United Nations Development Programme Project Document ...€¦ · smallholder farmers, and offering youth employment, e.g. in the area of recycling (for rural illiterate youth) or

United Nations Development Programme

1

United Nations Development Programme Project Document

Country: SUDAN

Project Title: YOUTH VOLUNTEERS REBUILDING DARFUR

– Scaling up innovative approaches for youth employment and environmental sustainability at the local level

Relevant UNDAF Outcome(s)1:

-UNDAF Outcome 1: Peace-Building: By 2012, the environment for sustainable peace in Sudan is improved through increased respect for rights and human security, with special attention to individuals and communities directly affected by conflict.

-UNDAF Outcome 3: Livelihoods and Productive Sectors: By 2012, poverty, especially amongst vulnerable groups is reduced and equitable economic growth is increased through improvements in livelihoods, decent employment opportunities, food security, sustainable natural resource management & self reliance.

Relevant UNDAF Target: National Volunteer Scheme established

Expected CP Outcome(s):

CPAP Outcome 7: Post–conflict socio-economic infrastructure restored, economy revived and employment generated, and in particular, Output 7.4 Post-conflict recovery accelerated in strategic areas to ensure peace dividends are visible and tangible to conflict-affected populations

CPAP Outcome 1: Enhance national and sub-national capacities to plan, monitor, evaluate and implement the MDGs and related national development policies and priorities. Output 1.3: Policy and regulatory reforms for micro-, small, and medium scale enterprises strengthened and social and economic opportunities for poor and vulnerable groups broadened.

CPAP Outcome 6: Strengthened capacity of national, sub-national, state and local institutions and communities to manage the environment and natural disasters to reduce conflict over natural resources.

Expected Output(s):

Specific outputs resulting from this project, and contributing to the above, are:

Output 1: Youth Volunteers Rebuilding Darfur Scheme established and institutionalised in the 3 states of Darfur

Output 2: Pool of Darfurian graduate youth volunteers trained and deployed in their communities Output 3: Micro-enterprises in target communities established and expanded in an environmentally

sustainable way, with focus on women and youth Output 4: Market access facilitated for rural Micro- and Small Enterprises’ profit increase, with focus on

women & youth entrepreneurs Output 5: Youth Employment increased

Implementing Partner:

Direct Implementation by UNDP (DIM)

Responsible Parties:

Volunteers coordination: Sudanese University

Training/mentoring of volunteers: Sudanese university with Darfur state-level universities, “elder” business leaders and hosting NGOs/ Rural Development Programs

Hosting of volunteers: NGOs/Rural Development Programs and target communities

Agricultural Training and Extension: State Ministries of Agriculture

Veterinary Training: Ministries of Animal Resources

Vocational Training: Darfur States Vocational Training Centres

Contribution to relevant MDGs

MDG 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger - Target 2: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young

people

MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

MDG 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

MDG 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

- Target 1: Address the special needs of least developed countries, landlocked countries and small island developing states

- Target 2: Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system

- Target 5: In cooperation with the private sector, make available benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications

1 UNDAF Sudan 2009-2012


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I. BRIEF DESCRIPTION 1.1 Justification

Due to conflict in Darfur, a whole generation of youth has suffered diminished educational and developmental opportunities. Women, who have little access to income sources and markets, have been further marginalized. Many of these youth and women live in the rural and peri-urban parts of Darfur with no access to basic services or sustainable livelihood opportunities. In addition, there has been a large increase in the number of higher education graduates, most of whom equally lack employment opportunities, as well as access to capacity building, microfinance services and markets, which would enable them to establish their own business. These youth, desperate to make a living, present a destabilising risk to the region.

1.2 Overview

This project addresses the main challenges for environmentally sustainable poverty reduction in Darfur through an innovative approach that supports and complements existing local initiatives. These include entrepreneurship skills training, self-employment, access to microfinance, value chains, natural resource management, forestry and climate change adaptation.

In cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Finance “Darfur Development Program”, UNDP, UNV, ILO and Sudanese Universities, this scheme provides a nationally owned, intensive and cost-effective approach to fill the enormous business and financial skills capacity gap among youth and women in Darfur, while at the same time contributing to the employment of skilled graduates. In addition to facilitating access to markets, business and financial services for rural and peri-urban microentrepreneurs, young graduate volunteers will promote local entrepreneurship among youth and other community members and connect them to UNDP value chain programs as well as UN-environmental programs at the local level.

1.3 Beneficiaries

Direct Beneficiaries: A socially inclusive approach to train groups of at least 9,000 rural and peri-urban youth (gender balanced) in 45 communities in the 3 states of Darfur (including nomadic communities and IDP camps), as well as other vulnerable groups focussing but not limited to small farmers, pastoralists and associated sectors.

In addition, at least 3,000 community leaders and members will be trained on sustainable Natural Resources Management and Climate Change Adaptation.

Indirect Beneficiaries: 54,000 members of the 9,000 direct beneficiaries households, and 120 young graduate volunteers.

1.4 Process & Results

This phase 1 project starts by training 120 young graduate volunteers before deploying 90 of them to work as trainers and business brokers for nine months in their target communities, supported by the RDPs2/NGOs who will host them. Two ‘business brokers’ volunteers (1 male/1 female) will be deployed to 45 communities, where they will deliver the following capacity-building activities:

Training (entrepreneurship, financial skills, ICT, risk management, collective bargaining skills), with focus on women and youth

Business idea training and coachings, combined with start-up microgrants for youth entrepreneurs and loan facilitation for more experienced business owners, with focus on women entrepreneurs

Coaching of youth volunteers and youth microentrepreneurs by 12 “senior” entrepreneur role models and their exposure to successful private businesses

ASCA3 training of community members, and ultimately the setting up of ASCAs in all target communities

Facilitating access of rural and peri-urban entrepreneurs (with focus on women and youth) to markets, agricultural, veterinary and vocational training as well as business service providers, including business associations (farmers’ and pastoralists’ unions, women’s development associations etc.) and brokering

2 Rural Development Programs

3 Accumulating Savings and Credit Association


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of linkages to suppliers, purchasers and wholesalers by making use of pro-poor agricultural value chain integration programs by UNDP and other actors in Darfur.

In addition, 30 environment youth volunteers will serve the 45 communities as roaming volunteers providing training in natural resource management, environmentally sustainable income generation and green business opportunities for women and youth (e.g. organic farming, beekeeping, fuel efficient stoves, stabilized soil block-based construction), thus ensuring that the local economic development supported by their fellow volunteers will be also environmentally sustainable and not result in further environmental degradation, and renewed breaking down of livelihoods. They will provide community-based training, with focus on women and youth in:

Community Environment Action Planning (CEAP) (in cooperation with UNEP/IOM) Natural Resource Management and Water Harvesting (in cooperation with FAO/UNEP) Reforestation and Fuel Efficent Stove-making (in cooperation with WFP/UNEP) Green Business Planning (in cooperation with UNEP) Climate Change Adaptation practices (in collaboration with he National Adaptation Programme of Action

NAPA4).

Regarding all their activities, the environment volunteers will seek collaboration with the Sudanese Environmental Conservation Society (SECS), an NGO that is also expected to function as host organization and assist in the training of the volunteers.

They will also connect the local microentrepreneurs potentially eligible for green business loans to microfinance providers participating in a “Risk Share Guarantee Fund for Green Business in Darfur” as soon as it is established.

Al 120 volunteers will conduct community mobilization as well as conflict prevention, management and transformation trainings for their target communities.

1.5 Synergies and Partnerships

The project is part of the “UNDP and UNEP Livelihoods, Environment & Local Economic Recovery for Peace and Development in Darfur Programme” as well as the UNDP private sector development strategy for poverty reduction in Sudan and will take into account existing private sector networks and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives (e.g. business associations and the UN Global Compact Sudan) and the value chain analysis conducted in other programmes, including the UNDP Darfur Livelihoods Programme. Close collaboration will be sought with other UN agencies in order to ensure the inclusion of IDPs (IOM), increase the impact of WFP’s value chain and carbon credit programming in Darfur, FAO’s agricultural programs as well as to create synergies with UNEP’s environmental progamming in Darfur. Capacity development of national and local NGOs and CBOs will be a key focus in partnership with key UN agencies including UNEP, UN-Habitat, UNAMID, ILO, IOM, WFP, FAO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNIFEM, UNIDO, local universities and the government.

The Darfur state governments as well as the Federal Ministry of Finance and National Economy “Darfur Development Program” are key partners in this project, providing financial as well as in-kind contributions, staff secondments and collaborating with the project on policy and regulatory reforms for youth employment increase and private sector development, including green business.

Sudanese as well as international companies and experienced entrepreneurs are very interested to collaborate with this project, by volunteering themselves to provide business coaching to the young volunteers and microentrepreneurs, by using the young volunteers to facilitate contract-farming for smallholder farmers, and offering youth employment, e.g. in the area of recycling (for rural illiterate youth) or local business brokering (for volunteers upon completion of their assignment). A potential partnership with DAL group on its “Green Bakery Initiative”, part of DAL’s Corporate Social Responsibility Program, is currently being investigated.

4 South Darfur is one of the five states targeted by the NAPA and a set of adaptation interventions for the states are already identified.

NAPA partners are the State Ministry of Agriculture as well as the Higher Council for Environment and Natural Resources at the national level.


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Programme Period: Total: 2 years

Key Result Areas (Strategic Plan):

Crisis prevention and recovery

Poverty Reduction and the MDGs

Environment and sustainable development

Atlas Award ID: ______________

Start date: ______________

End Date

Banks and Microfinance Institutions operating in Darfur, e.g. the Bank of Khartoum, have also expressed interest in collaborating with this project by making use of the volunteers, both as microfinance facilitators to reduce their high initial transaction costs of reaching peri-urban and rural communities, and of building the business capacity of their potential clients.

The project is based on the lessons of existing and recently completed programmes at the local level and will still be able to draw from the community capacity built through UNDP’s Areas Development Schemes in Darfur implemented during the 1990ies. It considers capacity development for state and non-state actors, promotes the inclusion of non-government actors and its importance for post-conflict situations, and acknowledges private sector development as a key engine for accelerated poverty reduction. The proposal highlights several elements that are integral part of UNDP’s breakthrough strategy including: a) the potential of environmentally sustainable approaches to agriculture as an effective way of promoting progress in other MDGs like gender empowerment and poverty reduction; b) considers proven interventions from the past and proposes scaling them up; and c) focuses on fulfilling specific local needs as a way of narrowing the MDG gap.

1.6 Sustainability

The young volunteers will emerge from this project with enhanced employment opportunities, because of the skills acquired, and by receiving certification of their assignment by the UN and optionally by the National Service. Their role as brokers will also help to make them a valuable asset to the target communities as well as to suppliers/wholesalers, banks and other microfinance providers. At the community level, the establishment of the ASCAs will leave the communities with enhanced capacities for entrepreneurship, collective bargaining and accessing business services, including vocational training. In parallel, the set up of microenterprises will lead to community job creation.

After a successful mid-term review, the project is expected to further expand through a 3-years phase II in order to reach more communities in the three Darfur states, including those that are currently not accessible due to security problems. Phase 2 is expected to be also substantially co-funded by the government, with increasing large-scale private sector contributions. A number of Sudanese large scale businesses have expressed their general interest in supporting the program once it is operational, because the volunteers can help to reduce their transactions cost to purchase goods from small-scale producers. A successful phase 1 project will also enable UNDP to expand this programming approach to other states of Sudan.

Agreed by (Implementing Partner):

Agreed by UNDP:

AWP budget: US$ 2,904,312

Total resources required: US$ 2,904,312

Total allocated resources:

US$ 185,000 used for project formulation

Regular US$ 315,152

Other:

Donor: MDG Korea US$ 1,445,036

Government US$ 1,144,124

Unfunded budget: _________

In-kind Contributions


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II. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Brief Description ...................................................................................................................................... 2 II. Table of contents ............................................................................................................................... 5

Glossary of acronyms ................................................................................................................................. 6 III. Project Context .................................................................................................................................. 7

3.1 Background ........................................................................................................................................... 7 3.2 Project Rationale ................................................................................................................................... 9 3.3 International and National Examples of Volunteerism ......................................................................... 12 3.4 Partnerships, synergies and parallels with other projects .................................................................... 14 3.5 Rationale for the selection of target areas and communities ............................................................... 15

IV. Project Strategy ............................................................................................................................. 177 4.1 Strategy Overview ............................................................................................................................. 177 4.2 Target beneficiaries .......................................................................................................................... 188 4.3 Outputs ............................................................................................................................................. 200 4.3.1 Output 1: Youth Volunteers Rebuilding Darfur Scheme established and institutionalised in the 3 states of Darfur ....................................................................................................................................... 200 4.3.2 Output 2: Pool of Darfurian graduate youth volunteers trained and deployed in their communities 222 4.3.3 Output 3: Micro-enterprises in target communities established and expanded in an environmentally sustainable way, with focus on women and youth ..................................................................................... 25 4.3.4 Output 4: Market access facilitated for rural MSE profit increase, with focus on women & youth entrepreneurs ......................................................................................................................................... 277 4.3.5 Output 5: Youth Employment increased ......................................................................................... 288

V. RESOURCE AND WORK PLAN ................................................................................................... 30 VI. Management Arrangements ............................................................................................................ 37

6.1 Project Organisation Structure ............................................................................................................ 37 6.3 Sustainability strategy ......................................................................................................................... 40 6.5 Funding Strategy ................................................................................................................................. 41 6.6 Communications guidelines for all partners involved in this project ..................................................... 41 6.7 Gender mainstreaming approach ........................................................................................................ 42 6.8 Environmental Considerations ............................................................................................................ 43

VII. Monitoring Framework and Evaluation ............................................................................................. 44 VIII. Legal Context .................................................................................................................................. 51 IX. ANNEX I – RISK ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................ 52 X. Technical Advisory Committee for Darfur Recovery Programme ..................................................... 54


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Glossary of acronyms ABS Agricultural Bank of Sudan

ASCA Accumulating Savings and Credit Association

BDS Business Development Services

BoK Bank of Khartoum

CBO Community-Based Organization

CBOS Central Bank of Sudan

CDA Conflict-related Development Analysis

CEAP Community Environment Action Planning

CRMA Conflict Risk Mapping and Analysis

CPA Comprehensive Peace Agreement

CPAP Country Programme Action Plan

CSO Civil Society Organization

CSR Corporate Social Responsibility

DED Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst (German Development Service)

DDR Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration

DDP Darfur Development Program

FAO Food and Agriculture Organization

FB Farmers’ Bank

GDP Gross Domestic Product

GONU Government of National Unity

HDR Human Development Report

INGO International Non-Governmental Organization

ICDB Islamic Cooperative Development Bank

IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development

ILO International Labor Organization

MoA Ministry of Agriculture

MDG Millennium Development Goals

MDG-F Millennium Development Goal Fund

MDTF Multi Donor Trust Fund

MFI Microfinance Institution

MoFNE Ministry of Finance and National Economy

MSE Micro- and Small-sized Enterprise

NAPA The National Adaptation Programme of Action

NGO Non-Governmental Organization

PAR Participatory Action Research

PCU Project Coordination Unit

RCSO UN Resident Coordinator Support Office

RDP Rural Development Program

SECS Sudanese Environmental Conservation Society

SME Small and Medium-sized Enterprise

SPCU State Project Coordination Unit

SSDB Savings and Social Development Bank

UNDAF United Nations Development Assistance Framework

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme

UNGC United Nations Global Compact

UNV United Nations Volunteers

VTC Vocational Training Centre

WFP World Food Programme

YVD “Youth Volunteers Rebuilding Darfur” Project

United Na

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8

and/or lack of skills or guarantees necessary for accessing finance. The graduates consider the limited work opportunities and lack of appropriate training and relevant experience for the job market as the main challenges they face during their job search.

The survey also indicated that those with post graduate degrees have better employment opportunities as compared to those with Bachelor and diploma certificates. This confirms the lack of quick employment opportunities for new graduates. During their job seeking period youth graduates are inclined to further their studies as an attempt to improve their employability. This is further confirmed by the fact that graduate youth who fail to obtain jobs during the first year after graduation will probably spend more years to find jobs, i.e. the more time elapses, the lesser the opportunity to obtain a suitable job.

Almost 50% of the respondents possess previous volunteering experience, about 50% indicated their potential interest to volunteer working with rural communities for their local economic development.

3.1.2.2 Second assessment among young graduates in Khartoum state – Ahfad University for Women

After the project design was developed, the Ahfad University for Women conducted a small sample survey from 25 October to 2 November 2010 among 36 of their students regarding their skills, experience and willingness to participate in the proposed project. Their average age was 26.6 years, about 50% had studied Economics or Business Administration, most of them did not have prior work experience and 85% of them were unemployed.

Almost all had the necessary skills for the task (>90% use of computer, internet and English, >65% experience in rural development programs, 44% gender studies, >40% experience in community mobilization and/or community assessments, >38% experience in training others, 33% in environment / natural resources management, >30% experience in running their own business and/or accounting/finance.

