In collaboration with the local NGO Insan Association, the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) and Expertise France began the Qudra 2 protection operations in the Ghazir Social Development Centre associated with MoSA.

Representatives from MoSA, the Expertise France Lebanon team, Canal France International (CFI), and project partner Insan Association attended the inaugural ceremony. The program began with the participation of the child beneficiaries, followed by a tour of the Child Protection Psycho-Social Support (PSS) activities.

The Qudra 2 Programme is a three-year regional action funded by the EU through the EU Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) that aims to improve the resilience of Syrian refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and host communities by improving education, engagement, and resilience.

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

The activities of the program are organized around two pillars. The first attempts to build local and national protection systems and service delivery capacity, while the second promotes protective measures for children, women, and other vulnerable individuals’ self-development and wellbeing. Expertise France works closely with MoSA to achieve this, in accordance with the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) and the MoSA Strategic Plan for the Protection of Women and Children (2020-2027).

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

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

Expertise France also focuses on enhancing local and national protection systems through capacity development projects aimed at Ministry professionals, particularly social workers, who want to expand their expertise and improve their service delivery capabilities. Six selected SDCs are being rehabilitated and equipped as part of additional steps to improve service delivery capacity.