCI budgeting criteria. Staff: MEO (1

FTE, Yangon, 36 months, £452/month): coordination of local MEL; DEC (1 FTE, Yangon, 36 months,

£181/month): entry and management of all data; MELA (0.1 FTE, London, £329/month): support MEL design,

capacity building and technical support. Capacity Building: self-audit of MEL capacity at YMCA, action plan

development with YCI, in-country support (training for senior project team members and YMCA head office

staff, one-to-one support for MEO and MPM), training to project team by MEO, at distance coaching by YCI to

YMCA MEO/MPM (£2,830, year 1). MEL systems: (i) finalisation of MEL systems; framework, tools and

learning strategy (ii) MEL-related translation (£5,205) over project life based on £0.12 per word) for key MEL

documents: monitoring tools, log frames, reporting templates, ToC, baseline/MTR/final evaluation reports. Data



collection: (i) Local monitoring visits to monitor progress (£181 /month for field staff and £181/ month for

Yangon-based staff) (ii) YCI’s visits to monitor progress and/or provide technical support to the YMCA.

(£11,783 in year 1: 5 people travelling in 3 occasions for Start-up, MEL workshop and end of year visit; £7,389

in year 2: 3 people travelling for MTR and end of year visit; £4,659 in year 3: 2 people travelling for regular

monitoring and end of project visit). Beneficiary Feedback: Monthly Project Steering Committee meetings

(£57/month and location) to monitor activities manage beneficiary and ensure project ownership. Learning: (i)

Year 1 learning workshop (£1,900/workshop for travel, accommodation and refreshment for 15 YMCA staff for

4 days): reflection on progress and plan for the next year; (ii) end of project workshop (£1,900 /workshop as

above): to reflect on the project and identify key learning; (iii) YCI Learning opportunities (£2,000/year to attend

International Making Cents Conference/ training on Employment and Enterprise; (iv) Results Summary

(£500/for development based on 7 hours @£50 per hour for designer and £150 for printing of up to 200

summaries). Evaluations: (i) Baseline survey (£12,000/evaluation to cover £9,000 consultancy fees, £3,000

logistics e.g. travel, refreshments and sundries): to identify benchmarks; (ii) MTR (£1,900/review to cover costs

of 3 day workshop with team e.g. travel, accommodation and refreshment for 15 YMCA staff): reflection on

progress and plan for the next year; data collection in field using Outcome Harvesting meeting 50 beneficiaries

and stakeholders); (iii) Final evaluation: (£14,000/evaluation to cover £10,500 consultancy fees, £3,500

logistics e.g. travel, refreshments and sundries): to review the project against DAC criteria: relevance,

effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability); (v) End of Project Audit (£5,000/ consultancy).

5.4 What mechanisms will be in place to capture feedback from stakeholders and beneficiaries

and feed it back into the system? How will you be able to adapt and respond flexibly to

changes in context?

Within all YMCA and YCI programmes mechanisms are in place to collate, review and embed beneficiary

feedback. This project offers a chance to strengthen these and increase resourcing. YCI would like to improve

its own capacity in this area and build upon the knowledge it has gained from across its portfolio of work. The

use of SCs has been found to be best practice amongst YCI and YMCA’s current approach to beneficiary

feedback. This approach is embedded into all programmes and has seen substantial success across a number

of contexts and countries, including Myanmar. The purpose of the group is to decentralise power away from the

YMCA and into the local community to create local buy in, improve accountability and increase sustainability of

change. SCs are volunteer groups within the implementing villages. They bring together up to 15 members

from the community and beneficiary group. These groups often include local leaders, business people, and

parents of young beneficiaries, local thought leaders, CBO members, advocates and representative from the

young beneficiaries. The groups are designed to reflect the dynamics of the programme so they will always

attempt to have fair gender and disability representation and support young women and men to take prominent

roles in the committees. The SCs have proved to be particularly effective in supporting transparency of the

project by creating an intermediary link between the YMCA and the community, reflecting on perceptions of the

project and integrating feedback into the implementation approaches. During this project the SCs will meet with



the YMCA at least once a month to discuss the progress of the project. The group will have worked

independently to gather feedback on the project, identify challenges and potential solutions and support

beneficiaries and their families to engage with the programme. The SCs will support the YMCA to develop and

implement locally appropriate approaches and in many circumstance it will be they who lead those solutions

rather than the YMCA. Due to their roles within the community and links to the beneficiaries, feedback from

beneficiaries is informally collected and fed back. The SCs will provide immediate support to the beneficiaries

and are often involved in mediation with families; this information is then reported to the local YMCA staff

member for follow up and additional support. When issues cannot be addressed directly by the SCs the YMCA

will work with them to find longer term solutions. It is the role of the SCs to communicate these solutions back

to the community alongside the YMCA. The SCs are an integral part of programmes and go beyond feedback

mechanisms. Solutions to many of the implementation challenges are identified, implemented and monitored

by these groups which reduces the reliance upon the YMCA.