63% of the respondents had already experience in volunteering, 48% were volunteering at present, 66% with positive results. Regarding their motivation, 90% stated more than 3 of the 12 possible motives. The most important motives for volunteering were: to gain work experience/experience to establish my own business (70%), to serve my/a community (70%), to increase their know how about business & entrepreneurship, rural community development, computer & internet (52%), to gain relevant work experience for applying for a job as microfinance loan officer (50%), and to gain experience working with international organizations (41%). Only 29% stated earning money among their interests.

After being informed about the conditions (including duration and living allowance), 82% of the respondents expressed their interest in participating as volunteers in the project.

3.1.2.3 Further stakeholder consultations in Darfur and Khartoum

From August to November 2010, a number of key stakeholder representatives were consulted in Darfur and Khartoum in order to validate the feasibility and suitability of the project approach from a local development perspective. The consultations included local and federal government representatives, universities, CSO and NGO-representatives working in Darfur communities, microfinance providers and companies operating in Darfur, as well as other UN agencies. These consultations resulted in the endorsement of the project approach, as well as in the collaboration offers depicted in the partnership strategy chapter.


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3.2 Project Rationale

3.2.1 Youth Employment

Since 1973, Darfur’s population has grown almost six-fold, to about 7.5 million people. 52% of Darfuris are no older than 16 years (compared to 47% across Sudan)6. From the aggregated Sudan Population Census 2008 it can be estimated that youth between 15 and 24 of age constitue about 19.7% of the Darfur population7.

This youth bulge creates enormous pressure on opportunities for young people8. However, due to the conflict in Darfur, a whole generation of youth has suffered diminished educational and developmental opportunities. Many of these youth are illiterate and live in the rural and peri-urban parts of the region with no access to basic services or sustainable livelihood opportunities. In addition, as consequence of the demographic shift described above, there has been an increase in the number of higher education graduates in and from Darfur, most of whom also lack employment opportunities, as well as access to capacity building or microfinance services which would enable them to establish their own business. These youth, desperate to make a living, present a destabilising risk to the peace building efforts in Darfur. Access to employment for youth will therefore also have a long term peace building effect.

There is no statistical data on unemployment in Sudan, but officially overall unemployment is estimated at around 20%, with youth unemployment being expected to be much higher. Darfur state government representatives estimated average youth unemployment across the three Darfur states to be above 40%, with both males and females being affected (interviews in March 2010), by extrapolating census data, this would result in at least 592.386 unemployed youth (15-24 of age), of which 50,45 % being males. Traditionally, besides Khartoum state, Darfurian women have shown the highest female labor force rates compared to other states in Sudan9.

Over the last three years, gross enrolment in secondary schools in Darfur has declined by a respective annual average of one and two percent in South and North Darfur.10

The above-mentioned failure to provide educational opportunities together with many youth being cut off from their traditional livelihoods due to displacement creates a double disadvantage for Darfurian youth. For the most disadvantaged group - illiterate youth in peri-urban and rural communities, agricultural businesses still would provide the best opportunities, had they access to business skills, finance and markets, since agriculture is expected to continue generating the largest share of wealth in Darfur, contributing about 48% of the area’s income in 2006.11

Thus, after receiving intensive training and coaching and through accessing financial services and agricultural value chains, youth in the communities will have the opportunity to start their own micro-businesses.

At the same time, the emerging microfinance industry, which up to now has been fuelled by government grants of about 85 million USD since 2007, is hampered by a severe shortage of qualified loan officers: Although the demand for financial services required by SMEs and micro businesses is substantial, the industry currently only covers an estimated 1%-3% of the potential market. There are several factors that point to a large demand in the market. For example, small-scale industries account for 93% of the manufacturing industry in Sudan, small entrepreneurs provide two-thirds of household needs for the majority of Sudanese households, and the agricultural sector employs 67% of the population mainly through small scale subsistence farmers. On the other hand, the formal financial sector only serves a tiny proportion of these, thus pointing to the existence of a huge untapped market.

6 Source: 5th Sudan Population and Housing Census 2008, Census Bureau Sudan (2009), Census report 2009

7 With an Males-to-Females-Ratio of 1.018., ibid.

8 This recalls an often discussed link between social instability and high concentration of youth without productive employment.”

Source: “Beyond emergency relief – Longer-term trends and priorities for UN-agencies in Darfur”. UN Sudan, Office of the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, September 2010 9 Females-to-Males ratio above the age of 17 for Greater Darfur is 1.0037 according to the 5th Sudan Population & Housing Census

2008 10

World Bank, Education Status Report for North Sudan (July 2010) 11

Van Holst Pellekaan et al. (2007), “Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment”, p.188 (World Bank staff estimates)


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Through facilitating microfinance access to their host community members, young volunteers will have the opportunity to acquire relevant skills and experience to work as microfinance loan officers after their assignment ends. Microfinance providers operating in Darfur already expressed their interest in hiring junior staff from the graduate volunteers pool created by this project.

3.2.2 Environment and Climate change

Numerous studies have shown that Sudan will be one of the countries hardest hit by the ongoing climate change process in the coming decade. Darfur is facing acute environmental challenges, such as deforestation, desertification and depletion of water resources caused by the concurrent processes of displacement, urbanisation, population growth and climate change. As highlighted at the El Fasher Climate Change Conference (http://climatechange.sudanct.net), these factors need to be addressed together in a holistic approach to support livelihoods. This will provide a platform for economic growth in Darfur.

Promoting environmentally sustainable businesses in Darfur will help the local population to adapt to the impacts of environmental degradation and climate change, and will also serve to promote inclusive economic growth.

3.2.3 The National Civil Service in Sudan

The National Service Act has been introduced in 1992 with the aim “to implant the spirit of martyrdom (…), to consolidate the spirit of giving and belonging to the group and the homeland and the religion (…) and to train the youth using educational /cultural methods for military, social and welfare activities (…)” (Paragraph 4)12. Under the National Service Act of 1992, a substantive number of citizens between the ages of 18 and 33 are subject to the national service which “may take place in a) the armed forces b) the police or other regular forces, c) government or public sector units, or d) public projects in development, economic or social service”. They are required to undergo military training and a certain period of active service. The length of civil or military service is 10 months in the case of university and college graduates.

This policy has recently undergone substantial change, which is expected to limit the recruitment for the national service in Northern Sudan.

However, there are still volunteers interested in the national service certificate, even if it is not compulsory any more, since the certificate is still required for public sector employment. The recruitment policies for the national service may still undergo future change. Th project is planning to collaborate with the National Service, so that the volunteers interested in the certificate, may receive it after completing their assignment and the additional trainings required by the National Service.

Furthermore, there is a potential for collaboration regarding National Service cost-sharing of the living allowance for the volunteers, which is part of the project’s sustainability strategy.

3.2.4 Volunteering for Development

The “Youth Volunteers Rebuilding Darfur” Project (YVD) embark on promotion of volunteerism among youth to put in place a suitable framework to support and expand volunteerism activities in accordance with the UN secretary General report on follow up of the implementation of the International Year of Volunteerism 2001 that stated “further sustained effort is needed to increase awareness and recognition among policymakers and planners in developing countries of the nature of voluntary action within specific local contexts and of the contribution such action makes to societies”.13 To respond to this challenge, UNV has endeavoured to provide a deliberate and systematic connection between volunteerism and mainstream development through the concept of Volunteering for Development (V4D) and its permeation into all facets of its work. There are many manifestations of volunteerism, as in Sudan it is deeply embedded in long-established traditions of sharing and mutual-aid. As a component of development programmes (and particularly at the community level), where volunteerism provides a sense of belonging and ownership which is essential for the success of any development initiative, putting disadvantaged communities as the main actor and driving force for their development process. Moreover, voluntary civic participation is seen as a vital force in securing

12

National Service Act 1992, http://www.ecoi.net/190169::sudan/328801.325462.9510...lk.325475/military-service.htm

13 A/60/128, page. 15.


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government responsiveness and accountability to all sectors of a country’s population, including equitable access to public goods and observance of fundamental human rights14. V4D is furthermore linked to the accomplishment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as the “International Year of Volunteerism +10” initiative, to be launched globally in 2011, ten years after the International Year of Volunteerism 2001.

3.2.5 Volunteering for Peace - the relationship between economic development and inter-communal peace

Research on the relationship between (economic) development and inter-communal peace indicates, among other things, that when economic activity includes as a byproduct – and/or leads to – stronger social bonds within a given community, the chance for sustainable social peace in the future is enhanced. The simple equation here is: building economic capital, and diversifying economic relationships within the community correspondingly builds and accumulates social capital – defined as ‘the [values], norms [such as reciprocity] and networks that enable collective action (…) encompassing institutions, relationships and customs that shape the quality and quantity of a society’s social interactions.’ The World Bank breaks down the concept of social capital into five dimensions which constitute proxies for measuring social capital: groups and networks, trust and solidarity, collective action and cooperation, social cohesion and inclusions, and information and communication.

In post-conflict communities in which individual and community economic activity and livelihoods have been interrupted, and in communities which are prone to or at risk of conflict, rebuilding the social fabric is just as critical as rebuilding the economic viability of a community. As Ashutosh Varshney’s research on ethnic conflict in rural India indicates, the difference between villages that erupted into violence because of ‘exogenous shocks’ (such as elections, market downturns, etc) and those which did not become violent can be attributed to the presence of a significant degree of social capital manifested in the market, but also in other civil society institutions such as social clubs and syndicates.

As such, the prevalence of high degrees of social capital in communities enhances the quality of social cohesion and increases the sense of trust and trustworthiness in institutions and fellow citizens. More crucially, social capital instils a conflict mitigation and prevention quality in the community by developing diverse, efficient and reliable institutions, institutionalized community bonds and communication channels by which social conflicts can be addressed and prevented without damaging the social fabric.

For UNDP programming that focuses on recovery, rebuilding livelihoods and economic development in conflict and post-conflict contexts, purposely measuring and taking stock of the quality and quantity of social networks that result from economic development programmes could provide an opportunity to identify incidents, locations and issues in which greater investment or expenditure of the accumulated social capital would help prevent or peacefully resolve inter-communal conflicts.

Exposure to voluntary activities for a common good will also build a lifelong volunteering spirit amongst the young participants, which can be further harnessed for national development.

3.2.6 Youth Volunteerism and Employability

UNV has long been promoting the link between volunteerism and employability of young people. In 1976, a UN General Assembly resolution (A/RES/31/131) gave an explicit mandate on youth to UNV.15 Youth volunteerism for development is a strategy for engaging young men and women in a range of activities that can improve youth participation, positively harness their energy and vigour to contribute to the realization of national and global development goals, while enhancing their life, citizen, and working skills. Young people can increase qualifications and readiness for employment through the professional or technical, workplace, and interpersonal expertise gained through volunteerism.

Studies in different parts of the world show that young people yearn play a positive role in society, but that very often, young graduates struggle to find employment that would satisfy this ambition16. Significant benefits are likely to flow from involving young people in volunteering and community service programmes. These include increased employability, social capital, and social and civic skills, enhanced educational

14 ‘Development Programming and Volunteering: a Guidance Note for Stakeholders in the CCA-UNDAF Processes’, p6.

15 http://www.unv.org/fileadmin/docdb/pdf/2007/NR030314.pdf 16

For example the 2009 HDR on youth aspirations produced by UNDP-ACT in Cyprus


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performance in school or university, new jobs being created as a result of volunteering and collaboration between volunteers and governments, and increased development benefits through volunteering and social trust. 17

Through participating in this programme, the volunteers themselves will considerably increase their employability by receiving intense practical training and coaching on job-relevant skills before their assignment as well as during the job, through the programme itself, through their host-NGOs or Rural Development Programs (RDPs), as well as by senior business people coaching them. These trainings of trainers will focus on microenterprise development, but also include green jobs skills for the environment volunteers. The skills acquired by the volunteers will be particularly relevant for the following job-profiles in demand: microfinance loan officer (largest unmet demand – mentioned above under 3.2.1 Youth Employment), self-employed or hired local business broker, trade agent, business or environment skills trainer, CSR-compliance evaluator, rural extensionist as well as rural development or natural resource management officer for banks, other companies, NGOs or government.

But even more importantly, throughout their assignment the volunteers will already work with their potential future employers, by connecting local microenterpreneurs to them. Networking events between the volunteers and the project partners as well as potential employers, e.g. the jobfair at the end of their assignment, provide numerous hiring opportunities. Entrepreneurial-minded volunteers will also receive business coaching and have the opportunity to apply for microloans for establishing their own businesses at the end of their assignment.

3.3 International and National Examples of Volunteerism

3.3.1 International Examples of Volunteerism

In Cyprus, UNDP’s initiative, “Action for Cooperation and Trust”, organised a study, published in 2009, focussing on youth aspirations, in particular as regards the ongoing reconciliation process on the divided island. It reflected concerns about the much higher rate of unemployment of Turkish-Cypriot young graduates as compared to their Greek-Cypriot peers. Both Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot youth agreed, however, that the main challenge facing young people in employment is that there are not enough job opportunities available for young people. The limited opportunities for youth employment, compared with the high qualifications earned by Cypriot youth, usually result in young Cypriots having to accept employment in positions (and salary scales) which often do not match their qualifications and skills. In addition, youth were found to be under-represented in civil society, and almost entirely excluded from the peace process. Levels of youth civic engagement and political participation are generally low, despite the fact that many of the activities in which they do participate are heavily politicised (e.g. sports). Many young people feel disempowered when it comes to influencing policy decisions, although nearly half of youth interviewed wished to play an active role in the reconciliation process. In response to such concerns, UNDP-ACT has fostered the creation of a youth activism network, which is implementing a range of youth volunteerism activities, most of them involving integrating youth voices in the ongoing peace process.

In Bulgaria, the Job Opportunities through Business Support (JOBS) Project18 is implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The JOBS Project aims to foster a sustainable environment for job creation by supporting micro and small businesses and agricultural producers in regions of Bulgaria confronting high unemployment levels. To date, the JOBS network spans 42 Business Centres and Business Incubators across the country.

In Bolivia, the popular participatory youth programme, launched in 2003 by UNV, UNDP, and the Bolivian Ministry of Popular Participation (MPP), aimed to provide technical assistance to the poorest municipalities in Bolivia using the potential of young graduate professionals. It achieved this by building local government capacity in the context of sustainable development by sending young professionals to target municipalities, improving job prospects for young Bolivian graduate students by providing them with a first professional experience, and promoting the values of volunteering by demonstrating its inherent potential as a powerful catalyst for development.

17

from “Youth Volunteering for Development: Africa in the 21st Century” http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/fileadmin/kp/AFRICA/PDOG-Africa_study_youth_volunteering_in_Africa__AFD-V__18-10-2006.doc 18

http://www.jobs-bg.org/whatis.htm


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In Kyrgyzstan, the UNDP Poverty Reduction Programme has been supporting social and economic development at grass roots levels since 1998. The first phase of the programme 1999-2004 aimed at increasing capacities of the rural communities to collectively address development issues. Group formation and training has enabled SHG members (analogous to the ASCA-model) to adopt a more entrepreneurial approach to smallholder farming, to identify viable income earning opportunities, prepare business plans and loan applications, to monitor performance and exercise peer pressure on other group members to maintain credit discipline. Despite the fact that the programme has been designed to be grassroots oriented it proved to have capacity for policy advice to the government through presenting results, findings and lessons learned within the ongoing UNDP programme as well as advocacy for poverty alleviation through establishing collaborative relationship with state officials at all levels and lobbying of drafts laws, amendments to laws, and other regulations regarding the enabling business environment for the poor. Furthermore the component facilitated participatory surveys with poor people, thus enabling the government to reflect perspectives and priorities of direct relevance to the poor.

Although the Programme has enabled large numbers of the poor to increase incomes, however the economic activity in rural areas remained at subsistence levels due to the fact that the overall business environment was still very poor, and the supporting infrastructure and service delivery systems could not meet the existing demands. So since 2005, the Programme delivered an integrated package of services to support entrepreneurship of the economically active rural poor, including women and youth to enable them to grow into sustainable businesses. Key components of the package were: Regular assessment of needs of target beneficiaries and finding a caps that prevent sustainable business development; Comprehensive business advisory support through trainings and consultations to transfer modern knowledge, skills and technology towards improvement of business culture, diversification and modernization of economic activities; Establishment of viable marketing mechanism through marketing information systems to enable small entrepreneurs to access latest marketing information on prices, means of production etc. The system also facilitated linkages between suppliers, intermediary organizations and consumers; Support to development of village based service organizations, including agricultural cooperatives, that deliver processing, marketing and other related support to small entrepreneurs; Expanding access of the micro-entrepreneurs to responsive financial services beyond micro-enterprise credits (savings, transfers, payments and insurance) through existing micro-finance institutions as well as increasing their institutional capacity. Strong emphasis was made to improvement of networking and replication to respond to new technologies and requirements in rural small and medium business development.

More recently in Kyrgyzstan, the UNDP youth programme19 promotes an active and constant participation of youth in the development of state youth policy, in mobilization resources for problem solutions on the places and influence on decision-making through promoting youth potential, as well as developing volunteer work in country. This project includes the development of a volunteer network, which will involve the creation of a volunteer database and conducting volunteer work camps.

3.3.2 United Nations Volunteers Online

UNV has initiated an online volunteering system, which allows professionals from all over the world to volunteer in supporting part-time or upon request projects in other countries. Due to their skills and equipment, the volunteers of this project will be able to proactively tap into these resources, and request online technical advice, e.g. from female farmers in Europe or business women from other African countries.

