The Near East Foundation (NEF) will establish three Siraj Centers to build the economic self-reliance of 2,250 people in Lebanon and Jordan. Siraj Centers, named for the Arabic word for lantern and connoting a beacon of light and hope, are physical spaces where Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese and Jordanians can safely access services to improve financial education or start income-generating activities through access to training, information and financial resources (grants, cash assistance or savings products). For aspiring entrepreneurs, centers will offer (1) business development training, (2) real-time market information and (3) referrals to other services providers, such as microfinance and business registration institutions. Entrepreneurs will be eligible to compete for grants to start-up or expand individual businesses. For refugees, whos right to work in formal sectors is limited, Siraj Centers will provide courses to build financial literacy and life skills and offer group saving schemes. By addressing the shared challenges of refugees, Lebanese and Jordanians, the Centers will help bridge communities.
NEF will establish, develop and operate Siraj Centers in partnership with two existing local community-based organizations (CBOs) in Lebanon and one CBO in Jordan, including the Rehabilitation and Training of Jordanian Women Association in East Amman and the YMCA in Lebanon. These CBOs currently offer entrepreneurship programming and are best placed to ensure sustainability and outreach to communities. NEF and its partner CBOs will deliver training in financial literacy, life skills and business development. CBOs will provide on-going financial and non-financial support, such as business coaching, market information, grants, cash assistance and savings groups.
Specifically, NEF will engage women and girls who face social isolation, limited economic opportunities and heavy work burdens in the home by (1) helping build peer networks, (2) creating safe spaces for them to meet and learn, and (3) providing training and resources to help build economic security.
NEF has worked with refugee and displaced people since it was founded in 1915 and has organized relief and development projects in Lebanon and Jordan since the 1930s. NEF has additional experience providing innovative and effective livelihoods support, including microenterprise development, to tens of thousands of displaced people through recent experience in the West Bank, Sudan, and northern Mali.
The Near East Foundation and partners will complete the following three components:
1) Establish three Siraj Centers to support emerging micro-businesses/livelihood activities and financial education of Syrian refugees and members of host communities.
September 2015-December 2015: Complete market assessment to identify high potential market sectors for small-scale economic activities (e.g., furniture, garment, processed food or services).
September 2015-December 2015: Train 24 local partner staff in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and life skills curriculum at the three centers.
September 2015-February 2016: Complete upgrading of facilities of three local partners to create safe and functional spaces for meetings and delivery of training, information, and financial literacy activities.
2) Build the economic and life skills of 1,125 people
April-June 2016, October-December 2016, April-June 2017: Train 1,125 people through three cycles of a one-week practical business development course covering viability and marketability of business ideas, business planning and practical business management skills
March-August 2016, September 2016-February 2017, March-August 2017: Conduct at least 36 half-day workshops in marketing, product design and certification for identified market sectors
May-June 2016, October-December 2016: Train 900 people through two cycles of one-week financial literacy/life skills course focused on tools for minimizing debt, borrowing safely, and maximizing assets saved.
3) Provide financial resources to build economic resilience of 915 people
January-June 2016 and July-December 2016: Establish 30 womens networks to provide peer support for business management, marketing, and joint problem solving. Each network serves 25-30 women, meets monthly, and is facilitated by a specialist in relevant industries
June-July 2016, December 2016-January 2017, June-July 2017: Deliver cash assistance or grants to 915 participants (80% of trainees) to start up or expand businesses
February-July 2016 and August 2016-January 2017: Establish 35 savings groups (comprised of 20 members each) with participants trained in financial education. Saving groups are where members save together, take small loans from those savings and repay in flexible installments. Project will incentivize savings and financial management with conditional 1:1 matches.
It is estimated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that approximately four million people have fled across Syria's borders. It is estimated that Lebanon hosts more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees, constituting 25% of the countrys population, and that Jordan hosts over 600,000 Syrian refugees.
Members of affected host communities and refugees live side by side in impoverished neighborhoods where economic opportunities are limited. Increased competition over jobs, housing, and food has made life harder for everyone. According to the World Bank, the refugee crisis has caused 170,000 Lebanese to fall into poverty and the unemployment rate to double. In Jordan, according to the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation, the crisis has cost the government over $7 billion.
As the crisis enters its fifth year, refugees have depleted their savings and humanitarian aid is declining. CARE and Oxfam respectively estimate that nearly 90% of urban Syrian refugees in Jordan and 77% of Syrian refugees in Lebanon are in debt. The Financial Tracker Service for Tracking Humanitarian Aid Flows has found that aid per person dropped 22% in 2014. According to the UNHCR, women head one-fourth of all Syrian refugee families, and CARE reports that among women-headed households, only 17% obtain income from work or self-employment.
Indebtedness and economic insecurity has increased the vulnerability of refugees and host communities alike. To survive, vulnerable families often resort to harmful strategies such as forced early marriage or child labor. UNCHR estimates 61% of school-age Syrian children are not in school and children contribute to the income of 47% of non-camp refugee households that report an income. The Danish International Development Agency has found that forced and early marriages have increased during the crisis.
With displacement, women play an increasingly significant role as earners and heads of household. Vulnerable refugees, Jordanians, and Lebanese require improved financial tools and strategies, including savings to manage irregular finances, deal with unexpected costs or meet financial goals. They also desperately need, and want, opportunities that allow them safely support their families.
September 2016
NEF has secured basic funding for training, coaching, and business start-ups with 2,350 participants. It is now looking for partners to help mobilize the following:
Volunteers with business/financial background to provide training, business mentoring, and coaching for new entrepreneurs; opportunities exist to organize service days and celebrations.
Basic equipment, furniture, and IT infrastructure for the three Siraj Centers, which will be housed at community based associations and will continue to serve refugees and host community members after the end of NEF's involvement; opportunities exist to sponsor and cobrand the centers.
Additional financial support to increase the number of beneficiaries/small business startups; additional funds are needed for incremental training costs and direct investment in businesses (approx. $600 per person/business); NEF seeks to mobilize an additional $1,750,000 to increase the number of direct participants from 2,350 to 5,000 (benefiting 25,000 people).
NEF has worked in Jordan and Lebanon since the 1920s. NEF offers: (1) access to experienced field teams with unparalleled knowledge related to working in the Jordanian and Lebanese urban environment, (2) access to established networks of community-based partner organizations, and (3) tested and effective curricula and toolkits adapted for local circumstances and for refugee populations.
Sponsorship of Siraj Centers offers opportunities for institutional branding on facilities and materials.