5.5 Please explain how the learning from this project will be incorporated into your organisation

and disseminated, and to whom this information will be targeted.

YCI approaches Learning through six key steps: Defining; Collecting; Storing; Analysing; Apply-ing, and

Sharing. Defining: The project design stage and ToC process supported identification of key assumptions and

learning questions: 1 how different level of achievement experienced YM and YW and YPWD? has the project

succeeded on understanding and addressing their specific barriers 2 how successful has been the business

mind-set approach (youth-led market analysis and business training before choosing a trade)? 3 How effective

the mentoring programme has been and how would beneficiaries improve it? Collecting: YMCA staff will use

their internal monthly reports and coordination meetings to collate and discuss their learning from interactions

with stakeholders and beneficiaries; this process is formalised within monthly reporting templates. This learning

is then discussed and reflected on with YCI through regular coordination meetings and reporting. Storing: YCI

has developed an online Learning Portal platform for storage of learning from across their entire portfolio of

partners and projects. This system allows for the centralisation of knowledge and learning and improves

institutional memory. Key learning from the above collection methods will be entered into the system. We are

currently investigating how we can open this system to our partners or alternatively support partners to build

their own system. Analysing & Applying: YCI Learning Portal allows the identification of specific types of

learning across multiple sources. The learning will be the starting point for discussions on a six monthly and

annual basis on how the information contributes to our learning questions, identifying larger scale adjustments,

designing new interventions, and how the information could impact the sector. Shorter reflection loops will

support small adjustments to activities and processes. YMCA and YCI will work together to build a process for

analysing and application of learning on an ongoing basis to ensure that small adjustments are made in a

timely manner. It is important that the analysis and application of learning does not remain with just the YMCA

and YCI. SCs will be engaged in reviewing learning and implementing recommendations in their own work.

Learning and recommendations will be discussed with beneficiaries at key interval in the project life. Sharing:



The learning and dissemination approach will be finalised between YMCA and YCI within the first quarter.

Responsibility for sharing learning with external actors will be shared across YCI and the YMCA. Information

will be shared by the YMCA with communities via the SCs. YCI and YMCA will target the YMCA network,

present in 119 countries, with learning on livelihoods programming for (YPWD/YP). YCI will target UK

organisations through the Bond net-work and the ICS consortium. Conferences, such as Making Cents Annual

Summit, will be targeted as means to access the wider Enterprise and Employment sector.



Results

6.1 Please upload your theory of change

6.2 Please explain the theory of change for your proposed project

Vulnerable YP risk being left behind as Burma develops: they lack skills & support to lift themselves out of

poverty & participate in society. The project will address the main challenge, lack of jobs, by supporting YP to

establish enterprises. YP need more than training to secure sustainable livelihoods, so the project will build

knowledge & skills, but will also provide assets, promote resilience & foster an enabling environment through

family & community sensitization. Learning shows that as YP become economic providers, they gain

confidence & motivation to participate in communities. The project will build on this to provide training & peer

education on rights&democracy, promoting youth skills to become agents of change & vote in 2020.

6.3 If desired, please upload an updated theory of change.

Current Theories of Change Files

PPTX ❍

Revised Theory Of Change Ref Gtpk Fmnn Yy April 18, 2017 110 Kb❍

PPTX ❍

Theory Of Change Ref Gtpk Fmnn Yy April 13, 2017 110 Kb❍

6.4 Please explain the theory of change for your proposed project in more depth.

The project ToC is based on YCI’s ToC on Enterprise & Employability for vulnerable YP, which has been

applied in successful programmes across 15 countries. Our approach is that sustainable change for YP

happens by creating opportunities to secure decent work by building YP’s Skills, Assets, Resilience, Voice and

Leadership, and Networks. We put YP at the centre of our work whilst recognising a) change must occur at

different levels: individual, family, community, regional and national b) the wider context and needs must be

taken into consideration. In Myanmar we provide in-depth enterprise training and tailored post-training support,

combined with initiatives to enable YP to participate in their fledgling democracy. Given Myanmar’s political

history, we do not encourage overtly political activities, but focus on civic rights and education for YP.