3.3.3 National Examples of Volunteerism

Sudan possesses a powerful past and present of volunteerism. One of its most distinguished universities, the Ahfad University for Women, has emerged from the founding of a girls school in 1907 by a volunteering teacher. Its operation and continuous expansion has since then been funded by voluntary contributions. It is handing over this volunteering experience every year to the next students generation by running the largest students volunteering program for rural community development in Sudan (1,300 students volunteering for community work in 2010).

19

http://www.undp.kg/en/component/resource/article/1-projects/4-unv-youth-programme


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Most of the national NGOs and all of the Community-based Organizations in Sudan would not be able to operate without the support of their many volunteers who are working at all levels of the organization – from the founders and managers to the field workers.

In addition, UNV Sudan is seconding a considerable number of national and international volunteers to UN-agencies and their local counterparts.

3.4 Partnerships, synergies and parallels with other projects

3.4.1 Partnership Strategy

The project is part of the “UNDP and UNEP Livelihoods, Environment & Local Economic Recovery for Peace and Development in Darfur Programme” (under preparation) as well as the UNDP private sector development strategy for poverty reduction in Sudan and will take into account existing private sector networks and CSR initiatives (e.g. business associations and the UN Global Compact Sudan) and in particular the value chain interventions implemented within other programmes, including the UNDP Darfur Value Chains, Livelihoods and the DDR Programmes.

Other current programs in Darfur by WFP (on agricultural value chains and carbon finance) and by UNEP (on environment) have already expressed strong interest in making use of the volunteers of this proposed project as trainers and micro-level business brokers, in order to increase their outreach and impact, which would leverage substantial synergies between UNDP/UNV, UNEP and WFP. Therefore, the effect on poverty reduction of this program is expected to be considerably higher than any isolated, staff- or consultants-based local development approach.

Close collaboration will also be sought with FAO’s and IFADs agricultural programs and other donor projects (e.g World Bank livestock sector strengthening project) on the selected value chains. In addition, the programme will link up with the cellphone-based market information system developed by FAO/SIFSIA, while the UNDP Transfer of Knowledge Through Expatriate Nationals (TOKTEN) project can further strengthen the capacity-building components of the project. Capacity development of national and local NGOs and CBOs will be a key focus in partnership with key UN agencies including UNEP, UN-HABITAT, UNAMID, ILO, IOM, WFP, FAO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNIFEM, UNIDO, local universities and the government.

Key local training partner will be a Sudanese University, to be selected via national tender for establishing the Project Coordination Units in collaboration with the Darfurian state universities. The universities are expected to fully take over the volunteers scheme once the overall project period ends.

Sudanese as well as international companies and experienced entrepreneurs are very interested to collaborate with this project, by volunteering themselves to provide business coaching to the young volunteers and microentrepreneurs, by using the young volunteers to facilitate contract-farming for smallholder farmers, and offering youth employment, e.g. in the area of recycling (for rural illiterate youth) or local business brokering (for volunteers upon completion of their assignment). A potential partnership with DAL group on its “Green Bakery Initiative”, part of DAL’s Corporate Social Responsibility Program, is currently being investigated.

Banks and Microfinance Institutions operating in Darfur, e.g. the Bank of Khartoum, have also expressed interest in collaborating with this project by making use of the volunteers, both as microfinance facilitators to reduce their high initial transaction costs of reaching peri-urban and rural communities, and of building the business capacity of their potential clients.

The project is based on the lessons of existing and recently completed programmes at the local level, and will still be able to draw from the local community capacity built through UNDP’s Areas Development Schemes in Darfur implemented in the 1990ies. It considers capacity development for state and non-state actors, promotes the inclusion of non-government actors and its importance for post-conflict situations, and acknowledges private sector development as a key engine for accelerated poverty reduction. The proposal highlights several elements that are integral part of UNDP’s breakthrough strategy including: a) the potential of environmentally sustainable approaches to agriculture as an effective way of promoting progress in other MDGs like gender empowerment and poverty reduction; b) considers proven interventions from the past and proposes scaling them up; and c) focuses on fulfilling specific local needs as a way of narrowing the MDG gap.


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3.4.3 Government support

The Federal Minister of Finance as well as Darfur state government representatives have endorsed the project approach as part of its 1,8 billion USD “Government Plan for the Development of Darfur” (presented to the Council of Ministers in August 2010) and pledged financial and in-kind assistance for its implementation, which will ensure its further expansion and longer term sustainability. The Government has confirmed its willingness to contribute US$ 1,144,124 to the pilot project, by way of funding agricultural, veterinary and vocational training for the unemployed youth in the rural communities and camps as well as state-level coordination by the Darfurian universities.

As mentioned above, the Darfur state governments are key partners in this project, providing in-kind contributions, staff secondments and collaborating with the project on policy and regulatory reforms for youth employment increase and private sector development, including green business.

Another example of how the state government supports youth employment and ensures the sustainability of UNDPs interventions in Darfur, is the provision of microfinance loans by the local government owned bank to the young graduates of the UNDP-funded vocational skills programme in Nyala, Darfur since 2009. The provision of external loans by banks to program beneficiaries (both rural microentrepreneurs and graduate volunteers) is also a component of this proposed project, indirectly increasing its resources. Regarding the promotion of green business, the government is willing to co-finance a UNDP- and UNEP-proposed “Risk Share Guarantee Fund for Green Business in Darfur”, which will reduce the risk for banks to finance environmentally sustainable micro-business projects. The environment volunteers can be used to disseminate and explain the criteria of which business ideas are eligible and how to access green business loans to the local entrepreneurs in the communities. The government is also preparing large scale sustainable energy and natural resource management projects, that can be made accessible for the target communities of this project by its environment volunteers.

3.5 Rationale for the selection of target areas and communities

3.5.1 Rationale for selecting Darfur

The rationale for the selection of Darfur has already been presented in the background / situation analysis (chapter 2.1): Darfur is the poorest region in Northern Sudan. Children and youth constitute a significant majority of the population (52%20). The Darfur region has one of the youngest populations in Northern Sudan.

Darfur as pilot target region for the YVD was internally discussed and presented within the formulation of the UNDP overall PSD-Strategy regarding the potential synergies with the other programming components as well as in the discussion on the UNDP strategy for Darfur in May 2010. Communication with the Darfur recovery coordinator and state governments was initiated in agreement with UNDP Senior Management in August 2010. This decision was based on the target state selection criteria agreed upon in the 1st consultative forum on the potential establishment of a Youth Volunteers Scheme in Sudan in July 2009.

This selection was justified among others because of the overall poverty levels, demographics, (post-) conflict situation, lack of peace dividends as well as with UNDPs operations capacities at state-levels. UNDP is operating a field office in each of the three Darfur states.

The volunteers have the ability to provide peace-dividends to the communities in many ways, including leveraging and increasing the communities social capital for their own community development. Since the main focus of the project is on youth employment, which is generally considered as a critical post-conflict intervention, as well as on environment, one of the root causes of the conflict, the project is expected to have the greatest impact in Darfur.

The international microfinance expert of Tufts University, who conducted a microfinance field assessment in Darfur in April 2010 for UNDP and IOM, confirmed the feasibility and positive expected impact of such a project.

UNEP is currently implementing a large environment and natural resources management project in Darfur and has expressed interest in collaborating with the volunteers at community level in order to co-facilitate its

20

“Beyond Emergency Relief – Longer-term trends and priorities for UN agencies in Darfur”, UN Sudan, September 2010


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“Community Environment Action Planning”, a very important synergy for the environment component in this project. Since the UNEP project is limited to Darfur, these synergies can only be leveraged in Darfur.

Potential security concerns have been taken into account by minimizing the role of international staff to technical assistance, monitoring and evaluation. The security situation will be the key criterium for the selection of the target areas and communities.

3.5.2 Types of communities being targeted

The main objective of the project is to work at the community level targeting IDPs, resident and nomadic communities. For that to succeed, one needs to have distinct community groups, which sometimes get blurred in an urban environment. I order to prevent diffusion and achieve tangible impact and efficient logistics, the project will work with clusters of communities in all three states of Darfur.

Moreover, the project aims to create market linkages for communities where no such linkages exist or will try to re-establish supply chains that were broken down by the civil unrest e.g. honey, sheep, groundnuts and hibiscus tea value chains.

The programme aims to be flexible enough to deal with a varied range of contexts, including working with nomadic pastoralist societies and the IDPs. The programme is definitely not limited to rural, sedentary farming communities only.

The project’s link with UNDP’s ongoing initiatives on value chain development will not only create market opportunities, but will also help to link the communities with planning and budgeting of state and federal level governments and to create linkages with traders, exporters and international buyers in the value chains and thus contribute to national economic integration and peace building processes.


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IV. PROJECT STRATEGY

4.1 Strategy Overview

This project is aiming at achieving the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) Target: “National Volunteer Scheme established”, which reponds to the Government’s 25-years Strategy (2002-2027) priority “to establish a National Volunteers Scheme for Private Sector Development”.

Through the volunteers’ work in supporting development of Micro-enterprises and rebuilding capacity for communities, this project contributes to UNDP Sudan’s Poverty Reduction, Recovery and Environment Programming under the UNDP CPAP Outcome 7: Post–conflict socio-economic infrastructure restored, economy revived and employment generated, and in particular, Output 7.4 Post-conflict recovery accelerated in strageic areas to ensure peace dividends are visible and tangible to conflict-affected populations as well as CPAP Outcome 1 (Poverty Reduction): Enhance national and sub-national capacities to plan, monitor, evaluate and implement the MDGs and related national development policies and priorities, in particular Output 1.3: Policy and regulatory reforms for micro-, small, and medium scale enterprises strengthened and social and economic opportunities for poor and vulnerable groups broadened.

The environment components of the project also contribute to CPAP Output 6.3 Comprehensive strategic frameworks developed at national and sub-national levels regarding environment and natural resource management.

Against this background and in line with the “UNDP and UNEP Livelihoods, Environment & Local Economic Recovery for Peace and Development in Darfur Programme” (under preparation), Joint El Fasher Climate Change Vision Document and UNDP Sudan Country Programme Action Plan, UNDP and UNV with the partnering Sudanese universities as main responsible parties will contribute to effectively addressing the main challenges for environmentally sustainable poverty reduction in Darfur through an innovative approach that supports and complements existing local initiatives.

These include entrepreneurship skills training, self-employment, access to microfinance, natural resource management, forestry and climate change adaptation. Additionally, volunteers carrying the title of ‘business brokers’ will serve as facilitators of business services to improve access to services and stakeholder linkages for enhanced competitiveness of UNDP-supported commodity value chains in Darfur, e.g. honey, sheep, groundnuts and hibiscus tea.

Job-generating Micro- and Small Enterprise (MSE) development in the peripheral areas of Sudan such as Darfur cannot be provided by the private sector alone, since private investment is currently not profitable due to the destruction of assets and infrastructure as well as due to the low population density in these areas. Therefore, at an initial stage, the creation and rehabilitation of micro- and small enterprises and their local networks, reestablishing broken supply chains as well as the rehabilitation of the natural environment destroyed by widescale displacement of populations in Darfur requires initially publicly subsidized support, especially if women and youth entrepreneurs as the poorest and most vulnerable community members are specifically targeted.

Under these conditions, the use of volunteers to initiate capacity development and local economic recovery presents itself as optimal implementation mechanism. The business brokers will also facilitate linkages between the local communitie and other donor-supported projects in livelihoods and economic recovery.

Experience with past livelihoods programs in Darfur and neighbouring Kordofan has shown that innovative approaches are needed to make a sustainable impact on poverty reduction. In past programs, NGO-staff of income generation projects used to visit target communities only a few times during the project duration: to conduct a training for a week or two, and to return only after a few months for the evaluation. In comparison, utilising volunteers residing in the community instead of visiting project-staff, can not only be the most cost-effective mechanism for sustainable local economic development, but also the most intensive one.

In the proposed approach, two volunteers (which should ideally comprise of one male and one female graduate), will live for nine months with the local community and conduct intensive trainings and coachings for the community members on a daily basis. At the same time, they will have been provided with ICT-equipment (laptop, cell phone, solar charger21, internet connection), and standby expert coaching which will

21

Telecommunications networks are the best available infrastructure in Sudan covering more than 70% of its population.


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enable them to connect the local businesses and CBOs to finance providers, input suppliers and purchasers of their products, thus (re-)connecting rural microbusinesses to their respective value chains.

Considering the massive population displacement due to the conflict and the lack of access to alternative energy sources, the reliance on and overuse of natural resources is extreme in Darfur. Thus, additional 30 roaming environment volunteers will assist the communities in taking environment and climate change into consideration within their economic recovery efforts, by raising their awareness on the effects of their business activities on their natural environment and on possible options for mitigation, thus developing the communities’ capacity for sustainable natural resource management, and by mainstreaming environmental sustainability into the local enterprise development efforts of their fellow volunteers. Their contribution will help to prevent renewed longer-term conflicts over resources and make the poverty reduction efforts of the project also environmentally sustainable

The volunteers approach in general combines building not only economic, but also social capital due to the volunteers working not only with individuals, but also with the community as a whole and supporting Community Based Organizations (CBOs). Research on the relationship between (economic) development and inter-communal peace indicates that when economic activity includes as a byproduct stronger social bonds within a given community, the chance for sustainable social peace in the future is enhanced.22 In post-conflict communities in which individual and community economic activity and livelihoods have been interrupted, rebuilding the social fabric is just as critical as rebuilding the economic viability of a community.

As the research on ethnic conflict in rural India mentioned earlier indicates, the difference between villages that erupted into violence because of ‘exogenous shocks’ and those which did not become violent can be attributed to the presence of a significant degree of social capital. Thus, the social capital to be strenghtened by the volunteers is expected to instill a conflict mitigation and prevention quality in the community by developing diverse, efficient and reliable institutions, institutionalized community bonds and communication channels by which social conflicts can be addressed and prevented without damaging the social fabric.

In order to achieve this peace-building impact, the project applies four principles which will inform PME in conflict settings. These principles apply to all development interventions undertaken in conflict (or potential conflict) settings and also to interventions which are aimed specifically at conflict prevention and recovery:

- All programming needs to be sensitive to the inherent (or overt) tensions or to potential or actual conflicts, and be conducted in such a way to – at a minimum - not heighten tensions and – at best – reduce tensions

- Security of all involved (programme staff; beneficiaries; and evaluation staff ) needs to be factored into all decisions

- Crisis settings are characteristically dynamic, and it is not unusual for changes in the setting to happen in short periods of time. Therefore, flexibility needs to be built in around the need to re-visit programming objectives to ensure they are still appropriate to the situation, as well as over the timing and appropriate methods of data collection according to what is feasible and can realistically be achieved

- All programming should maintain a ‘big picture’ perspective.

Conflict-related Development Analysis (CDA) will be used in the initial phase of the project, in order to ensure positive (or at least neutral) impact on the potential or existing conflict affecting the target communities (see chapter V. Resource and Work Plan, Action 1.1.3).

4.2 Target beneficiaries

4.2.1 Direct Beneficiaries

A socially inclusive approach to train at least 9,000 rural and peri-urban youth (gender balanced) in 45 communities (including IDP camps and nomadic communities) in the three states of Darfur, as well as other vulnerable groups/community members, focussing on but not limited to small farmers, pastoralists & associated sectors. These trainings are expected to result in poverty reduction through self-employment as well as micro- and small business expansion of at least 5,000 women and youth in Darfur.

22

See Ashutosh Varshney, Ethnic Conflict and Civil Society: India and Beyond, World Politics 53 (April 2001), 362-398. Other contemporary research on social capital includes the work of Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital (New York, Simon & Schuster, 2000), and David Halpern, Social Capital (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2005).


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In addition, at least 3,000 community leaders and members will be trained on sustainable natural resources management and climate change adaptation by youth environment volunteers to prevent that economic recovery leads to further environmental degradation.

4.2.2 Indirect Beneficiaries

Indirect beneficiaries are the 54,000 members of the 9,000 direct beneficiaries households as well as the 120 young graduate volunteers, who receive intensive training before and on the job, hands-on working experience as well as contacts to potential future employers (Microfinance Institutions, NGOs/RDPs, companies).

4.2.3 Approach of using one group of beneficiaries to support another group of beneficiaries

The scheme is using a combined approach of training individual volunteers who will then develop the capacity of entire communities. As recommended by BCPR as post-conflict best practice, the project focuses on vulnerable groups, but does not exclude other community members. Since community-based funds are not feasible for UNDP as per its global Microfinance guidelines, the project proposes micro grants for individual inexperienced youths/women (or teams of youths/women), individual or group loans for more experienced, but maybe illiterate community members, as well as ASCA-Sanduq23 trainings for self-selected sanduq groups at community-levels. Thus the proposed project is focussing on three different categories of beneficiaries:

Community micro-enterprise capacity development: The project will attempt to introduce a systematic element of volunteerism into rural community development in Sudan, as volunteers can be a valuable addition to any rural development project and increase the impact of their interventions in a cost-effective way. In this system, the volunteers will act as community agents with the specific role of social mobilisers, brokers and facilitators for the youth and others in the communities, with the clear focus on the youth’s role and contribution to the rural community’s economic empowerment.

