The Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) and Expertise France jointly launched the Qudra 2 protection activities in the Ghazir Social Development Centre affiliated to MoSA, in partnership with the local NGO Insan Association.

The launch event was attended by representatives of MoSA, the Expertise France Lebanon team, Canal France International (CFI) and the project partner Insan Association. The event kicked off with the presence of the child beneficiaries and was followed by a tour to see the Child Protection Psycho-Social Support (PSS) activities in action.

The Qudra 2 Programme is a three-year regional action co-financed by the EU, through the EU Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), seeking to strengthen the resilience of Syrian refugees, IDPs and host communities by improving education, engagement and protection opportunities for children, youth and other marginalized groups.

In Lebanon, the French public agency Expertise France works in close partnership with MoSA and local NGO partners to implement the Qudra 2 Programme, aiming to improve protection opportunities for children, youth, women, and other marginalised groups.

The programme activities revolve around two pillars. The first aims at strengthening local and national protection systems and service delivery capacities, and the second is promoting protection measures for the self-development and wellbeing of children, women, and other vulnerable adults. To achieve this, Expertise France works in line with the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) and the MoSA Strategic Plan for the Protection of Women and Children (2020-2027), in close partnership with MoSA.

In light of the Syrian refugee crisis and the economic crisis taking a heavy toll on Lebanon, as well as the rising need for intervention to support the vulnerable Syrian and Lebanese populations, Expertise France has partnered with seven local NGOs to implement protection activities in 14 Social Development Centres (SDCs) within the framework of Qudra 2.

The seven NGO partners—Abaad, AFEL, Akkarouna, Insan Association, Mouvement Social, Tabitha for Relief & Development and Terre des hommes Lausanne—work hand in hand with the SDCs and the local municipalities, exchanging their experience and best practices throughout the project implementation from September 2019 to August 2022.

Under the Qudra 2 Programme, Expertise France also works on strengthening the local and national protection systems through capacity development initiatives intended for the Ministry personnel, including social workers, to develop their knowledge and reinforce their service delivery capacities. Additional initiatives to enhance the service delivery capacity include the rehabilitation and equipment of six selected SDCs.

Source: National News Agency