Measures to combat additional barriers, such as discrimination for reasons of sex, ethnicity or disability, are

also included. Whilst this can be a relatively resource-intensive method, we have found it to be the best

approach to addressing a YP’s multiple needs and maximising the impact. From our NAs (2015 & 2016), which

consulted 400+ YP, and learning from the previous EU-funded project, we understand YP in Myanmar,

especially YW, IP and YPWD, face major economic exclusion due to lack of skills, support and confidence. We

aim to create meaningful change in their lives and increase their economic security and social empowerment



by providing them with the skills and assets they need to feel confident to set up businesses to lift themselves

out of poverty. Creating enabling environments and supportive networks within their families and communities,

and growing their knowledge of their civic and democratic rights and responsibilities, develops their leadership

as change agents and responsible citizens. More specifically, YCI and YMCA’s experience shows that

delivering life skills and gender training for YP together with their families & community members increases

YP’s self-confidence and contributes to changing traditional roles (based on gender or age); it strengthens

relations and positive communication between YP and their families, providing the support they need to

improve their lives. To help YW and YPWD in particular to make this change possible, they will participate in

youth-led research, designed to encourage YP to question, analyse and find solutions to the problems they

face. This thought process is not common in Myanmar. In addition to improved skills, YP will receive basic

assets to get businesses started: tool kits, joining savings groups, post-training mentoring and small project

grants. Economically empowered YP become respected members of the community; through CE training, peer

education and organising community activities they will become change agents, influencing their community for

the better in Myanmar’s evolving political context.

6.5 Who are your primary beneficiaries?

People with disabilities (PWD) - 15 - 24 years- 25 - 49 years- 50 - 64 years

- Female- Male

Vulnerable and marginalised - 15 - 24 years- 25 - 49 years- 50 - 64 years

- Female- Male

Indigenous groups - 15 - 24 years- 25 - 49 years- 50 - 64 years

- Female- Male

6.6 What is the total number of primary beneficiaries you intend to reach?

6160

6.7 Please break down the total number of primary beneficiaries into each population group

below:

Vulnerable and marginalised

4900

People with disabilities (PWD)

70

Indigenous groups

1190



6.8 Who are your secondary beneficiaries? How many secondary beneficiaries in total will

benefit from your project?

Number of People

15840

Vulnerable and marginalised - Under 5 years- 5 - 14 years- 15 - 24 years- 25 - 49 years- 50 - 64 years- Over 65 years

- Female- Male

Indigenous groups - Under 5 years- 5 - 14 years- 15 - 24 years- 25 - 49 years- 50 - 64 years- Over 65 years

- Female- Male

Orphans and vulnerable children - Under 5 years- 5 - 14 years- 15 - 24 years

- Female- Male

6.9 Please demonstrate how you are identifying and including the most vulnerable and

marginalised groups of beneficiaries. How will the project include those with a disability?

To identify the most vulnerable, beneficiary selection criteria will focus on identifying and prioritising: YW,

YPWD (7.7% of the population age five or over have a disability, )and IP (prioritising young mothers and

female-headed households, the illiterate and unskilled, those living with less than 2$/ day and daily-wage

workers). Vulnerable YP will be identified through field staff, local CBOs, schools and the SC. Some examples

on how the project will address their specific vulnerabilities are: YPWD: Physical disabilities and lack of finance

affects self-esteem and access to education, employment and enterprise. To ensure they are included the

YMCA will collaborate in the field with MILI (Myanmar Independent Living Initiative), a local net-work of PWD.

YCI and the YMCA have previously successfully worked with MILI in the EU-funded project. MILI will provide

technical advice and support on how to reach and include YPWD. YW (with special attention to young mothers

and female-headed households) face financial dependency on husbands/ parents and are excluded from

decision making. This will be addressed by regular discussions with parents and husbands to gain their

support; child-friendly training centres; training organised to fit around the schedules of female-headed

households and prioritising them for SGs, VT and BT; NFE lessons will ensure the illiterate can gain minimum

levels of numeracy and literacy to follow training. IP, who face historical political and social discrimination, will

participate in civic education focused on civil rights, voting and democracy to give them a voice as change

agents in their new democracy. Gender and disability has been mainstreamed throughout project design. The

needs assessment (2015) collected data disaggregated by sex and vulnerability, and triangulated the



quantitative and qualitative information to differentiate male and female needs. The results informed project

design by integrating both women’s and men’s needs through activities open to everyone to avoid male

opposition. Recognising that challenging gender discrimination must include the engagement of more than just

women, the project has planned gender training for YP, families and com-munity members. The specific needs

and barriers faced by YPWD and YW will be further assessed by youth-led research, ensuring their voices are

heard and needs met. YCI’s Gender Working Group will also support the YMCA Project Team to ensure that

gender is main-streamed. The MEL framework will design indicators to monitor how the project affects YM&YW

and YPWD. Systematic collection of data disaggregated by sex, age, disability, ethnicity, marital status,

location, will be applied to analyse the different roles and opportunities of men and women; assess project

impact on power relations; mitigate identified gender risks, disparities between men and women and avoid

multiple exclusions (e.g. gender & disability).