Job creation in communities as a consequence of capacity development: It is expected that beyond the community members actually trained by the volunteers, other community members can also benefit from the job opportunities that would result from the creation of new businesses and strengthened value chains e.g. honey, sheep, groundnuts and hibiscus tea.

Unemployed young graduates: The project aims to enhance the capacities of the young graduate volunteers regarding economic development in order to access gainful employment as a future microfinance loan officers or as professional staff with a development organization, the civil service or alternatively to set up their own small businesses. On the other hand, the project will attempt to increase the capacity of the economically active poor in rural communities to establish or expand their own business and increase market access with a special attention to youth, women and other vulnerable groups. In view of the fact that the Government of Sudan requires youth between the ages of 18-32 to perform a mandatory one-year national service, the project, through discussions with the relevant authorities, will attempt to include this national volunteer’s scheme into the mandatory national civil service, thus saving valuable time for the participating young graduate volunteers. The volunteers will dedicate their efforts for 9 months periods, taking permanent residence in the target community, bring new skills and experiences to the community and will be keen to learn and participate in training opportunities. They can be representatives of the rural users they are working with and can be a great link between outside businesses and the communities they serve. Volunteers are often full of enthusiasm, and if they have the correct support structures in place, they can bring a breath of fresh air and a new perspective to their communities. Young people make excellent volunteers and they often have many skills and energy to offer to their communities, but to make the most of their efforts, they must have clear roles and professional support.

23

Sanduq is the Sudanese form of an autonomous rotating savings group. Sanduq one of the most common savings mechanisms in rural Northern Sudan.


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4.3 Outputs

4.3.1 Output 1: Youth Volunteers Rebuilding Darfur Scheme established and institutionalised in the 3 states of Darfur

1.1 Project Coordination Unit established and operational

UNDP and UNV will invite all Sudanese universities to an ‘Expression of Interest’ for setting up and managing the central Project Coordination Unit (PCU) for the project. The PCU will be established by the selected Sudanese University to undertake the responsibility of overall coordination of the volunteers activities within the project. The PCU will rent an office in Darfur, preferably located within the premises of one of the participating Darfurian state universities, who will be responsible for managing a State-level Project Coordination Unit (SPCU). The PCU will be managed by a national project manager, and staffed by: an admin and finance associate, an ICT officer/database manager, a knowledge management and M&E officer, and a coordinator for senior volunteers (part-time) and a coordinator for young volunteers. The PCU will also be assisted through intermittent technical advice from a UNDP-seconded international technical private sector development advisor24, as well as international UNV capacity development advisors on volunteer recruitment and management as well as reporting, monitoring and evaluation. The PCU will recruit representatives of different groups (ethnic, gender, parties of any tension) among their project staff to ensure a conflict-sensitive staffing structure.

The PCU will be specifically responsible for the management of the project’s relationships with its local implementation partners, for selection, training and coaching of the volunteers as well as for the coordination of the direct business development interventions and the business services and volunteer databases, as well as establishing a framework for monitoring and evaluation.

In addition to the central Project Coordination Unit managed by the Sudanese university and located at one of the state universities, State Project Coordination Units (SPCU) will also be set up in the other target states of Darfur. The SPCUs will be hosted by the universities located in the target states. A project officer will be seconded to the SPCU by the host university, to coordinate the project at state level. This project officer will be trained by the PCU and UNV to enable him/her to take over the project at the end of the project period. A government officer will be seconded by the state governments to the PCU to act as a liaison at the state level. One national UNV Reporting and finance officer will be hired for each SPCU, reporting to the PCU-Manager. NGO/RDP- representatives will act as focal points for the project from their perspective.

As part of the set up of the project, a conflict analysis will be conducted by the UNDP programme officer, in collaboration with the UNDP ‘Conflict Risk Mapping and Analysis Project’. This analysis will guide the implementation modalities of the project, and allow for the mainstreaming of conflict-sensitivity throughout the project implementation.

For the selection of the university a responsible party for the setup and management of the PCU, the following criteria will be included in addition to capacity-related criteria: the university selected as well as its project staff should not be affiliated with or considered as part of a conflict party. The university should not show any political bias towards any stakeholders group. The selected university should base the selection of volunteer candidates purely on their qualification and suitability to the task, not on any political or tribal affiliations.

Conflict-related Development Analysis (CDA) and conflict sensitivity training will be used in the initial phase of the project, in order to ensure positive (or at least neutral) impact on the potential or existing conflict affecting the target communities. CDA will be undertaken in collaboration with UNDP ‘Conflict Risk Mapping and Analysis Project (CRMA)’ during the set up of the project with/for project staff and as part of the volunteers training package.

It is important to note that CDA involves analyzing both the context and the ongoing (development and other) responses. This is crucial for planning purposes to identify synergies or gaps and counteract overlaps or contradictory initiatives that may collide and create negative effects, for example through the competition for scarce resources in a given area of intervention. The basic sequence is:

1. Analyze causes of conflict, actors’ positions/interests/needs, and existing capacities for peace 2. Develop scenarios to assess and anticipate trends 3. Analyze ongoing responses to conflict or in conflict contexts

24

Private sector development


21

4. Make strategic choices by identifying objectives and defining and planning responses

To ensure that the project manager and board’s understanding remains current, the situation/conflict analysis will be regularly monitored and updated throughout programme implementation together with results monitoring of projects’ objectives.

1.2 Templates and database structures developed مھم

The PCU will include an IT specialist (and additional service providers as required) to coordinate the design, development and sharing of a framework for communications and knowledge management including databases and M&E systems, which will be able to capture the results of the project in a systematic way. The IT specialist will train the university counterparts to ensure the future sustainability of the database. Templates for monitoring, evaluation and reporting, as well as for coordinating various operational aspects of the programme, will also be developed.

1.3 Participating RDPs/NGOs selected through state level consultative fora

Consultations with UN and NGOs operating in Darfur revealed that a sufficient number of RDPs/NGOs are interested to participate in the programme. Most of them already work with national volunteers. Each RDP/NGO has the capacity to employ, coach and monitor up to 30 youth volunteers. Hence, four to twelve RDP/NGOs in total will be engaged as host organizations for the volunteers in the three states of Darfur. In partnership with the state-level governments, the participating RDPs and NGOs will be selected through a participatory planning process within a consultative forum in Darfur. Part of this planning process will be a Conflict-related Development Analysis (CDA).

The following selection criteria for NGOs/RDPs will be applied:

- The RDPs/NGOs are operating in the target areas agreed by existing project partners and endorsed by the government. These target areas are being served by value chain interventions as part of other existing projects.

- The RDPs/NGOs are not part of a conflict party.

- The RDPs/NGOs have the required management capacity (certified by UNDP capacity assessment.)

- Their work focus is livelihoods, economic development and/or environment/natural resources management. The selected RDPs/NGOs will be major partners in UNDP’s and/or others’ value chain programming, to ensure that the volunteers can act as micro-value chain brokers for their communities.

- The RDPs/NGOs will be a mix between international and local organizations, so that the local actors can learn from the international actors and gradually take over the hosting of all the volunteers by the end of the project.

The selected RDPs/NGOs will act as formal employers of the volunteers and carry full employer responsibilities.

1.4 Competition of Communities served by participating RDPs/NGOs conducted

It is anticipated that the number of communities interested in volunteers’ support will be much higher than the 45 communities targeted. Therefore, the participating RDPs/NGOs, with support by the PCU, will organize a competition among their target communities in the value chain programming target areas, in order to ensure the interest and in-kind contributions that the community offers to the program implementation. The communities’ selection exercise will be achieved through a rapid assessment to be conducted by the RDPs/NGOs and aggregated by the PCU. Criteria for selecting communities will include their inclusion in a UNDP value chain program, producing a clear and convincing assessment of their needs (i.e. the reasons for needing a volunteer), the feasibility to aggregate them into clusters, as well as their contribution (accommodation for volunteers, site for the trainings etc.) and their commitment to involving vulnerable and marginalised groups within their communities. The following selection criteria will be applied:

- Security: community must be safe for the volunteers to reside and work there. - Location (fixed or temporary) within UNDP’s and/or other actors’ value chain interventions - Inclusion of sedentary, nomadic and IDPs communities


22

- Inclusion of minority and marginalized communities / tribal groups - Selection must allow for clustering of the 45 communities into five to nine clusters in order to ensure

operational effectiveness and discernible impact.

1.5 State university capacity in volunteer management developed

The intention of the project is that it can run and be expanded by the universities. State-level project officers, seconded by the state universities (funded by the Ministry of Finance and National Economy) will manage the state-level project coordination under the supervision of the PCU, and prepare to fully take over the project coordination for their state once the expanded project comes to an end.

One important element is the secondment of government liaison officers at the State PCU levels to ensure coordination within the state government as well as with the participating NGOs/RDPs, UN and other actors. In addition, UNV will appoint a national volunteer to each target state, as part of the SPCU, who will serve as state-level reporting and finance officer and identify and promote additional synergies with other recovery and development actors in the respective state. They will also report on progress, risks, issues and lessons learned regarding the successful operation of the volunteers management system at state level, which will be used for the planned expansion of the project.

4.3.2 Output 2: Pool of Darfurian graduate youth volunteers trained and deployed in their communities

This phase 1 project starts by training 120 young graduate volunteers before deploying them to work for 9 months in target communities, supported by the RDPs25/NGOs who will host them.

90 out of the 120 young graduates, who successfully applied for the volunteer positions and passed the assessment examination and training package centrally at the PCU and its state-level partner universities, will be seconded to work with NGOs/RDPs in the target communities as trainers and business brokers for nine months. Two business brokers volunteers (1 male/1 female) will be deployed to each of the 45 communities.

The 30 environment volunteers will support clusters of communities in the same areas where the busines volunteers are working. A flexible programme design will allow for the selected volunteers to state their target community/area preferences in order to ensure a gender-balanced approach or in depth knowledge of area and local languages.

2.1 Volunteers advertising and selection at Khartoum, State and Community-levels completed

Once the target communities are determined, advertisements will be made at community, state and Khartoum levels for interested graduates to apply for the volunteer positions. Use will be made of mass media communication channels as well as local channels though Universities, RDPs, NGOs and community leaders to ensure coverage. Applications will be received at community, state as well as central level for assessment and selection. The selection process will be carried out by the PCU.

In order to ensure conflict-sensitivity of the selection of the volunteers, the following criteria will be applied:

- Volunteers have the possibility to indicate their interest and language abilities to work in particular communities /areas, or even to apply as a husband-and-wife team. All these features are important for the inclusion of female volunteers to operate in remote locations.

- The selection of the volunteers will be based on their suitability and capability regarding their tasks. The PCU is to select a diverse, heterogenic pool of volunteers and to prevent any selection bias based on political or tribal affiliations.

The selected volunteers will be seconded to the selected RDPs/NGOs, who will act as their formal employers. مھم

25

Rural Development Programs


23

2.2 “Training of the trainers” modules developed, containing resources for community capacity-building

The selected university and its state university counterparts will host the central training of the volunteers as well as research and design the training modules with technical assistance by UNDP, UNV, ILO and other partnering agencies. These modules will contain all the elements which the volunteers will require to deliver the community capacity-building described in Output 3. For these purposes, training materials developed by ILO under the MDG-F Youth Employment Programme will also be used. There will be two types of training modules, one for the young graduate volunteers, and one orientation package for senior business leaders who will be volunteering to guide the work of the young volunteers on an intermittent basis. Additionally, volunteers will be trained in facilitating inclusive multi stakeholder dialogues and decision making processes to foster inclusion, enhance voice and participation of the marginalized communities as well as conflict-prevention.

2.3 Volunteers trained

2.3.1 Training of business broker volunteers

Candidate young volunteers will receive a 3 weeks training package developed in the aforementioned activity, following an assessment examination of candidate volunteers. This training will be conducted by the PCU at one or more of the Darfurian universities during a period of about nine weeks. Only the 120 young graduates who successfully passed this assessment will be included in the programme.

For the 90 graduates to work as trainers and business brokers. The contents of this training of trainers will include the following components:

Community mobilization & facilitation, strengthening CBO-capacities, community-based M&E, data collection & entry (with UNDP CRMA project), reporting and use of equipment, as well as gender, conflict prevention, management and transformation (UNDP) and inclusion of vulnerable groups (with UNICEF)

Training (business idea generation, entrepreneurship, financial skills, ICT, risk management, collective bargaining skills), with focus on women and youth (with ILO)

Business idea training and coachings/funds, combined with start-up microgrants for youth entrepreneurs and loan facilitation for more experienced business owners, with focus on women entrepreneurs

Coaching of youth volunteers and youth microentrepreneurs by 12 “senior” entrepreneur role models and their exposure to successful private business practices and tools, e.g. book keeping, business planning, taxation, feasibility studies etc.

Training of community members in set-up, management and M&E of ASCAs26, and ultimately the setting up of ASCAs in all target communities

As business brokers, facilitating access of rural and peri-urban entrepreneurs (with focus on women and youth) to markets, vocational training, microfinance27 and business service providers, including business associations (farmers’ and pastoralists’ unions, women’s development associations etc.) as well as brokering of linkages to suppliers, purchasers and wholesalers by making use of pro-poor agricultural value chain integration programs by UNDP and other actors in Darfur with a strong focus on multistakeholder processes and decision making for enchanced transparency and participation of the marginalized communities in formal market chains.

The curriculum will be developed jointly by the PCU and participating universities and business leaders with support of UNDP/UNV, ILO and other relevant partner agencies.

2.3.2 Training of volunteers on environment, natural resources management and green business

In addition, 30 environment youth volunteers will serve the 45 communities providing training in natural resource management, environmentally sustainable income generation and green business opportunities for women and youth (e.g. organic farming, beekeeping, fuel efficient stoves, stabilized soil block-based

26

Accumulating Savings and Credit Association 27

In cooperation with the Central Bank of Sudan, SMDF and MFIs


24

construction), thus ensuring that the local economic development supported by their fellow volunteers will be also environmentally sustainable and not result in further environmental degradation, and renewed breaking down of livelihoods.

They will provide community-based training, with focus on women and youth in:

Awareness raising on conflict over resources, conflict prevention, management and transformation

Community Environment Action Planning (CEAP) (in cooperation with UNEP/IOM)

Natural Resource Management and Water Harvesting (in cooperation with FAO/UNEP)

Reforestation and Fuel Efficent Stove-making (in cooperation with WFP/UNEP)

Green Business Planning (in cooperation with UNEP/ILO)

Climate Change Adaptation practices (in collaboration with NAPA)

They will also connect the local microentrepreneurs potentially eligible for green business loans to microfinance providers participating in the “Risk Share Guarantee Fund for Green Business in Darfur” as soon as it is established.

2.3.3 Training of senior volunteers on project approach, ToT-methodology and coaching/mentoring skills

12 “senior” volunteers (retired successful business leaders and the like) will undergo an orientation training on the programme as well as coaching and mentoring methodologies and use of IT, which will allow them to act as mentors, on an intermittent basis to the young volunteers in the various communities in which they will be working. This will strengthen the private business capacity development orientation of the programme. These retired experts will be including experienced craftsmen and –women, former business owners and managers, as senior volunteers to coach and mentor graduate volunteers and young entrepreneurs online and through intermittent coaching visits to the target communities. These senior experts will be hired by the PCU, based on common selection criteria. Additionally, the project will also establish linkages and explore pro bono technical expertise from UN Global Compact companies, local chamber of commerce and industries and investment promotion agencies.

2.4 Volunteers equipped

After assignment of the graduate volunteers to their respective RDPs/NGOs and target communities, and before deployment, each volunteer will be provided with a laptop, solar charger and internet access, and trained in using this equipment. They will receive the equipment on loan and will be required to hand it over to the PCU once their mission is completed.

2.5 Youth volunteers deployed to their target communities

The young graduate volunteers will be deployed to 45 target communities (2 volunteers per community, one male, one female), where they will live and work with the community for the duration of nine months. The senior volunteers will not be living in the communities, but deployed on an intermittent basis. Graduate volunteers will be integrated into the regular human resource system of the RDP/NGOs they are seconded to, with a clear result oriented Terms of References (TORs), including attendance and performance monitoring and reporting. In addition, the volunteers will be provided with IT-equipment and internet access, allowing them to access information from and communicate with PCU, their host RDP/NGO, other volunteers and partner organizations as well as business service- and Microfinance-related actors/companies, databases and M&E-systems. The PCU will provide advice, conduct periodic meetings (at the community, state and federal level) and request information and reports on program progress and problems the volunteers may encounter, as well as monitor the activities.


25

4.3.3 Output 3: Micro-enterprises in target communities established and expanded in an مھمenvironmentally sustainable way, with focus on women and youth

Volunteers will train rural youth and other community members in business and financial skills, including also risk management and collective bargaining skills, peaceful negotiation and use of multi stakeholder processes for decision making and policy advocacy. In addition, they will assist communities to develop business ideas, facilitate business idea training and coachings, create linkages to business support services, microfinance providers and companies, and vocational training providers as well as supporting the creation of Accumulating Savings and Credit Organizations (ASCAs). This will promote the establishment of rural micro-enterprises by rural youth and other vulnerable and marginalised groups. Volunteers will also support the livelihoods programming and value-chain interventions of their host RDPs/NGOs.

