On July and August 2022, Common Effort (CE), a subgrantee of MoreThanAJob in Lebanon, resumed the implementation of its continuing endeavour titled “Psychosocial and Economic Resilience of Women in Deprived Areas”. For referrals to psychosocial help, CE began its mapping initiatives for beneficiaries and regional organizations. CE extended its outreach to encompass the Greater Beirut area whereby 311 beneficiaries participated.

Consultation meetings were always conducted by all stakeholders on the scene and all partners along with steady assemblies with subgrantees to align our objectives with international best practices. Through Regional Resource Mobilization meetings with stakeholders, Common Effort was able to adhere to international best practices. All decisions were taken depending on consultation, adopting a participatory approach, leaving no one behind, do-no-harm-policy and other standards of inclusion.

Common Effort focused on strengthening the skills of vulnerable groups too through social business development workshops. Participants were trained on the proper management of the abundant resources present in their neighbourhoods, to be able to study the market’s needs and benefit their businesses which was the ultimate goal of The Social Business Development Program’s (SBD). They also participated in the mentoring support program, depending on their preferences; either in developing a customized social business model or learning how to enhance managerial knowledge and skills. Additionally, they were taught how to develop their businesses for example packaging, sales, procedures, branding and marketing, leadership and management, etc. The beneficiaries were given the opportunity to form alliances with peers from similar expertise after mastering all the skills to consolidate their competencies, widen their resources and establish a Community Based Organization. The foundations needed for the formation of these CBO’s were provided by the trained experts as well as the know-how needed to establish a proper alliance between the concerned peers. ​

All of the recipients were strongly urged to develop their business plans by collaborating with other beneficiaries and starting social businesses at the conclusion of the training sessions. The potential relationships that may be made to advance and advertise the enterprises of the interested beneficiaries were thoroughly explained. Through the Regional Resource Mobilization meetings with stakeholders, which included both small and local businesses and bigger companies, several of the beneficiaries were referred to the appropriate hiring organizations in their regions by Common Effort.

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