6.10 What is the project’s approach to empowerment and gender equality and what are the

linkages to DFID’s ‘leave no one behind’ agenda?

The project is clearly linked to DFID’s “leave no one behind” agenda by focusing on the most marginalized and

vulnerable YP, including YW, YPWD and IP. They face multiple barriers to economic empowerment and social

inclusion, as demonstrated through YCI/YMCA’s needs assessments and experience in Myanmar. The project

will employ some primary drivers of women’s economic empowerment (UN Secretary General’s High Level

Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment 2016), including tackling discrimination and promoting positive

role models. This will be achieved by working directly with YW’s households and communities to change

attitudes, and developing YW into active change agents who become positive role models in their communities.

The project will also ensure the participation of other role models, including YW from the previous project who

overcame barriers to establish successful businesses and actively participate in society. The project will

provide YW with assets, such as starter-kits, small grants and how to access credit. The project will also

strengthen YW’s visibility, collective voice and participation through CE training, peer education training and

community activities to foster YW’s agency to participate. The project will refer to the UN Convention on the

Rights of Persons with Disabilities by actively targeting YPWD to ensure they are systematically included in

both the economic development and CE activities. YMCA will work with MILI (a local disability network) to

identify and include YPWD, and has been trained in how best to include YPWD. YPWD will also participate in

the SCs to ensure their needs are voiced and responded to. Data will be disaggregated by disability status

during the baseline survey, mid-term review and final evaluation, to ensure that best practices are identified

and fed back into the project and wider learning. Working closely with households and families will reduce

discrimination against YPWD whilst enabling them to actively participate in their communities. Specific support

will be given such as assistive devices and transport allowances. YPWD will be included in the youth-led

research examining the barriers and solutions to gender and inclusivity. The project will take place in regions

populated predominantly by IPN hence they will benefit directly from both the economic empowerment and CE

activities. YMCA field staff will be local to the communities and aware of the discrimination and barriers that IP



face, including being able to speak the local languages. Given Myanmar’s history of ethnic conflict and

exclusion, the project will provide a key opportunity for young IP to participate in the construction of their new

democracy e.g. through youth exchange visits to different areas to learn about different cultures and build

social cohesion. This strategy was very successful in the previous EU-funded project, allowing YP to gain a

better understanding of their country and the reality of life for other ethnic groups.

6.11 Please provide more detail on the three (maximum) UK Aid Direct approaches you will take.

Demonstrate increased opportunities for economic empowerment through job creation, income generation and

improving market access: This project’s key focus is promoting economic empowerment through enabling

marginalized and vulnerable youth, particularly young women, to create their own jobs and generate income by

establishing market-relevant micro-enterprises. Market research will be conducted at the start of the project in

each of the targeted locations. YP themselves, guided by experienced field staff and expert business trainers,

will then decide on the specific vocational and technical skills to learn on which to base their businesses, by

reviewing the results of the market research alongside their business training. Through this process we will

ensure that the businesses established by YP are profitable and sustainable based on local market access and

opportunities. We envisage that most of the businesses will be group businesses; this will enable YP to pool

their skills and inputs to create larger, more resilient businesses without competing against one another. This

strategy is based on learning from our previous EC-funded livelihoods project in Burma. Overall, the strategy

for economic empowerment is based on YCI’s tried and tested Employment and Enterprise Theory of Change

which shows that marginalised youth require a variety of different types of support in order to achieve

sustainable livelihoods. This includes: increasing their knowledge and skills; providing assets and post-training

support; promoting resilience through life skills, understanding of risks and mitigation and developing savings

habits; enhancing youth confidence, leadership and voice; and building youth-friendly community networks to

support their entrepreneurship. This project has been designed to incorporate all of these elements as well as

build on specific learning and beneficiary feedback from our work in Burma in order to implement the most

effective approaches to economically empower vulnerable youth. Demonstrate partnerships with youth as

agents and advocates for change: YCI strongly believes in putting individual young people at the centre of our

work. Vulnerable and marginalized young women and men lack the knowledge, skills and confidence to

understand their needs and rights and advocate for their priorities, and this project will address those barriers.