3.1 Rural youth & community members trained

At the community level, after introductory information and community mobilization activities, the graduate business brokers volunteers will organize training sessions for 100 rural youth (and other community members) each on business and financial skills on a regular basis during the whole 9 months of their assignment. Training modules will include entrepreneurship, fincancial skills, ICT, risk management28 and collective bargaining skills (see Result 2.3).

The environment volunteers will train community leaders on environmental issues and collaborate with the business brokers volunteers on training interested micro-entrepreneurs on green business opportunities (see Result 2.3).

The trainings will take place at a location provided by the community. The two community-based business broker volunteers may work together to deliver the training, though in some communities, it is likely that the female volunteers will work with the women, while the male volunteers will work with the men. For the trainings, volunteers will organize interested community members into groups between 10 and 30 participants.

Senior volunteers will visit their target communities on a regular basis to provide coaching and mentoring services to the young micro-entrepreneurs and volunteers. They will also provide backstopping support by remote to the volunteers.

3.2 Business idea trainings and coachings organized, resulting in micro-grants and loan disbursements to successful participants

The graduate volunteers will facilitate a process whereby external experts will work with the selected trained youth, men and women to assist them in developing their own business ideas. Supported by the volunteers, the external experts will discuss these business ideas with participating community members, covering the different technical and financial aspects of the business idea to assess its feasibility, quality and marketability of the product or service, risks as well as the expected profits. There will be a strong focus on assisting illiterate community members to develop business plans, with the help of their fellow community members. The training materials for business idea development can be adapted from existing ILO publications on the matter (in particular, the materials produced for the MDG-F Spain Youth Employment Programme). Each of the 90 young micro-broker volunteers is expected to support 25 community members each, hence a total of 2.250 community members involved in 45 training and coaching sessions. There will be two types of trainings and coachings:

Stage 1: Business idea trainings and coachings for “novices” without any business expertise. At least 900 of the young community members who are willing to establish new businesses, but lack necessary skills that enable them to start up micro enterprises, will receive micro-grants, depending upon the business planning, between the value of US$ 100-US $ 300 to start their new micro-businesses. The volunteers will provide continuous advice to the successful business idea training and coaching participants to ensure the success of their businesses through assisting them in improving and monitoring the performance of their businesses as well as exposing them to business services and finance institutions and preparing the ground for later upgrading their micro-enterprises. The training and coachings would be held on an annual basis and managed by the external experts, the business plans

28

For example, using an existing UNDP community training tool relating risks incurred by Climate Change to indexed insurance


26

evaluation being facilitated by the external experts, and undertaken by a panel of local stakeholders, including microfinance providers, based on pre-agreed criteria, including an emphasis on supporting vulnerable and marginalised groups as well as environmental sustainability.

Stage 2: Business plan trainings and coachings for more experienced youth, as well as other micro-businesses in the community, with the successful participants having an increased chance of obtaining loans from relevant microfinance providers. The business plans will be evaluated by a committee composed of loan officer(s) from collaborating microfinance providers, who are ready to offer loans to feasible business plans. These trainings and coachings will be organised by the young volunteers based on their experience of stage 1, and take place on a quarterly basis. The aim here is not to hand out loans to young entrepreneurs, but is based on the results of the recent Darfur microfinance assessment (April 2010) which demonstrated that especially in rural communities, the linkage with loan providers and microfinance institutions just does not exist. The aim is therefore to coach people on how to access these services, and to provide opportunities for even illiterate people to get assistance in developing good business ideas and plans.

In addition, the business brokers volunteers will facilitate micro-credit provision to their community members as well as support the capacity development of their CBOs in this role on an ongoing basis throughout their assignment.

3.3 Business Excellence Awards provided

Once the 45 business idea trainings and coachings have been conducted, business plans of outstanding quality from this activitiy can be shortlisted by the local panels described above, and forwarded by the graduate volunteers to the Project Coordination Unit (PCU). The PCU will then establish a central panel of private sector sponsors who will choose “excellent” business plans according to pre-determined criteria. The business plans classified as excellent can be entitled to receive a national business award amounting up to US$ 10,000 to enable the business plan owner to implement her or his idea. Awards will be evaluated based on excellence alone, not on geographic location or other criteria.

3.4 ASCA trainings delivered and ASCAs in each target community established

Conducted by national NGO/RDP-Officers & volunteers, themselves trained by international experts through a “training of trainers” exercise, the ‘Accumulating Savings and Credit Associations’ (ASCA) trainings represent one of the important elements for expanding and sustaining community businesses with reliance on local finance. Therefore, the programme will work to enhance the establishment of self-selecting ASCAs in each community. For this purpose, the program will hire an international consultant who will facilitate training of trainers' courses on ASCAs for about 15 persons from the participating RDPs/NGOs staff who have previous relevant experience and proven facilitation skills to act as ASCA trainers. The trainers will then work to train the volunteers and community members, who will then train their peers and more community members. Each one of the 15 trainers will train and coach about 10-15 volunteers. Volunteers will train 100 community members each and assist them in establishing ASCAs. A database of ASCAs will also be adapted and maintained.

These ASCAs, when being established, should attempt to mix older and younger people, in order to ensure transmission of knowledge across the generations. The ASCAs will be based on the traditional Sanduq29 model, but also incorporate principles of Musharaka30 and additional flexible features. In order to ensure compliance with UNDP’s global microfinance policy, the project will not supply any funds to the ASCAs, it will merely enhance the existing Sanduq models by providing them with capacity-building support and facilitating further business services and market linkages.

3.5 Community-based M&E systems and impact research implemented

Supported by the National UNVs assigned to the SPCUs, as well as the M&E expert assigned to the PCU31, the volunteers will organize on regular basis training sessions for the whole community to develop their 29

A type of independent revolving fund often used by women’s groups in Sudan, with no reliance on external funds. 30

Islamic profit and loss-sharing model 31

And to a certain extent supported by the host NGO/RDP M&E focal points


27

community-owned M&E systems. One example could involve the younger members of the community gathering data, which is then evaluated by the community leadership. The two community-based volunteers may work together to deliver the training and monitoring support, although in some communities, it is most likely that the female volunteer will work with the women, while the male volunteer will work with the men. The M&E information thus obtained will feed in to a centralised, online database, which can be accessed by the SPCUs, the PCU, as well as the RDPs and NGOs.

The volunteers will also report on the progress, impact and challenges faced by the community members and groups who are being supported by UNDPs and others value chain programs in their target areas in Darfur. This is expected to substantially enhance the learning curve and quality of the Darfur value chain programs.

The communities can also report general challenges faced, which can be uploaded into the database and form the basis for an integrated advocacy campaign.

Volunteers in each state will also conduct at least one project impact study in collaboration with the local university or microfinance and business development services institutions. The volunteers, in collaboration with these institutions will propose a number of research topics to the PCU, who in consultation with implementing partners and the state will select the research topics and supervising institution(s).The research will then be conducted by the volunteers and supervised by the concerned institutions. The research will be published and made available and is expected to provide valuable lessons learned for the development of micro enterprises in the states.

3.6 Advocacy for tax reduction for green MSEs conducted

In order to promote a more favourable policy and regulatory environment for environmentally sustainable businesses in Darfur, UNDP and UNEP will jointly advocate for tax reforms that create a bias towards sustainability, e.g. a lower taxation of beekeeping than of charcoal making, which are currently both taxed at an equal rate for forestry products of 20%. This advocacy will also be conducted within the state-level coordination and exchange fora (Action 5.1.4), to which all relevant state ministries will be invited.

4.3.4 Output 4: Market access facilitated for rural MSE profit increase, with focus on women & youth entrepreneurs

4.1 Rural entrepreneurs’ access to microfinance/business service/training providers/companies within agricultural value chains brokered

Within the existing and new value chain programs in Darfur, the volunteers will act as business brokers, connecting rural young entrepreneurs and micro-businesses to micro-finance institutions as well as to relevant business services and vocational training providers and companies (e.g. potential buyers and suppliers, mainly within agricultural and livestock value chains). It is expected that such a role might eventually develop itself into a business which can charge for such brokering services.

4.2 Collective marketing and rural MSE32 associations supported within existing UNDP value chain programs

The volunteers will assist interested groups of farmers, pastoralists and other producers to establish collective marketing and supply mechanisms within existing UNDP value chain programs. The fact that rural producers often get lower prices for their produce is attributed to their in ability to bargain for better prices due to selling in small quantities, unnecessarily high transportation costs and selling during production season when prices are at their lowest. This type of approach will be mainstreamed into existing RDP- and NGO- value-chain interventions. The volunteers are expected to horizontally increase the outreach of the vertically-structured UNDP value chain programs in Darfur.

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Micro- and Small-sized Enterprises


28

4.3.5 Output 5: Youth Employment increased

5.1 Youth entrepreneurs exchange visits & state–level coordination fora organized

Young winners of start-up grants and loans from the community-based business idea training and coachings (Action 3.2) will be provided with the opportunity to visit successful businesses. This will facilitate their exposure to private sector success stories and role models, as well as decrease cultural barriers. The exchange between groups of young entrepreneurs from different areas within the program will be supported and promoted. State-level liaison officers, assisted by the volunteers, will organize these visits in close collaboration with private sector sponsors and partners.

The winners of the Business Excellence Awards mentioned above will also be integrated into an international entrepreneurship exchange programme, whereby they will be mentored by prominent business leaders in other countries, within the framework of a corporate social responsibility approach by those international business leaders. This should involve one visit to the international business mentor, followed by a more long term remote coaching approach.

State-level liaison officers, supported by the national UNVs at the SPCU level, and the volunteer coordinator at the PCU level, in close collaboration with the volunteers, will also organize at least one forum hosted by the state government. All volunteers working in the state will be invited to attend the forum.

The main programme partners and stakeholders, including senior state officials, company managers and owners, are also expected to participate. The fora will be an opportunity for volunteers and programme partners to share their experiences and lessons learned, listen to experts and stakeholders and discuss advocacy issues as well as other means of further improving programme implementation and impact.

5.2 Annual volunteer National Service/UN-certificate award ceremony and job fair for young graduate volunteers conducted

At the end of their assignment, the volunteers will participate in an awards ceremony, where they would officially receive their National Service certificate (optional) and their UN-project certificate. This type of high profile event should also attract potential employers interested in capturing this skilled workforce and can therefore also act as a job fair to attract the attention of a wide range of employers in the public, private and international sectors.

For those volunteers who are interested in becoming entrepreneurs themselves, the PCU will facilitate access microfinance to start their own businesses. In case the project reaches the expansion phase, the project will monitor the employment situation of former volunteers up to one year after their assignment ended.

5.3 Green jobs created

Youth are very eager to pioneer innovative approaches, and have the potential to become champions of green development, if given adequate training and support.

The joint support by the business volunteers and the environment volunteers to startup microentrepreneurs as well as established businesses, with additional technical assistance by ILO and UNEP, is expected to lead to the creation of green jobs for youth and green businesses by youth in Darfur.

5.4 Advocacy for tax exemptions for MSE-start ups by youth entrepreneurs as well as for companies hiring youth apprentices

The project will conduct advocacy for labor tax exemption of apprenticeships as well as for youth start up businesses before and during the state-level consultative fora with additional technical support by UNDP.

5.5 Agricultural Training for Youth and female farmers (to be funded by additional government contribution)

As part of the contribution by the government “Darfur Development Project”, the state Ministries of Agriculture will conduct Agricultural Training for vulnerable youth for within the value chains selected by the state governments for the collaboration with UNDP and other actors. Within the same framework, they will provide agricultural extension services to farmers groups within the target communities for same value


29

chains. The volunteers will facilitate the access of the youth within their target communities to participate in these trainings and link them up with microfinance providers. These interventions will be conducted in cooperation with FAO and IFAD.

5.6 Livestock Training provided for pastoralist youth (to be funded by additional government contribution)

In order to insure the inclusion of pastoralist groups, the government “Darfur Development Project” will fund the State Ministries of Animal Resources to conduct Veterinary Services trainings for young pastoralists and their equipment with mobile veterinary service kits, equally for the selected livestock value chains. The volunteers will facilitate the access of the youth within their target communities to participate in these trainings and link them up with microfinance providers. These interventions will be conducted in cooperation with FAO and IFAD.

5.7 Vocational Training for Youth provided (to be funded by additional government contribution)

At higher levels of the selected value chains, youth from the target communities will have the opportunity to access employment via vocational training through the existing Vocational Training Centres in Darfur. The volunteers, with back up support by the PCU and SPCUs, will facilitate their access to these trainings and link them up with potential employers and microfinance providers (as successfully piloted by the South Darfur government and the UNDP Darfur Livelihoods Project). These interventions will be conducted in cooperation with ILO.

V. RESOURCE AND WORK PLAN WORK PLAN & BUDGET for 45 target communities in Darfur, supported by 120 young volunteers, 12 senior volunteers EXPECTED OUTPUTS and baseline, associated indicators and annual targets

PLANNED ACTIVITIES Activity results and associated actions

TIMEFRAME 2011-2012

RESPONSIBLE PARTY PLANNED BUDGET

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Funding Source

Budget Description Amount (USD)

Output 1: Youth Volunteers Rebuilding Darfur Scheme Established and Institutionalised in the three states of Darfur Baseline: No existing youth volunteers scheme Indicators: - Youth Volunteers Scheme endorsed by the state governments as part of their poverty reduction strategies - Volunteers Scheme set up in a conflict-sensitive way Targets: Scheme established and operational Related CP Outcome 1 Related CPAP outputs: Output 7.4 Post-conflict recovery accelerated in strategic areas to ensure peace dividends are visible and tangible to conflict affected populations.

1.1 Project Coordination Unit (PCU) established and operational

Action 1.1.1 Establish Project Board

UNDP/UNV/Sudanese Universities UNDP

Korea/ UNDP/

Cost mainstreamed under 1.1.2

0 Action 1.1.2: Select Sudanese university as responsible party for PCU and establish PCU

UNDP/ Sudanese University (Project Coordination Unit = PCU)

Korea/ UNDP/

UNDP: National Project Analyst, Int. Private Sector/Value Chains Advisor (incl. TA, policy advisory, advocacy) / CRMA specialist PCU: Project Manager, Youth Volunteers Coordinator, Senior Volunteers Coordinator (part-time), Admin & Finance Officer, Knowledge Mgt & M&E Officer, ICT-Officer) PCU travel & logistics

187,000

218,915

90,000 Action 1.1.3 Conduct conflict analysis and conflict sensitivity training in collaboration with UNDP ‘Conflict Risk Mapping and Analysis Project (CRMA)’ during the set up of the project with/for project staff and as part of the volunteers training package

UNDP Cost mainstreamed under 1.1.2 0

Action 1.1.4 Establish SPCUs at state universities

UNV State universities (SPCUs)

Korea MoFNE

UNV: 3 NUNVs as SPCU Finance & Reporting Officers 3 State University Project Officers, Offices, IT equipment

54,000

60,564

Action 1.1.5 Second state-government liaison officers to SPCUs

State governments MoFNE 3 State government liaison officers seconded to SPCUs

44,496

Action 1.1.6 Organize State-level coordination fora

UNDP Korea 3 state level coordination fora (covered under Action 5.1.4: state-level coordination & volunteer exchange conferences)

0

1.2 Templates for procedures and database structures developed

Action 1.2.1 Design databases Action 1.2.2 Design templates Action 1.2.3 Upload and operate databases

PCU (with TA by UNDP/UNV) UNDP Design and upload of templates and databases

20,000

1.3 Participating RDPs & NGOs selected, recruited

Action 1.3.1 Organise one consultative forum per state Action 1.3.2 Select participating NGOs/RDPs

UNDP/PCU

Korea Travel and accommodation. One consultative forum per participating state

15,000

1.4 Community competitions arranged Action 1.4.1 Organise community-level s

PCU/NGOs/RDPs (with TA by UNDP)

Korea RDP/NGO costs for organising these competitions

9,000


31

Action 1.4.2 Select target communities1.5 State university capacity in

volunteer management developed Action 1.5.1 Train state universities on volunteer management and M&E(UNV-appointed international expert and PCU)

UNV/PCU

Korea

Int. UNV-experts on volunteer management systems + M&E (PCU) (intermittent: 2 months)

30,000

Subtotal Korea/ UNDP MoFNE

623,915

105,060 Output 2: Pool of graduate youth volunteers trained and deployed in their communities Baseline: No entrepreneurship training opportunities for rural youth in Darfur Very limited environmental aware-ness among rural communities Indicators: Number of young graduate volunteers trained and integrated into the scheme, disaggregated by gender & type of training Targets: 1. 90 young graduate volunteers trained and deployed during Phase I for microenterprise development (50% female volunteers) 2. 30 young graduate

2.1 Volunteers Advertising & Selection completed Action 2.1.1 Conduct public advertising Action 2.1.2 Select the 200 most qualified candidates for Darfur volunteers pool

PCU Korea Cost of adverts in local media (Advertising through all project partners)

1,000

2.2 Training modules developed Action 2.2.1 Develop training modules for business brokers/youth volunteers Action 2.2.2 Develop training modules for environment/youth volunteers Action 2.2.3 Develop senior volunteer training modules

PCU (with TA from ILO) Korea Design and translation youth modules Design and translation senior modules Printing – youth modules Printing – senior modules

50,000

10,000

2,400 600

2.3 Volunteers trained Action 2.3.1 Train business brokers/youth volunteers Action 2.3.2: Train environment/youth volunteers Action 2.3.3: Train senior volunteers on coaching and facilitation skills

PCU (with TA from ILO & UNDP) Korea Training costs 120 young volunteers Training costs 12 senior volunteers

60,000

6,000

2.4 Volunteers equipped Action 2.4.1 Procure equipment for all 132 volunteers, PCU & SPCU project staff Action 2.4.2 Train volunteers and project staff on using equipment

UNDP/PCU Korea 150 Laptops, cellphones, solar chargers, internet connections (incl. software & maintenance) Training equipment for each community (stationary, black-boards, screens/projectors etc.)

