UNDP awarded Knowledge Development Company a grant with the value of USD 105,248 to implement Capacity Building Activities for the Fishermen Cooperatives in Okeibe, Dbayeh, El Mina and Dawra ports of Lebanon. This project is part of the Lebanon Host Communities Support Program (LHSP), that has been developed under the framework of the UNDP response to the impact of the Syrian crisis in Lebanon (Lebanon Stabilization and Recovery Program). LHSP targets the poorest communities with a higher risk of tension and conflict based on the number of Syrian refugees per capita.
Livelihoods in Lebanon have been severely impacted by the demographic and economic shocks as a consequence of the Syrian conflict. Similarly to all productive sectors, crisis effects extended to the fishery sector in Lebanon. The fishery sector employs in Lebanon around 6,500 persons whose income supports about 100,000 people organized in 5 syndicates and 33 cooperatives, and is one of the most important industries in Lebanon. Fish is a highly perishable commodity and is therefore susceptible to high post-harvest losses.
UNDP is working to provide fishery cooperatives with needed equipment to enhance the storing and hygienic conditions for the fishery market. Thus, the economic and environmental well-being of the fishery sector and especially cooperative members and fishermen will be improved. The four cooperatives represent a well-managed fishermen community that respects the needs of the associated fishermen as well as supporting fishermen through the provision of a number of different services.
Through this project, the fishermen cooperatives of the targeted ports are provided with a personalized training with the focus on the cooperation concept, its role and responsibilities, empowering the members and providing them the tools to successfully manage the port with all the new services, which are also provided by UNDP.
Knowledge Development Company has been awarded by UNDP to deliver training sessions on the following topics to four cooperatives in Okeibe, Dbayeh, El Mina and Dawra ports:
- Introduction to cooperatives
- Main roles and responsibilities
- Principles and Practices of cooperative management
- Food safety and food handling
- Conflict resolutions
- Administration and operation
- Principles of financial management
- Principles of Marketing management
- Project management
After the completion of the training courses, participants will have a better understanding of the importance of their involvement that would leverage the investment and they should be able to have an understanding on how to use the net income to enhance their livelihood while maintaining the facility.
Knowledge Development Company (KDC) is a capacity building firm with over sixty years of collective regional and international experience in several sectors and thematic areas such as Agriculture, Democratic Governance, Economic Growth, Entrepreneurship, Refugees and Migration, and Social Development. KDC creates links between citizens, businesses, NGOs, municipalities and governments.
This is only one of the UNDP projects implemented in Lebanese ports within the framework of the Lebanon Host Communities Support Program (LHSP). Recently, UNDP in partnership with UK Aid and the Government of Lebanon has inaugurated the “Rehabilitation and Equipping the Jiyeh Fishermen Port and Construction of a Fish Market and Facilities” project. The rehabilitation of the Jiyeh port and the construction of a fish market and surrounding facilities transformed it into one of the most reliable fishermen ports across the country with high standard safety measures, tools, and equipment. The Fishermen’s Cooperative board members were also supported with a personalized and specialized capacity building program for operations and management skills to complement the project’s provisions.
Through a close partnership between UNDP, the Ministry of Social Affairs, line ministries, and municipalities, LHSP has implemented since 2014, with the support of a pool of international donors, over 566 projects in 192 most vulnerable municipalities and 11 unions of municipalities, benefiting more than 1.5 million Lebanese and 500,000 Syrians.
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This document was produced by DARPE www.darpe.me, July, 2019.