Through support to establish and grow micro-enterprises, young people will transform themselves into

economic providers, increasing their confidence and status in their families and communities. This is

particularly significant for young women (70% of the targeted beneficiaries) who face gender discrimination in

their households and communities. Our EC-funded livelihoods project showed that, as a result of contributing to

their households and communities economically, young women and men registered significant improvements in

their self-esteem, confidence and assuredness, which translated into greater willingness to play active roles in

their communities (external evaluation, 2016). Linking economic empowerment with civic participation is the

key linchpin of our Theory of Change. Through life skills training, YP will learn and practice skills in



communication, interpersonal relations, decision making, problem solving, creative and critical thinking,

identification and mitigation of risks, leadership and public speaking. Combined with civic education on their

rights and responsibilities under the Constitution of Myanmar (2008), extremely vulnerable and marginalized

youth will become active citizens able to participate in household and community decision making. They will

have opportunities to demonstrate their community role and potential through implementation of youth-led

community actions and organization of inter-region peer exchange trips. Crucially, they will be empowered to

contribute to Burma’s democracy and future development through engagement in the 2020 national elections

process. YP participated in the project design through Needs Assessments and they will be involved in the

planning and implementation of all activities. Their feedback will be continually sought through meetings with

field staff and quarterly Project Steering Group meetings. Changes will be made to reflect YP’s feedback and

promote continuous quality improvements that ensure YP and their needs and priorities remain at the centre of

the initiative. Show positive behaviour change in targeted groups as a result of the interventions: This project

contributes towards a reduction of discriminatory attitudes and behaviour towards women and PWD among

community members in the targeted locations. Discrimination is a major barrier for young women and young

PWD, which limits their ability to secure livelihoods and participate in their communities and leads to isolation

and social exclusion. The project will focus on creating an enabling environment for young women and young

PWD to engage in project activities, create livelihoods for themselves and participate in their communities

through tackling discrimination at the family and community levels. Learning from previous projects has shown

that family pressure is a major limiting factor on economic and social participation, so the project will directly

engage with families of beneficiaries from the start through community sensitization events and one-to-one

family sensitization visits. Gender awareness activities, such as organization of drama, music and dance

performances, will tackle gender discrimination at the community level. Family and community members will

also be encouraged to join in certain activities, such as life skills and civic education training, to build their

knowledge and understanding of the role and potential of YP. In this way, the project will create an enabling

environment for YP to get past the discrimination that has held them back and create new opportunities for

themselves through enterprise.

6.12 Which of the following outcome areas will your project contribute to?

Job creation●

Financial access●

Income generation and poverty reduction●

Improving market access●

Women and Girls empowerment●

Reducing labour exploitation●

6.13 What is your outcome statement?

Increased economic security and social empowerment for marginalised young women and men and community

members



6.14 What will the impact of your project be?

Vulnerable YP (including indigenous groups & PWD) who are living in poverty as daily labourers will become

economically resilient & socially empowered to build their futures & contribute to Burma’s development. By

becoming business owners, 400 YP will gain employment with safer working conditions & increase their income

& job security. Youth entrepreneurs will increase their confidence & social standing to become active citizens &

contribute economically & socially to their households & communities. Community members will show reduced

discrimination against women and PWD. 3600 YP will have increased understanding of their rights & will be

empowered to engage in democratic processes and vote in the 2020 elections.

6.15 If your project includes capacity building, empowerment or advocacy aspects, please

comment on why they are needed and how they are expected to contribute to change.

Capacity-building and empowerment are intrinsically linked through the project approach and will underpin all

outputs, ultimately contributing to the achievement of the outcome. Capacity building will be at several levels: (i)

beneficiaries will develop their knowledge and skills: they will learn how to set up a business, earn an income,

save money and contribute to their household needs; they will understand the basic principles of democracy,

political decision making processes and how to vote; they will understand the concept of gender, gender roles

and gender inequality; and learn how to publicly communicate civic education and gender messages to their

peers; (ii) M-YMCA and local branches’ organisational capacity will be strengthened: YCI will provide training,

face-to-face and distance support to the YMCA project team on project cycle management, monitoring,

evaluation and learning, financial management, gender and safeguarding vulnerable YP. It is important to

highlight the impact of YCI’s support to its partners. As stated by Hon' Secretary of Yangon Y's Men’s Club ‘we

have seen a dramatic positive change in the Myanmar YMCA since their partnership with YCI…particularly

from YCI’s support on organizational capacity building, fundraising, networking and programme management’.