192,150

33,750


32

environment volunteers trained and deployed during Phase I Related CP Outcome 1 Related CPAP outputs: 1.3, 7.4, 6.3s

2.5 Volunteers deployed and supportedAction 2.5.1 host & deploy youth volunteers to their residence in target communities (NGOs/RDPs) Action 2.5.2 Coach & mentor youth volunteers and micro-entrepreneurs intermittently by senior volunteers

PCU / NGOs/RDPs

Korea/ MoFNE/NS

Hosting, living allowances & health insurance for 132 volunteers (matched by National Service allowance) Travel Allowance Y-Volunteers Travel Allowance S-Volunteers

183,900

29,664

43,200 5,760

Subtotal Korea MoFNE/NS

582,30429,664

Output 3: Micro-enterprises in target communities established and expanded in an environmentally sustainable way, with focus on women and youth Baseline:: - Unsustainable firewood collection 4th most important income source in Darfur - 52,000 trees in Darfur consumed for brick-making in 2008 - About 60% of rural micro-entrepreneurs in Darfur lost their assets due to the conflict Indicators: Number of direct beneficiaries of the scheme, disaggregated by gender, age and type of support Targets: - At least 9,000 rural micro-entrepreneurs accessing business development services (incl. ASCA-training), of which at least 60% youth and women - At least 5,000 MSE established or expanded - At least 45 BITC organized with 2.250 participants - At least 900 young business idea training and coaching winners receive business start up micro-grants

3.1 Rural youth/community members trained 3.1.1 Conduct introductory information and mobilisation activities at community level (by business brokers volunteers) 3.1.2 Conduct training sessions for 9,000 community members in entrepreneurship, business and financial skills negotiation and use of multi-stakeholder processes for decision making and policy advocacy, with focus on women and youth entrepreneurs (by business brokers volunteers) 3.1.3 Conduct awareness raising and training sessions for 3,000 community members in sustainable NRM, CEAP and Climate change adaptation (by environment volunteers) 3.1.4 Train 500 entrepreneurs in mainstrea-ming environmental sustainability into busi-ness planning and accessing green business micro-loans (jointly by both volunteer types)

PCU / NGOs/RDPs

Korea Cost of printing training materials (& stationary) Site preparation

12,000

4,500

3.2 Business Idea Trainings & Coachings for community members organized Action 3.2.1 Organize 45 business idea trainings and coachings for 2.250 vulnerable community members (by NGOs/RDPs) Action 3.2.2 Award start-up micro-grants to at least 900 vulnerable training participants (by NGOs/RDPs) Action 3.2.3 Coach at least 3,000 more experienced entrepreneurs and facilitate their access to loans by local MFIs (by volunteers)

PCU / NGOs/RDPs (with TA by ILO)

Korea 9 External trainers Training materials (books/CDs/online) Micro-grants for 900-1800 Action 3.2.1 winners No additional cost for loans (financed by local MFIs)

45,00020,000

180,000

0

3.3 Business Excellence Awardsprovided Action 3.3.1 Short-list business ideas/plans reported by volunteers (by PCU) Action 3.3.2 Establish panel and selection

PCU Private Sector Contributions

No additional cost to Private Sector Contributions

0


33

- At least 900 micro-loans facilitated for other local micro-entrepreneurs - At least 3,000 community members in the 45 communities trained in sustainable natural resources management and CEAP - At least 500 green MSEs created or expanded Related CP Outcome 1 Related CPAP outputs: 1.3, 7.4, 6.3

criteria jointly with sponsor (by PCU) Action 3.3.3 Organize award ceremony (by UNDP & PCU) 3.4 ASCA training delivered & ASCAs established Action 3.4.1: Conduct ASCA ToT of RDPs/NGOs (by UNDP) Action 3.4.2: Train volunteers on ASCA mobilization, management, M&E (by RDPs/NGOs) Action 3.4.3: Train 9,000 community members on ASCAs (by volunteers) Action 3.4.4 support the establishment of ASCAs, maintain database (by volunteers)

UNDP PCU / NGOs/RDPs

Korea International trainer/consultant cost fees and travel fees of 15 local ASCA trainers No additional cost No additional cost

50,000

36,000 0 0

3.5 Community-based M&E systems implemented Action 3.5.1T rain community members on M&E (by PCU & volunteers) Action 3.5.2 Develop community-based M&E systems (by PCU & volunteers) Action 3.5.3 Conduct project impact research (by PCU & volunteers) Action 3.5.4 Conduct pilot project evaluation (by UNDP)

PCU UNDP

Korea Covered by Output 3 community capacity-building costs Salary of PCU M&E officer covered under Output 1 Project evaluation for pot. scale up

00 0

11,000

3.6 Advocacy for tax reduction for green MSEs conducted Action 4.3.1 Conduct advocacy for tax reduction for green MSEs before and during state-level consultative fora (Result 1.3.1)

UNDP/UNEP No additional cost. (Cost covered by Output 1.1 Staff, secondments, consultants)

0

Subtotal Korea (PS) 358,500 Output 4: Market access facilitated for rural MSE profit increase, with focus on women & youth entrepreneurs Baseline: - Minimal market access by peri-urban and rural MSEs due to the effects of the conflict. - Only about 4000 MSEs accessing Microfinance in all of Darfur (April 2010) - 90% of CBOs not able to provide member services Indicators: -Number of MSEs accessing micro-finance

4.1 Rural entrepreneurs’ access to microfinance providers, other business services/training providers & companies operating within agricultural value chains brokered 4.1.1 Facilitate collaboration with MFIs, BSPs & companies within agricultural value chains (by volunteers) 4.1.2 Record collaboration progress, challenges and results on database (by volunteers)

PCU / NGOs/RDPs

No additional cost (Cost covered by 2.5 incentives, equipment and transport for Volunteers)

0

4.2 Collective Marketing and rural MSE-Associations supported within existing UNDP value chain programs 4.2.1 Support rural associations/CBOs in improving their member MSEs access to markets (by volunteers)

PCU / NGOs/RDPs

No additional cost (Cost covered by 2.5 incentives, equipment and transport for Volunteers)

0


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services, disaggregated by gender and age - Number of MSEs (re-) integrated into agro-value chains, disaggregated by gender and age - Profit increase for MSEs, disaggregated by gender and age - CBOs able to facilitate marketing for their members Targets: - At least 9,000 rural MSEs (100 per volunteer, of which at least 60% women &youth) accessing financial services - At least 2,000 MSEs (re-) integrated into agro-value chains - At least 10% profit increase for existing rural MSEs through value chains (re-)integration - Total of at least 5,000 jobs created at community level (at least 60% for women and youth) - At least 2 CBOs per community able to facilitate marketing Related CP Outcome 1 Related CPAP outputs: 1.3, 7.4,6.3

4.2.2 Mainstream rural marketing support into existing livelihoods activities of host NGOs/RDPs as well as existing value chain programs by UNDP and other actors Subtotal 0

Output 5: Youth employment increased Baseline: Darfur Youth unemployment estimated ≥ 40% Indicators: - Number of youth graduate volunteers (self-) employed 3 months after their assignment

5.1 Youth entrepreneurs exchange visits & state–level coordination fora organized Action 5.1.1: Organize local exchange visits Action 5.1.2: Organize local visits to medium-sized & large companies Action 5.1.3: Organize international visits for the business excellency award winners Action 5.1.4: Organize state-level coordination & volunteer exchange fora

PCU / NGOs/RDPs

Korea / Private Sector Contributions

Additional cost (business entrepreneurs transport and accommodation (local visits) - Cost of travel, accommodation, per-diem of travellers (international visits)

45,000


35

- Number of youth in target communities (self-)employed Targets: - At least 70% of 120 graduate volunteers employed - At least 900 youth establish MSE in the target communities - At least 1.000 Youth from target communities receive apprenticeship or employment Related CP Outcome 1 Related CPAP outputs: 1.3, 7.4

5.2 Annual National Service and UN-certificate award ceremony and jobs fair for young graduate volunteers conducted Action 5.2.1 Disseminate National Service and UNV certificates to graduate volunteers at the end of their assignment Action 5.2.2 Organize Jobs fair for graduate volunteers Action 5.2.3 Facilitate microfinance access for entrepreneur-volunteers Action 5.2.4 Monitor employment of former volunteers

UNDP/UNV/PCU Korea Event organisation costs for one 3-days event

10,000

5.3 Green jobs created Action 5.3.1 Train and coach youth and microentrepreneurs in green business ideas Action 5.3.2 Train and coach local businesses in making their operations more environmentally sustainable

No additional cost. (Cost covered by Output 1.1 Staff, second-ments, consultants) as well as 2.5 Incentives, equipment and transport for Volunteers)

0

5.4 Advocacy for tax exemptions for MSE-start ups by youth entrepreneurs as well as for companies hiring youth apprentices conducted Action 5.4.1 Conduct advocacy for labor tax exemption of apprenticeships before and during state-level consultative fora (Result 1.3.1) Action 5.4.2 Conduct advocacy for tax exemption for youth start up businesses before and during state-level consultative fora (Result 1.3.1)

UNDP No additional cost. (Cost covered by Output 1.1 Staff, second-ments, consultants)

0

5.5 Agricultural Training Provided Action 5.5.1 Conduct Agricultural Training for 2000 Youth for selected value chains Action 5.5.2 Provide Agricultural Extension for 2000 farmers for selected value chains

State Ministries of Agriculture MoFNE Agricultural Trainers Agricultural Extensionists Equipment Fuel

103,000 185,400

5.6 Livestock Training Provided Action 5.6.1 Conduct Veterinary Services training for 500 young pastoralists in selected value chains Action 5.6.2 Equip the trained pastoralists with basic veterinary services kits

State Ministries of Animal Resources

MoFNE Veterinary Trainers Veterinary Service Micro-Kits

103,000

5.7 Vocational Training for Youth Provided Action 5.6.1 Rehabilitate existing Vocational Training Centres close to the target areas Action 5.6.2 Conduct Vocational Training for Vulnerable Youth through existing

State Vocational Training Centers MoFNE Rehabilitation materials, equipment, labor Coverage of training fees for vulnerable youth

412,000

206,000


36

Vocational Training Centres for selected value chains Subtotal Korea (PS)

MoFNE 55,000

1009,400 UNDP GMS (7%) UNDP Korea 115,156

Financial Transactions UNDP UNDP 15,000

Management, Security, Communication

UNDP UNDP 10,368

Total funded by Government of Korea

UNDP Korea 1,445,036

Total funded by Govern-ment of Sudan (incl. GMS)

MoFNE

NS

1,114,460

29,664

1,144,124

TOTAL UNDP Korea/UNDP/MoFNE

Part of the total to be funded by UNDP: 315,152 USD

2,904,312


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VI. MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS

6.1 Project Organisation Structure

6.1.1 Roles of main partners and supervision

The project follows the same supervision arrangements as the overall “UNDP/UNEP Darfur Livelihoods, Environment and Economic Recovery Programme” of which it is part. The representatives of the Ministry of International Cooperation, the Federal Ministry of Finance and National Economy, the Secretary Generals of the Darfur State Governments as well as representatives of the Government of Korea, private sector sponsors, UNDP and UNV will supervise the project within the project board.

UNDP will be the implementing partner for this project. UNDP will be responsible for the overall quality assurance, coordinate the interventions funded by Korea and UNDP and those funded by the Sudanese government, as well as provide technical assistance regarding economic recovery, value chains and private sector development. UNV will provide technical assistance on volunteers management.

The state-level governments are expected to provide in-kind contributions to the project by offering free office space, secondments of staff to the project, and through tax reductions/exemptions for the project beneficiaries, especially regarding the taxation of young start up entrepreneurs, the taxation of apprentices, and the taxation of green businesses.

The Federal Ministry of Finance of Sudan will financially contribute to the agricultural, veterinary and vocational training of youth as skilled labor or micro-entrepreneurs within this pilot project as well as to the potential future expansion of the project to more communities within Darfur as part of the Government’s Darfur Development Plan.

The Sudanese University selected to manage the PCU, together with the Darfur state universities, state-level Ministries of Finance, Ministries of Agriculture and Animal Resources, UNDP, UNV, other UN-agencies, RDPs, NGOs, CBOs and community representatives, Darfur Vocational Training Centres, donors and private sector sponsors will be the main counterparts for the project. They will be represented in the Technical Advisory Committee.


38

Fig 5.1 Project Organisation Structure

6.1.2 Project Management and Project Coordination Unit

The project will be managed by UNDP. UNDP will recruit a national project manager/analyst for this task. In addition, a UNDP Private Sector Development / Value Chains Advisor will provide technical assistance on an intermittent basis.

The volunteers coordination via a “Project Coordination Unit” will be tendered for implementation by a Sudanese university as responsible party. To ensure efficiency and effectiveness, coordination bodies at state levels will be formed – the SPCUs (to be located at state universities). In one state, the central PCU will be established by a Sudanese University as main responsible party and located within the partnering state university premises. The PCU will receive necessary support to recruit on full time base qualified personnel that includes a project coordinator, assisted by programme and general operations staff (a project admin and finance officer, an ICT officer and a Knowledge Managment and M&E-officer) and volunteers management staff including a senior volunteers’ coordinator, a youth volunteers’ coordinator, and NUNVs placed within the state-level SPCUs).

UNV will appoint technical advisors on volunteers management and M&E providing technical assistance to the project.

6.1.3 State-level Programme Coordination Units (SPCUs)

The SPCUs will comprise one project officer seconded by the hosting state university (funded by the Ministry of Finance and National Economy), one state government liaison officer seconded by the state government, one national UNV reporting & finance officer funded by the project as well as NGO/RDP-project focal points

Project Coordination Unit (PCU)

(managed by university) 1 Project Coordinator 1 Youth Vol. Coordinator 1 Senior Vol. Coordinator 1 Admin / Finance Officer 1 Know-Mgt / M&E Officer 1 ICT-Officer

PROGRAMME BOARD

Senior Beneficiary Ministry of Int. Cooperation

State Governments

Executive

UNDP & UNV

Senior Supplier Federal Ministry of Finance, Korea, Prívate Sector Sponsors

Project Assurance

UNDP Programme Officer

Technical Advisory Com-mittee for UNDP Darfur Recovery Programs

Project Support

See partnership strategy

PROJECT ORGANISATION STRUCTURE

North Darfur SPCU

at North Darfur state university

West Darfur SPCU

at West Darfur state university

South Darfur SPCU

at South Darfur state university

Technical Advice UNDP PSD-Advisor (int)

UNV Vol-Mgt Advisor (int)

UNV M&E Advisor (int.)

UNDP Project Manager


39

seconded by the NGO/RDP participating in the project in the respective target state, a state government representative (the Secretary General) and representatives from additional interested state-level ministries. They will be responsible for coordination and timely implementation of the programme activities at the state level. They will meet regularly to review progress and response to needs and submit monthly reports to the PCU.

Fig 5.3 State-Level Project Coordination Unit

6.1.4 Quality assurance mechanisms and technical advice

At the PCU level, the Sudanese university will appoint a full-time Knowledge Management, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, who will develop M&E templates for this project and travel from one community to another during the lifetime of the project, gathering lessons learned, and gathering data on the impact of the project. This officer will also support the development of the community-based M&E systems, which are described in Activity 3.5. UNDP and UNV will also provide intermittent M&E advice, as will the M&E focal points of the hosting NGOs/RDPs.

Furthermore, a UNDP Private Sector Advisor (intermittent) will ensure coherence with the UNDP Private Sector Development Strategy. In addition, s/he will provide the project board with regular inputs into the project implementation strategy, as well as support the technical advisory committee and the project management in creating synergies with other programmes and actors and ensure adherence to international best practices.

6.1.5 Role of the Host NGOs and RDPs

The project is expected to closely collaborate with rural development programs by national and international development partners such as FAO, IFAD, DARA, SECS, Practical Action as well as other national and international NGOs and other actors who concentrate their efforts on building sustainable livelihoods in rural areas. In state-level consultative for a, a number of partnering RDPs/NGOs will be selected for this project. The selected RDPs/NGOs will host the volunteers and function as their employers. The hosting as well as other complementary collaborations would envisage joint and complementary interventions for local economic development and promotion of MSEs.