(March, 2016).YCI is also now in a better position to provide guidance and expertise on enterprise and

employability having employed an Enterprise Development Specialist (EDS). The EDS will build a series of in-

house training modules and resources, including guidance, toolkits and methodologies on youth enterprise,

which will be rolled out to YCI’s local partners over the coming year, including the YMCA; (iii) increased

capacity of communities to analyse and tackle discrimination and the barriers faced by young women and

young YPWD to access employment or set up a business, and to actively participate in their communities. This

will ultimately lead to better outcomes for the community as a whole, including better health and education over

the long-term. Given the delicate political climate in Myanmar, the project does not encompass direct advocacy

activities, but focuses instead on building young people’s knowledge of their rights and democratic processes

through training and then disseminating that knowledge through young peer civic educators to the wider

community. 70% of peer educators will be young women and 10% YPWD, demonstrating their capacity to play

an active role in the community as leaders for change.



6.16 Please fill in the draft logframe.

Current Planning Files

XLSX ❍

Log Frame Gtpk Fmnn Yy April 18, 2017 28 Kb❍

6.17 How do the proposed activities achieve overall value for money? Show how the project

demonstrates economy, efficiency, effectiveness and equity.

Economy: YCI works through local partners, minimising in-country administration costs, while building local

capacity and making use of existing skills, resources, structures and existing networks; the YMCA has financial

systems in place, including procurement procedures requiring open tendering and accountability of all

purchases. Procurement procedures will ensure good price/quality ratios: quotes will be sought; bulk &

advance orders made where appropriate; the best value procurement location selected (Yangon for most

items). In line with the principle of economy which also relates to the cost of inputs and resources, we will also

ensure good VFM through rigorous recruitment of staff & trainers doubled with appropriate training/refresher

training for staff/trainers before key activities. Efficiency: Budget is based on previous performance data and

YCI’s full cost recovery analysis. It adopts tried and tested cost-effective strategies e.g. peer education will be

trained with small investment (£37 per peer) and can reach large numbers of community members through the

planned workshops (£5 per person for 3,600 community members); livelihoods skills activities (including VT,

BS and refreshers) maintains a low cost per beneficiary (£317/beneficiary in 3 years including transport,

training fees, materials, lunch, venue hire, etc. for 400 beneficiaries in 3 years). It represents good VfM, as it

targets hard-to-reach and most vulnerable groups, including YPWD. Other low cost strategies include the as

use of community venues & local business people as vocational trainers and mentors which adds £16.5 per

beneficiary. Civic education and gender training will be delivered to 800 people (400 YP and 400 community

members for £38 each including materials, trainer fees and per diem in 4 locations. Effectiveness: Activities &

costs are based on evidence-based models, including YCI/YMCA experience working on access to

employment and enterprise for the most vulnerable, across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

The project generates multiplier effects: a) increased income for vulnerable YW, YM and YPWD will contribute

to household income, resulting in improvements in families’ welfare and supporting economic growth in their

community; b) as positive change agents, young beneficiaries will challenge stigma, gender discrimination

leading to healthier, more resilient, cohesive and equitable communities. Equity: The project will identify the

most vulnerable in a project area and ensure that their views and needs are taken into account in project

planning and implementation. We recognise that it is more expensive to deliver development results to the

hardest to reach people and places. However, we have a good understanding of the costs involved and

capacity to support hard-to-reach groups. This includes investing in ‘hard-core’ poor who face multiple barriers



to social inclusion. Activities will ensure benefits are equitable across target communities.

6.18 Please explain the project's approach to sustainability.

The project uses tried & tested approaches to provide the skills, assets & networks that YP need to establish

resilient businesses. Establishing businesses will produce long term & sustainable change, enabling YP to

increase their incomes & as businesses grow generating employment for other YP (outside project timeframe).

The project will empower YP who are marginalised & discriminated against to participate actively in their

communities, promoting equity & reducing social exclusion. The project will not negatively impact on the

environment & uses very limited natural resources (e.g. fuel, stationery). Project strategies are based on

learning, replicable in other contexts & align with Burma government strategy to equip YP for employment.

6.19 Please elaborate on the project's approach to sustainability. How does your project

demonstrate efforts towards achieving social, economic and environmental sustainability?

ustainability is embedded in the project design through achieving a high level of community participation and

ownership throughout the project. The project supports and builds on community structures, which will not need

funds to continue their activities beyond the project lifetime: Community SCs inform the design and monitor

project implementation, and will be supported to enhance their problem-solving abilities – a strategy proven to

enhance community resilience; CPEs will develop the skills and capacity to continue community engagement,

increasing participation of vulnerable YP in civic life. This approach is based on the premise that for change to

be sustainable, service delivery needs to be coupled with capacity-building of local actors (see section 6.15).

Economic opportunities have been designed to be sustainable through the engagement and utilising the

knowledge of existing local businesses, in-depth market analysis and its application to BT, and the use of YCI’s

ToC for Enterprise and Employability which contains valuable lessons on how to make enterprise and

employment sustainable. For example, inclusion of life skills for YP in the programme design increases their

confidence and self-esteem enabling them to make the most of their economic opportunities; for instance, 70

YP from the previous EU-funded project have invested some of their income on attending further training to

update their skills to the needs of the market; and targeting of families increases YP’s likelihood of succeeding

in their chosen employment/ enterprise. In order to ensure the resilience and minimise negative environmental

impact of their chosen businesses, YP will be supported to conduct in-depth risk assessments. Mitigation

strategies will be identified so that they are able to cope with potential shocks and stresses. The increase in

income that will be achieved through this project, coupled with improved access to savings and credit will also

contribute to increasing the economic resilience of vulnerable YP. By changing attitudes and behaviors of

families and community-members towards YW and YPWD, this project will create lasting change in

communities. Gender, life skills and CE training for families and communities will tackle social stigma and

discrimination, transforming the social environment in which YW, YPWD and IP live. This will result in

increased social capital and networks for vulnerable YP to rely on in the long-term. Economic empowerment



and the consequent increase in self-confidence amongst YW, YPD and IP will enable them to ensure that this

change is lasting. CE training and youth community actions will foster the agency of YP and enable them to

actively join in community decision-making and the democratic process. This will contribute to ensuring

sustained inclusive participation in Myanmar’s nascent democracy.

6.20 How will you coordinate project implementation with other development actors and ensure

no duplication of effort (including with other DFID funded activities)? How will you work with

local/national government and private sector providers?

DFID: the project is in line with the UK Aid strategy for Myanmar. It focuses on “Economic transformation and

job creation” through building enterprise and “helping local community groups to work together to give people

more of a say in decisions that affect their lives and increase political rights and civil liberties” through the

project’s CE training and peer education, developing YP into change agents. YCI is an active member of the

UK AID Direct steering groups created by Mannion & Daniels where it connects with other DFID grantees to

share learning and experiences on DFID-funded activities. Myanmar government strategies: The Myanmar

Government’s Framework for Economic and Social Reforms lays out a short-term (2012–2015) and a long-term

National Comprehensive Development Plan (2011–2030) prioritising good governance, CE and youth

participation, as emphasised by the project. The project also refers to the National Strategic Plan for the

Advancement of Women (2013–2022), based on the Beijing Platform for Action, to address gender inequalities.

Local government: local authorities will be continually engaged from the start, during launch events and

community sensitisation activities. Beneficiary selection will be supported by local schools. They will be invited

to attend CE and gender training to strengthen community relations. YP will engage and coordinate with local

authorities during planning and implementation of the youth community actions. Local organisations and

resources already engaged in the project: ThinnGaHa will facilitate gender training and youth-led gender and

inclusivity research; MILI will support engagement with YPD, CEFE International has been contacted to deliver

business training; Myanmar Literacy Resources Centre supported the YMCA to develop the VT curricula in the

previous project which will be revised and updated. Other local and international organisations: YMCA has

been working for the most vulnerable young people since 1952 and is connected to local and international

organisations. M-YMCA will maintain regular contact with INGOs working in the area, especially Oxfam, YBI

and World Vision, to share experience, learning and updates to avoid duplications. During YCI monitoring

visits, staff meet donors and other organisations in the area e.g. EU delegation, FCO, and maintain contact with

relevant INGO country offices to ensure up-to-date knowledge on activities, identify synergies and coordinate

when necessary. Private sector providers: the project will link with local business men and women to become

VT trainers and mentors, strengthening YP links with the private sector. Market analysis will be facilitated by

local consultants who will train field and HQ staff in data collection and facilitate data analysis with them. M-

YMCA has already started conversations with finance providers to better understand the barriers for YP to

access credit and map existing lenders.