6.1.6 Role of the Private Sector

The UN Global Compact Sudan network, chaired by the Sudanese Businessmen and Employers’ Federation, is expected to provide the initial focal point for linking this programme to the private sector. Indeed, the YVD project contain strong elements of corporate social responsibility, which are in line with the following principles of the UN Global Compact:

Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;

Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

In line with their commitment to the principles of corporate social responsibility, the private sector has a history of contributions to youth cultural, social and sport activities. The programme seeks to expand on this role, using a partnership model that ensures benefit of both the community members and volunteers by

National UNV Reporting /

Finance Officer

NGO/RDP State Project Focal Points

STATE LEVEL PROGRAMME COORDINATION UNIT (HOSTED BY STATE UNIVERSITIES)

State Government

Liaison Officer

State UniversityProject Officer

State Secretary General

(on behalf of state government)


40

learning from the successful business leaders’ experiences, company visits, facilitation of linkages with suppliers and purchasers as well as financial and in-kind contributions by the private sector to the programme. Rural micro-entrepreneurs and companies will benefit from the linkages mentioned above through improved access to markets and pro-poor value chain integration. In addition, the corporate social responsibility contribution to the public would enhance the image of the participating sponsors.

The private sector will participate in the management of the initiative with representation on the Programme Board, and in the Technical Advisory Committee. They will provide direct interventions (including advocacy of an enabling environment) and inputs to the training and coaching of the volunteers, appraisal of outstanding businesses ideas, provision of advice to NPCU on various aspects relevant to micro-enterprise support. They will also have the opportunity to meet community entrepreneurs and volunteers during exchange visits at their companies and factories, introduce them to their business and answer their concerns. At the state level, the private sector will give speeches at the volunteer exchange fora and assist volunteers in organizing open days to introduce their business approaches. They will be invited to sponsor business excellence awards as part of the aforementioned business idea training and coachings. In addition, the aforementioned senior volunteers will all be drawn from the private sector (elder or retired business leaders).

6.3 Sustainability strategy

Young volunteers

The young volunteers themselves will emerge from this project with enhanced employment opportunities, not only because of the skills acquired, but also because they will receive certification from both UNV and the National Service. In addition, their role as brokers will help make them a valuable asset to the target communities, host organisations and the suppliers/wholesalers, banks and other microfinance providers mentioned above. Indeed, the volunteers will have nine months during which they should be able to establish such contacts. Each year, the current batch of volunteers would participate in an awards ceremony/jobs fair, where they would officially receive their National Service certificate and UNV certificate. This type of high profile event should also attract additional potential employers interested in capturing this skilled workforce. In addition, it can be envisaged that the young volunteers thus qualified might benefit from advantageous loan schemes, for example from the Central Bank of Sudan.

Target communities

At the community level, sustainability will be achieved by the establishment of the ASCAs, which will leave the communities with enhanced capacities for entrepreneurship, collective bargaining and accessing business services, including vocational training. By providing networking opportunities for these ASCAs, one can also ensure that the collective knowledge gained during this project is widely disseminated and has a catalytic effect. It could also be envisaged that the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), responsible for registration of new associations, could waive the registration fee for the ASCAs and youth associations in the target communities that have undergone capacity-building. In addition, micro-enterprise creation following the capacity-building period will also lead to job creation at the community level.

After a successful mid-term review, the project is expected to further expand through a 3-years phase II in order to reach more communities in the three Darfur states, including those that are currently not accessible due to security problems. Phase 2 is expected to be substantially co-funded by the government, with increasing large-scale private sector contributions. A number of Sudanese large scale businesses have expressed their general interest in supporting the program once it is operational, because the volunteers can help to reduce their transactions cost to purchase goods from small-scale producers.

A successful phase 1 project will also enable UNDP to expand this programming approach to other states of Sudan.


41

Youth Volunteers Rebuilding Darfur Scheme

As a contribution to the first Output of the project (establishment of the Volunteer Scheme), UNV will appoint an international expert on volunteer management systems to train the participating universities in volunteer management (supported by NUNVs in the SPCUs at state level). As the capacity-building develops, the university counterparts will be expected to provide more and more matching volunteers year by year. During the lifetime of the programme, international host organisations will be gradually replaced by national NGOs/RDPs based on capacity assessments and state-level consultations.

6.5 Funding Strategy

UNDP and UNV have provided the initial cost for developing the project strategy and concept. Donor and national counterparts are expected to contribute to the project implementation costs. The project seeks multiple, coordinated international as well as national contributions at all levels for its further expansion, not limited to donors but involving a large number of private sector actors, government institutions, UN agencies and NGOs/RDPs, as well as universities, which will enrich the programme, each with its unique distinguished experience thus allowing for diversity and sharing of learning.

The Ministry of Finance and National Economy, under its Darfur Development Project, will substantially co-finance this phase 1 project, thus demonstrating the national ownership and sustainability of the project approach (see also chapter V. Resource and Work Plan).

Donor contributions are subject to cost recovery for indirect costs incurred by UNDP headquarters and country office structures in providing General Management Support (GMS) services. To cover these GMS costs, the contribution will be charged a fee equal to 7%. The contribution by the Government of Sudan will be charged a GMS fee equal to 3%.

6.6 Communications guidelines for all partners involved in this project

This section stipulates a set of guidelines for projects in their development and production of high quality and effective communication products, financed under agreements between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and its project partners. As a rule all communication products will be published in accordance with corporate UNDP policies. The ultimate goal is to produce high quality communication products, which substantively support UNDP’s programmatic objectives and can deliver results with the greatest degree of long-term impact.

This section is considered as an integral part of this project document, and its clauses as binding obligations on the signatories of this agreement.

UNDP communication products are defined as print information materials, including brochures and promotional materials, intended expressly for external audiences, concerning either UNDP as an organization, or issues in which UNDP is involved. This definition also extends to include any audio or visual materials such as films and radio products, commissioned theatre productions and/or other visual arts productions which are produced as part of this project.

UNDP is considered the author of all work produced under this agreement, regardless of contractual status of the person or organisation to which UNDP commissions work. Authors of work commissioned under this agreement are not permitted to re-produce this work elsewhere, without the permission of UNDP. Any re-production of works must give credit to UNDP.

UNDP owns the copyright and intellectual property rights of materials produced or developed in connection with this project.

Copyright Notice: Each copy of a UNDP publication to be copyrighted must bear the following notice:

Copyright © UNDP [year]

All rights reserved

Copyright Disclaimer: UNDP publications should also include a disclaimer: “The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the United Nations or its Member States, or UNDP”.


42

All communication products, produced under the UNDP project will carry the following UNDP logo:

There will be flexibility in cases where it is not practical for the product to bear the brand, e.g. in the case of pens, in which case the respective UNDP focal point will decide how best to represent the name of UNDP. The branding of all communication products and recognition of organisations must be approved by UNDP.

In line with UNDP’s policy on public disclosure regarding its operational activities, UNDP will share information on its website pertinent details of the project and its goals.

While creativity in the design of UNDP publications and other communication products is encouraged, it is essential to uphold UNDP quality standards in all areas: content, writing, editing, translation, design and printing

Each approved communication product, as per the Work plan, will be subject to clear terms of reference.

UNDP has made it mandatory that all communication products under this agreement will be subject to an internal Peer Review process. The time required for the Peer Review Process must be calculated as part of the overall timeframe for producing a given communication product. The Respective focal point will be responsible for coordinating the Peer Review Process within UNDP.

6.7 Gender mainstreaming approach

This project has inbuilt gender mainstreaming mechanisms, such as the need for each target community to host one male and one female volunteer, as well as a focus on capacity-building of youth, women and other “marginalised” groups within each community. In addition to this, the Project Coordination Unit (PCU) will be required to complete and report upon the following form on an annual basis:

Table 5.1 Gender mainstreaming template and annual reporting gender mainstreaming template

PROJECT TITLE:

YOUTH VOLUNTEERS REBUILDING DARFUR

PROJECT OBJECTIVE:

1. Does the project incorporate a gender perspective? (e.g. inputs, outputs, outcomes, impact)

If YES, please explain with reference to specific sections of the project document. Describe activities/partners/other

2.1 In what (other, additional) potential areas could gender be incorporated in your project?

2.2 What would be required to incorporate gender in such a way?

2.3 Who could be the potential partners?


43

3. What risks or unknowns can you identify in implementing a gender perspective?

4. Can you suggest how such risks might be minimized (within or beyond the scope of your project)?

Additionally, a module on gender empowerment and facilitation of multi stakeholder dialogues and decision making processes to ensure enhanced engagement of the women in UNDP supported value chains will be developed with a continuous backstopping support from the PCU to the communities and the volunteers.

6.8 Environmental Considerations

UNDP’s focus on sustainable development requires environmental sustainability to be built into all its projects. The people of Darfur are facing critical environmental challenges - land degradation, deforestation and the impacts of climate change that threaten their prospects for sustainable and peaceful development. Economic growth can only be sustainable if matched with the promotion of natural resources management and sustainable sources of energy that especially women and the poorer parts of the population can access and develop. Sudan is a country which is not only struggling to cope with some of the more extreme consequences of climate change (drought, desertification etc.), but also with the environmental consequences of conflicts, past or present33. Given this context, it is possible to mainstream environmental sustainability into the present project in the following ways:

The training delivered to the target communities can incorporate a session on risk management, specifically in the context of Climate Change, in the form of a role-playing game developed previously by UNDP to introduce rural communities in developing countries to the concept of indexed insurance.

The business idea training and coachings could incorporate an element of environmental sustainability in the evaluation criteria For example, a focus on renewable energy sources or similar schemes could earn some additional points. This could provide a valuable introduction to other sub-project planned by UNDP & UNEP under the overall “Livelihoods, Environment & Local Economic Recovery for Peace and Development in Darfur Programme”. This programme includes among others a risk-reducing incentive mechanism for microfinance providers to engage in lending in this sector. In order to allow for the inclusion of very vulnerable groups, microfinance access will be complemented by alternative livelihoods and income opportunities to facilitate their access to alternative energy markets.

In addition to this, the present project will comply with UNDP Green Procurement guidelines. The environment and procurement, once considered to be separate issues, should be considered jointly to ensure that project procurement focus on environmental concerns (e.g., toxicity, energy consumption, ozone depletion) of various goods and services procured for development and emergency-relief activities. In short, this calls for the identification of environmentally friendly (green) goods and services, which have less harmful effects on human health and the environment than competing products and services serving the same purpose. Start evaluating your procurement by reviewing your current purchases to determine how environmentally friendly these goods and services are. Then look at opportunities for product substitution. Relevant questions to ask are shown in the box below. Greening your own office is one of the simplest initial steps you can take in launching a "green procurement programme". Consider products that you frequently purchase: various types of paper, office equipment, toner cartridges, envelopes, light bulbs and maintenance supplies. Each of these products pollutes the environment, generates waste and depletes our natural resources. However, greener options exist that can save money and offer environmental benefits. Environmental considerations include: Is it single use (disposable) or reusable? What is the recycled content? Does it consume a significant amount of energy? Does it have an energy saving mode? Is it durable? Can it be repaired? Is it recyclable locally?

33

As detailed in the UNEP Post-Conflict Assessment Report on Sudan


44

VII. MONITORING FRAMEWORK AND EVALUATION 7.1 Introduction

In accordance with the programming policies and procedures outlined in the UNDP User Guide, the project will be monitored through the following:

At the PCU level, the selected Sudanese university will appoint a full-time Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, who will develop M&E-templates for this project and travel from one community to another during the lifetime of the project, gathering lessons learned, and gathering data on the impact of the project. This officer will also support the development of the community-based M&E systems, which are described in Activity 3.5. UNV will also provide intermittent M&E advice, as will the M&E focal points of the hosting NGOs/RDPs.

In addition, quality assurance will be supplemented by a UNDP Technical Advisory Committee for its overall Darfur Recovery Programming as a kind of peer review group giving advice and identifying synergies and other opportunities to enhance the project impact. The terms of reference of this committee can be found further down.

The volunteers will be regularly monitored by NGOs/RDPs using regular human resources systems used to monitor and appraise the ordinary staff performance, and upon which decision regarding payment of volunteers monthly allowance will be paid. The volunteers will prepare monthly progress reports to the SPCU, which will meet monthly to review, discuss and validate pair volunteers' monthly community reports and prepare the state monthly consolidated report for PCU. The PCU’s M&E specialist, together with relevant experts as required, will conduct field visits to communities to observe volunteers performance and obtain community feedback, and will prepare quarterly reports to UNDP. UNDP will review and validate these reports and submit UNDP quarterly reports to the donors.

UNDP will conduct a mid-term evaluation in order to prepare the phase 2 expansion of the project.

7.2 Within the annual cycle

On a quarterly basis, a quality assessment shall record progress towards the completion of key results, based on quality criteria and methods captured in the Quality Management table below.

An Issue Log shall be activated in Atlas and updated by the Project Manager to facilitate tracking and resolution of potential problems or requests for change.

Based on the initial risk analysis submitted (see annex 1), a risk log shall be activated in Atlas and regularly updated by reviewing the external environment that may affect the project implementation.

Based on the above information recorded in Atlas, a Project Progress Reports (PPR) shall be submitted by the Project Manager to the Project Board through Project Assurance, using the standard report format available in the Executive Snapshot.

A project Lesson-learned log shall be activated and regularly updated to ensure on-going learning and adaptation within the organization, and to facilitate the preparation of the Lessons-learned Report at the end of the project

A Monitoring Schedule Plan shall be activated in Atlas and updated to track key management actions/events

7.3 Annually

An Annual Review Report shall be prepared by the Project Manager and shared with the Project Board. As minimum requirement, the Annual Review Report shall consist of the Atlas standard format for the QPR covering the whole year with updated information for each above element of the QPR as well as a summary of results achieved against pre-defined annual targets at the output level.


45

Based on the above report, an annual project review shall be conducted during the fourth quarter of the year or soon after, to assess the performance of the project and appraise the Annual Work Plan (AWP) for the following year. In the last year, this review will be a final assessment. This review is driven by the Project Board and may involve other stakeholders as required. It shall focus on the extent to which progress is being made towards outputs, and that these remain aligned to appropriate outcomes.

7.4 Quality Management for Project Activity Results

OUTPUT 1: NATIONAL VOLUNTEER SCHEME ESTABLISHED AND INSTITUTIONALISED

Activity Result 1.1

(Atlas Activity ID)

Project Coordination Unit established and operational Start Date:Q1

End Date:Q6

Purpose

To establish a functional Project Board which can allow high-level consultation between the Government and UNDP/UNV to provide strategic direction for the programme as well as a PCU and State-Level SPCUs to manage, coordinate and evaluate the project activities.

Description

1.1.1 Establish the Project Board

1.1.2 Establish the PCU

1.1.3 Establish SPCUs

1.1.4 Hold state-level coordination fora

Quality Criteria

How/with what indicators will the quality of the activity result be measured?

Quality Method

Means of verification. What method will be used to determine if quality criteria has been met?

Date of Assessment

When will the assessment of quality be performed?

Project Board meets on quarterly basis and provides strategic input into the project

Minutes of Project Board Meetings On a Quarterly Basis

NPCUs and SPCUs delivering results Quarterly Reports of PCU approved by Project Board

On a Quarterly Basis

One State Level Forum held in each target state Forum report On an Annual Basis

Activity Result 1.2

(Atlas Activity ID)

Templates for M&E and other procedures and database structures developed

Start Date:Q1

End Date:Q1

Purpose

To establish a fully functional monitoring and reporting framework, using standardised templates and databases for efficient information management

Description

1.1.1 Design Databases

1.1.2 Design Templates

1.1.3 Upload and operate Databases

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


Databases and Templates functional and user-friendly

Feedback from PCU M&E specialist Inception stage

Activity Result 1.3

(Atlas Activity ID)

Participating RDPs and NGOs selected and recruited

Start Date:Q1

End Date:Q1

Purpose

To ensure that only relevant Regional Development Programmes and NGOs, with the capacity to host large numbers (up to 30) of volunteers and provide them with required backstopping support are selected as hosts for the volunteers.

Description

1.3.1 Organise one consultative forum

1.3.2 PCU selects participating NGOs/RDPs

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


18 RDPs/NGOs participating in year 1 M&E of RDP/NGO support component On a yearly basiss

276 Participating RDPs by end of project M&E of RDP/NGO support component On a yearly basis


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Activity Result 1.4

(Atlas Activity ID)

Competition of Communities organised by RDPs/NGOs

Start Date:Q1

End Date:Q1

Purpose

To select which communities will receive volunteers, based on pre-agreed evaluation criteria, which will involve the types of requirements put forward by the community as well as the type of support they are offering the volunteers

Description

1.4.1 Organise community-level competitions

1.4.2 Select target communities

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


225 Communities participating in year 1 The competitions themselves are the means of verification

On a yearly basis

1,908 communities participating by end of project The competitions themselves are the means of verification

On a yearly basis

Activity Result 1.5

(Atlas Activity ID)

Government capacity in volunteer management developed

Start Date:Q1

End Date:Q6

Purpose

To ensure national and state level ownership of the YVD by building the capacity of government to take over the YVD once the project is completed.

Description

1.5.1 Training/Capacity-Building of national and state governments by IUNV volunteer management expert and NUNVs at SPCUs

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


Number of matching volunteers contributed by governments

Volunteer database On a yearly basis

National Volunteer Service agrees to cover health insurance of volunteers

N/A At inception

Relevant ministries second full-time liaison officers to NPCU and SPCUs

N/A At inception

OUTPUT 2: GRADUATE YOUTH VOLUNTEERS TRAINED AND EMPLOYED

Activity Result 2.1

(Atlas Activity ID)

Youth volunteers advertising and selection completed Start Date:Q1

End Date:Q2

Purpose

To select those young graduates with the best potential to support the project, covering a wide geographical range, and gender balanced (50:50)

Description

2.1.1 Advertising

2.1.2 Selection

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


Number of applicants This will be determined during evaluation of applications

On a yearly basis

120 young volunteers selected in year 1 This will be determined by the selection process

On a yearly basis

120 young volunteers completed assignment by end of project

This will be determined by the selection process

On a yearly basis

Activity Result 2.2

(Atlas Activity ID)

ToT modules developed Start Date:Q1

End Date:Q2

Purpose To develop quality teaching materials to be delivered to volunteers by academic institutions, and containing all the modules required for the volunteers to deliver their own capacity-building trainings to the


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communities.

Description

2.2.1 Manuals for young volunteers

2.2.2 Manuals for senior volunteers

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


Peer review process of training modules Comparison with ILO templates, analysis by UNDP technical advisor and UNV international expert on volunteer management

Once modules completed. Modules to be reviewed on an annual basis based on experiences in the field of the young volunteers

Activity Result 2.3

(Atlas Activity ID)

Central training of volunteers delivered Start Date:Q2

End Date:Q2

Purpose

To train all the recruited volunteers in the skills and materials/modules required for them to deliver their capacity-building to their target communities.

Description

1.3.1 Training of young volunteers

1.3.2 Training of senior volunteers

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


120 young volunteers and 12 senior volunteers trained

Evaluation of training programme, based on volunteer experiences in the field once deployed.

On a yearly basiss

Activity Result 2.4

(Atlas Activity ID)

Volunteers equipped Start Date:Q2

End Date:Q2

Purpose

To provide the volunteers will all the equipment required for them to successfully deliver their training in the field

Description

2.4.1 Procure equipment

2.4.2 Train volunteers in using equipment

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


Number of equipment donated by private sector N/A On a yearly basis

% of equipment returned in good condition each year

ICT equipment loan forms On a yearly basis

Activity Result 2.5

(Atlas Activity ID)

Volunteers deployed Start Date:Q2

End Date:Q2

Purpose

To send the volunteers to their target communities, where, supported by their host RDPs/NGOs, and external experts, they can deliver the capacity-building.

Description

2.5.1 Youth volunteers seconded to NGOs/RDPs

2.5.2 Intermittent support by senior volunteers

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


Number of positive volunteer experiences Volunteer database/volunteer reports On a yearly basis

Number of volunteers who successfully support the existing value-chain interventions of their host NGO/RDPs

Performance evaluations by host RDPs/NGPs On a yearly basis


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OUTPUT 3: MICRO-ENTERPRISES IN TARGET COMMUNITES ESTABLISHED AND EXPANDED

Activity Result 3.1

(Atlas Activity ID)

Rural Youth / Community members training delivered Start Date:Q3

End Date:Q5

Purpose

To deliver quality training to rural youth and other community members in the following fields:entrepreneurship, financial skills, ICT, risk management, collective bargaining skills etc.

Description

3.1.1 Introductory information and mobilisation activities

3.1.2 Training sessions

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


9,000 rural youth and community members trained

Training reports On a yearly basis

Activity Result 3.2

(Atlas Activity ID)

Business idea training and coachings conducted

Start Date: Q3

End Date:Q5

Purpose

To coach rural youth and other community members to develop business ideas which will be assessed and many of which will be rewarded by a micro-grant or a loan, depending on the type of training and coaching.

Description

3.2.1 Training and coaching for “novices”, rewarded by micro-grants

3.2.2 Training and coaching for more experienced micro-entrepreneurs, rewarded by loans

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


900 “novice” winners get micro-grants Training and coaching results Databases On a yearly basis

2,000 “experienced” winners get loans Training and coaching results Databases On a yearly basis

Amount of MFI-collaboration / private sector sponsorship

N/A On a yearly basis

Activity Result 3.3

(Atlas Activity ID)

Business Excellence Awards Conducted Start Date:Q4

End Date:Q5

Purpose

To provide US$ 10,000 rewards to up to 10 “excellent” business plans from the business idea training and coachings.

Description

3.3.1 Shortlisting

3.3.2 Panel and Criteria established

3.3.2 Selection of winners and awards

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


At least 1 quality proposal qualifies as “excellent” each year

Shortlisting panel On a yearly basis

Extent of private sector sponsorship N/A On a yearly basis

Activity Result 3.4

(Atlas Activity ID)

ASCA training delivered and ASCAs established

Start Date:Q3

End Date:Q5

Purpose

To ensure sustainability of the project by facilitating the creation of ASCAs in the target communities

Description

3.4.1 ASCA training of RDPs/NGOs by international experts

3.4.2 ASCA training of volunteers by RDPs/NGPs

3.4.3 ASCA training of community members by volunteers

3.4.4 ASCAs established and database maintained

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment



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Cumulative number of ASCAs formed ASCA database Yearly basis

Activity Result 3.5

(Atlas Activity ID)

Monitoring and Evaluation Systems Implemented

Start Date:

End Date:

Purpose

To set up community-based M&E systems, implement the Programme Monitoring and Reporting Plan, in view of assessing the impact of the project.

Description

3.5.1 M&E training

3.5.2 Develop community-based M&E systems

3.5.3 Conduct project impact research

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


Number of communities with locally-based M&E systems in place

M&E specialist’s reports On a quarterly basis following inception of this activity

General impact of the project State-level impact research On an annual basis, one study per state.

OUTPUT 4: MARKET LINKAGES AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES CREATED

Activity Result 4.1

(Atlas Activity ID)

Links to microfinance providers, business services/training providers and companies established

Start Date:Q3

End Date:Q5

Purpose

To deliver quality training to rural youth and other community members in the following fields:entrepreneurship, financial skills, ICT, risk management, collective bargaining skills etc.

Description

4.1.1 Creation of linkages

4.1.2 Recording of linkages on database

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


2,000 rural micro-entrepreneurs accessing business services and MFIs in year 1

Market linkages databases On a yearly basis

Activity Result 4.2

(Atlas Activity ID)

Collective marketing and rural producer associations supported

Start Date:Q3

End Date:Q5

Purpose

For the volunteers to assist interested groups of farmers and other producers to establish collective marketing and supply mechanisms. In addition, to support existing value-chain interventions of host NGOs/RDPs

Description

4.2.1 Support rural producers’ associations

4.2.2 Support value chain interventions of host NGOs/RDPs

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


Number of collective marketing/supply mechanisms established

Market linkages database On a yearly basis

Number of existing RDP/NGO value chain interventions supported

NGO/RDP volunteer evaluation reports On a quarterly basis

OUTPUT 5: YOUTH EMPLOYMENT INCREASED

Activity Result 5.1

(Atlas Activity ID)

Youth entrepreneur exchange visits and state-level coordination fora organized

Start Date:Q3

End Date:Q5

Purpose

To further support the winners of the national business excellence awards by exposing them to new coaching opportunities beyond their communities


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Description

5.1.1 Local exchange visits

5.1.2 Local companies visits

5.1..3 International exchange visits

5.1.4 Annual volunteer exchange and coordination fora at state level

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


Lessons learned from exchange visits Proceedings of exchange fora On a yearly basis

Number of youth participating in exchange visits Up to 10 per year On a yearly basis

Activity Result 5.2

(Atlas Activity ID)

Annual volunteer certificate award ceremony and job fair

Start Date:Q6

End Date:Q6

Purpose

To increase the public awareness of the YVD by organising an annual event during which volunteers not only receive their UNV and National Service certificates, but also get offered employment opportunities by interested organisations.

Description

4.4.1 Certificates award

4.4.2 Job fair

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


Number of volunteers who successfully find remunerated employment within 6 months of completing their assignment

Volunteers’ database Yearly basis

Activity Result 5.3

(Atlas Activity ID)

Green Jobs created Start Date:Q3

End Date:Q6

Purpose

To increase the awareness and capacity among MSE and larger businesses in the target areas to engage in new environmentally sustainable business activities and/or to reduce their environmental footprint.

Description

5.3.1 Train and coach youth in green business ideas

5.3.2 Train and coach local businesses in improving environmental footprint

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


Number of environmentally sustainable MSE created or expanded

M&E specialist’s reports Yearly basis

Activity Result 5.4

(Atlas Activity ID)

Advocacy for youth MSE and apprenticeships tax exemptions

Start Date:Q1

End Date:Q6

Purpose To increase youth employment by improving the enabling business environment for youth and employers of youth.

Description

5.4.1 Labor tax exemption for apprenticeships advocacy

5.4.2 Tax exemption for startup MSE by youth advocacy

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


Policies / regulations changed M&E specialist’s reports Yearly basis

Activity Result 5.5

(Atlas Activity ID)

Agricultural Training Provided Start Date:Q3

End Date:Q5

Purpose

To increase youth self-employment and improve poor farmers MSE within the agricultural sector

Description

5.5.1 Agricultural Training for Youth in selected value chains

5.5.2 Agricultural Extension for farmers in selected value chains


51

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


Farming MSE created ort expanded M&E specialist’s reports Yearly basis

Activity Result 5.6

(Atlas Activity ID)

Livestock Training Provided Start Date:Q3

End Date:Q5

Purpose To increase youth self-employment and improve poor pastoralist MSE within the livestock sector

Description

5.6.1 Veterinary Training for Youth in selected value chains

5.6.2 Equip trained pastoralist youth with basic veterinary services kits

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


Number of youth having started their veterinary services business


Activity Result 5.7

(Atlas Activity ID)

Vocational Training for Youth Provided Start Date:Q3

End Date:Q5

Purpose To increase youth employment and self-employment within agro-industries, food processing and related small-scale industries sectors

Description

5.7.1 Rehabilitate three existing Vocational Training Centers in Darfur

5.7.2 Provide Vocational Training for Youth

Quality Criteria


Quality Method


Date of Assessment


Number of trained youth having found employment or self-employment


VIII. LEGAL CONTEXT This document together with the CPAP signed by the Government and UNDP which is incorporated by reference constitute together a Project Document as referred to in the SBAA [or other appropriate governing agreement] and all CPAP provisions apply to this document.

Consistent with the Article III of the Standard Basic Assistance Agreement, the responsibility for the safety and security of the implementing partner and its personnel and property, and of UNDP’s property in the implementing partner’s custody, rests with the implementing partner.

The implementing partner shall:

put in place an appropriate security plan and maintain the security plan, taking into account the security situation in the country where the project is being carried;

assume all risks and liabilities related to the implementing partner’s security, and the full implementation of the security plan.

UNDP reserves the right to verify whether such a plan is in place, and to suggest modifications to the plan when necessary. Failure to maintain and implement an appropriate security plan as required hereunder shall be deemed a breach of this agreement.

The implementing partner agrees to undertake all reasonable efforts to ensure that none of the UNDP funds received pursuant to the Project Document are used to provide support to individuals or entities associated with terrorism and that the recipients of any amounts provided by UNDP hereunder do not appear on the list maintained by the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999). The list can be accessed via http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/committees/1267/1267ListEng.htm. This provision must be included in all sub-contracts or sub-agreements entered into under this Project Document”.


IX. ANNEX I – RISK ANALYSIS # Description Date Identified Type Impact &

Probability

Countermeasures / Mgmt response Owner Submitted, updated by

Enter a brief description of the risk

When was the risk first identified?

Environmental, Financial

Operational, Organizational

Political, Regulatory

Strategic, Other

Describe the potential effect on the project if this risk were to occur.

Enter probability on a scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high) P =

Enter impact on a scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high) I =

What actions have been taken/will be taken to counter this risk?

Who has been appointed to keep an eye on this risk?

Who submitted the risk?

1 Volunteers may become de-motivated after some time in the field, or may not be willing to join this type of scheme

During the preparation of the project proposal and peer review process

Operational

Since the entire project relies on a specific number of volunteers, this could destabilise the project. However, the validation exercise proves that a large number of young graduates are keen to take part in such a scheme

P =4, I = 3

The volunteers will be directly supervised by local NGOs/RDPs who can provide them with support when needed. In addition, volunteers will be rotated each year. Volunteers will only receive their UNV and National Services certificates if they completed their assignment. Collaborating MFI and companies have to commit themselves not to hire volunteers before the end of their assignment.

Participating NGPs/RDPs and youth volunteers coordinator

Consultant & UNDP advisor developing proposal

2 Insufficient number of communities participate in the scheme, or insufficient number of quality proposals from communities wishing to participate

During drafting of Prodoc

Strategic

This would imply the number of target communities would have to be revised, but no serious impact on project structure

P =4, I = 2

Increased community awareness efforts, in cooperation with participating NGOs/RDPs and state-level governments

Project Coordination Unit

UNDP advisor developing Prodoc

3 Participating NGOs/RDPs overloaded by too many volunteers

During the preparation of the project proposal

Organisational This would reduce the ability of the NGOs/RDPs to ensure proper support for volunteers in the field

P =3, I = 4

The selection process for participating NGOs/RDPs will take into account their capacity to manage volunteers. This capacity will determine the amount of volunteers an NGO/RDP will be offered to host. Backstopping from the PCU will also be made available.

Youth volunteers coordinator and rest of PCU

UNDP advisor & consultant developing proposal

4 UN could become liable to unforeseen incidents affecting the volunteers

During peer review

Legal This would create a legal risk for UNDP/UNV.

The NGOs/RDPs hosting the Volunteers will be entirely liable for the wellbeing of the volunteers, since they will be their formal employers. This liability will include their health, security and basic needs, including potential evacuation. In addition, the project will cover the cost of health insurance, cellphones and transport allowance for each volunteer to ensure an equal level of support by the different NGOs/RDPs.

Hosting NGOs/RDPs

Deputy Country Director

5 Political instability in During the Political This would delay or stall the The project is designed to spread across the 3 states of UNV UNDP advisor


53

target states, or even conflict, puts an end to capacity-building exercise

preparation of the project proposal

implementation of the project in affected target communities. Instability could be caused by resurgence of conflict in Darfur, the upcoming referendum, or other localised causes.)

P =4, I = 5

Darfur, so that it can continue unless the entire region becomes unstable. Once a previously safe location becomes insecure, its volunteers will be reassigned by their host-NGOs/RDPs to safe locations.

Even if the security situation would require halting the implementation of the project, the knowhow developed by the PCU can be transferred to other target states, since its Management Information System will be IT- based. .

In addition, the terms of reference for PCU staff will include a requirement for experience of conflict-sensitive approaches.

& consultant developing proposal


X. TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR DARFUR RECOVERY PROGRAMME Referring to the Organigram in the Management Structure (Fig 5.1), this committee could provide a quality assurance/peer review mechanism for the project.

10.1 Functions and Duties

1. The composition and operation of the Technical Advisory Committee will conform to the project document. All national and international organizations partnering with UNDP regarding this programme and its sub-projects are invited to join this committee.

2. The principle functions and duties of the Technical Advisory Committee include: Provide technical advice and guidance for the overall implementation of the project. Facilitate synergies, collaboration and/or coordination between the different sub-projects to be

initiated and implemented under this overall programme Facilitate synergies, collaboration and/or coordination between the programme and other

activities / interventions of the partnering organizations. Provide guidance on the partnership strategy, resource mobilization strategy and capacity

development activities undertaken by the project.

3. Technical Advisory Committee members and their organizations are also encouraged to provide technical assistance towards the implementation of the project.

10.2 Terms of Office and Appointment

1. Members of the Technical Advisory Committee serve on a voluntary basis and without financial compensation. Reimbursement of reasonable and necessary expenditure may be provided for services.

2. The Technical Advisory Committee will consist of representatives of each partner organization; efforts will be made to ensure a broad representation in the Technical Advisory Committee.

3. Members of the Technical Advisory Committee are appointed by the UNDP Country Director in agreement with the Project Board Members.

4. The UNDP Deputy Country Director (Programs) and the Head of CPRU will represent UNDP on the Technical Advisory Committee.

5. The term of office of each committee member will be in accordance with the project period. Mandate of the individual members may come to an end by resignation, or by the UNDP Country Director in consultation with the committee.

6. The membership of a partner organization will cease with the end of the respective sub-project on which the organization is partnering on this project or with the change in legal status of the organization.

10.3 Meetings and Rules of Order

1. The Technical Advisory Committee meets on a regular basis – at least every six months - to provide guidance and to conduct other activities within its terms of reference.

2. The Technical Advisory Committee nominates a Chair from among its regular members for each meeting, preferably by consensus. The UNDP Country Director (nor his/her delegate) may not serve as chair. The Chair presides at Technical Advisory Committee meetings in accordance with the rules of order, which have been adopted, and facilitate the process of consensus building in deliberations.

3. Technical Advisory Committee minutes of meetings should be as detailed as possible and include all Technical Advisory Committee recommendations and observations. The minutes should be signed by all committee members present.


Documents

United Nations Development Programme Project Document ...€¦ · smallholder farmers, and offering youth employment, e.g. in the area of recycling (for rural illiterate youth) or