Financial Details

7.1 Please complete the workplan and budget.

DFID Funding

586411

Match Funding

195470

Total Funding

781881

7.2 Please detail the annual income of your organisation, for the past three years.

Income for 2016 (£)

6288233


5583152


3998550

7.3 Please upload your three most recent sets of audited accounts

Current Account Files

PDF ❍

Ycis Annual Audited Accounts 2015 16 January 30, 2017 3.3 Mb❍

PDF ❍

Y Care International Audited Accounts 2014 15 January 30, 2017 3.4 Mb❍

PDF ❍

Yci Annual Report Accounts To March 2014 January 30, 2017 3.1 Mb❍

7.4 Has a Financial Management Assessment (or other due diligence assessment) been

completed on your organisation in the past three years by an international donor?

Yes

7.4.1 Would you be willing to share that with UK Aid Direct should your application be successful?

Yes



Risk

8.1 What are the key risks associated with your proposed project and how will you mitigate

against them? Please enter any additional risks that you have considered.

Level Risk descriptions

Medium Difficulties establishing links to youth-friendly creditBurma’s banks and financial institutions are still relatively conservative and bureaucratic andhave stringent rules and regulations in place that make it difficult for young people and newbusinesses to access credit.

MitigationsYCI will support the YMCA to engage with financial institutions to better understand theirrequirements & build relationships to advocate for youth-friendly credit. The project will givetechnical support to YP to try to meet their requirements.

Medium Youth beneficiaries drop out of the projectYouth beneficiaries may drop out of the project due to the multiple pressures they face: familypressure, need to earn an immediate income, lack of time, etc. The project must consider how tominimize the risk of dropouts by providing extra support.

MitigationsBased on learning from previous projects, this project builds in additional support to limitchances of drop outs, including engagement with families from the beginning, transport andrefreshment costs, flexible scheduling and inputs for businesses.

Low Flooding & cyclonesBurma is a disaster-prone country. Of the targeted locations, Maubin in particular is vulnerable tocyclones, although one is unlikely to hit. Maubin & Monywa are affected by annual flooding, butcommunities prepare for and cope with this each year.

MitigationsWith technical support from YCI, Myanmar YMCA will raise awareness of environmental risksand DRR measures in order to strengthen community resilience as part of life skills formarginalized youth and capacity building for the local YMCAs.

Low Political change/reversal of reformsBurma is undergoing a political transition to democracy & elections will be held in 2020, leavingopen the possibility for hardliners to regain power. This could mean a reverse of the currentreform process and possible limitation of NGO activities.

MitigationsOur partner, the YMCA is extremely well-respected & has good relations with authorities. We willclosely monitor the political situation, particularly pre-elections, & ensure that activities are well-understood & supported by communities & leaders.



Medium Gender & disability discrimination affects participationMany people in the targeted communities hold negative, discriminatory attitudes towards womenand people with disabilities. As a result, many women and PWD are isolated and remain in thehome, with less access to education, training or livelihoods.

MitigationsIntensive family & community sensitization will ensure the most vulnerable YW & PWD are ableto enrol. Additional support (access aids, transport costs..) will enable access & reducedropouts. Community gender awareness activities will be run.

Medium Community bias against faith-based organisationsThere are (incorrect) perceptions by some people within the target communities that the YMCAs,as faith-based organizations, are biased towards Christians and may wish to convert people toChristianity.

MitigationsThe YMCAs are used to managing this risk. They will run community sensitization activitiesinvolving ex-beneficiaries of all religions to ensure that communities understand the project &YMCA aims to reach the most vulnerable irrespective of faith.

Low Difficulties recruiting appropriate trainersThe project may face difficulties in identifying trainers within local communities with theappropriate technical skills as well as the ability to work at the grassroots level using methodsand language that are appropriate for vulnerable youth.

MitigationsYCI/YMCA have significant experience in recruiting trainers in these locations. The YMCAs willuse their extensive contacts to identify the most appropriate trainers & the project will provideTraining of Trainers to ensure quality delivery for YP.

Low Difficulties establishing savings groupsThe target groups are not used to saving and may be reluctant to trust savings schemes.

MitigationsField staff will work closely together with young people to promote the importance of savings forthe resilience of their businesses and households through implementation of life skills trainingand regular mentoring by successful businesspeople.



Summary Budget Total: £781,881Project Funding

Expense Year 1 Year 2 TotalStaff 0 0 0

Facilities & Equipment 0 0 0Accomodation & Admin Costs 0 0 0

Technical Assistance 0 0 0Travel 0 0 0

Core FundingExpense Year 1 Year 2 Total

Staff 0 0 0Facilities & Equipment 0 0 0

Accomodation & Admin Costs 0 0 0Technical Assistance 0 0 0

Travel 0 0 0

impact application gtpk-fmnn-yy securing sustainable ......project “empowering civil society to...

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