Middle East
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Lebanon, West Bank Gaza, Yemen
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Afghanistan
CHF
International Community Mobilization
CHF International is helping the Afghan people to rebuild their country by addressing crucial rural community infrastructure, shelter, education, and health needs. Using a participatory approach, CHF’s Afghan programs enhance local governance and provide meaningful support for economic revitalization, jobs creation, women’s opportunities, infrastructure repair in the Shamali Plain north of Kabul, in Bamian District and the central highlands, and in Ghazni province. This approach to reconstruction focuses the economic benefits at the community level and helps to build a base for a more democratic Afghanistan.
CHF International has addressed urgent humanitarian and resettlement needs of more than 150,000 extremely vulnerable Afghan refugees and internally displaced people returning to the northern Bamian and rural Kabul provinces. . Afghans are greatly improving their living conditions by repairing damaged schools, providing safe drinking water, and reactivating health clinics. Through income-generating activities such as repairing infrastructure, building secondary roads, reconstructing markets, and replenishing herds, a favorable environment is being created for the successful return of Afghan refugees and internally displaced persons.
Armenia
ACDI/VOCA
Farmer to Farmer
ACDI/VOCA has continued its support of small and medium-size agriculturally-based enterprises in Armenia in the production, processing and marketing of agricultural commodities and services. There is a need for agricultural reform and development in Armenia as it makes the transition from state-owned to private farming. ACDI/VOCA addresses this need by providing technical assistance to agricultural enterprises through projects that use U.S. volunteer consultants, local consultants and demonstration funds. Many of these projects have been organized in collaboration with other organizations like United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Azerbaijan
ACDI/VOCA
Farmer to Farmer
ACDI/VOCA has identified undeveloped technical and business skills, and an unorganized input and technical services sector as key constraints limiting local agribusiness development in Azerbaijan.In order to address these needs ACDI/VOCA is:
- developing "core" enterprises to serve as input and training centers for large numbers of entrepreneurs
- introducing practical "value-added" technologies in order to maximize market potential and profits (i.e.: row cover and biogas to heat greenhouses for off-season production, best-cost livestock feed formulation in order to maximize feed efficiency)
- strengthening management skills through hands-on technical assistance and seminars
- organizing local agricultural and management specialists into a not-for-profit consultancy service (Agro-Meslehet)
ACDI/VOCA
Central Area Economic Opportunities Project (CEO)
CEO empowers conflict-affected communities to attain economic self-reliance through the development of income generating projects and greater market chain participation in the agricultural sector. The project links internally displaced people, refugees and local populations throughout the market chain, including input supply, production, processing and marketing businesses. To promote sustainability the project provides training in technical and managerial capabilities as well as incentive grants.
By linking the activities of core enterprises to other related businesses, ACDI/VOCA is actively assisting in the establishment of sustainable market networks. The results are greater opportunities for employment and economic stability among all participants.
ACDI/VOCA
Rural Credit Project
In response to the lack of capital available to small- and medium-scale farmers in rural Azerbaijan, ACDI/VOCA established CredAgro in July 2000 under a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Since then, CredAgro has served the people of the former Soviet republic as a non-bank credit institution, with nine branches throughout northwestern, northeastern and southeastern Azerbaijan. Credgro currently operates in Masalli, Gelilabad, Lenkoran, Guba, Khachmaz, Zaqatala, Ismailli, Tovuz and the Absheron Peninsula. Credgro performs two main tasks. First, it provides loans to small and medium-sized agricultural ventures on a sustainable basis. This allows farmers to invest in their businesses, precipitating growth and expansion. Second, it aims to strengthen the economic viability and sustainability of independent agricultural enterprises by offering significant and stable financial support.
In the first four years of the five-year program, CredAgro has achieved a number of financial and social milestones. The program disbursed $9,700,000 in loans to 2,320 clients. The large base of clients involved in the project has generated a combined $1,077,000 in gross interest receipts since the program’s inception. The program also boasts an impressive repayment rate of 95 percent. Money from CredAgro loans has created 8,500 full- and part-time jobs, of which women filled 42 percent. In addition to creating new employment opportunities, 46 new products have been introduced by CredAgro clients, and on average beneficiary incomes have increased by 20 percent.
Jordan
CHF
International Jordan Access to Credit Program (JACP)(COMPLETED)
The Cooperative Housing Foundation is spurring microenterprise in Jordan through the Southern Jordan Access to Credit Program. This program creates linkages between clients that are traditionally overlooked by banks, the commercial banking sector, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Southern Jordan. The project emphasizes economic empowerment of women and sustainability of NGO and bank poverty lending activities to small and micro businesses. In its first year of lending, the CHF/Jordan microfinance project has already lent 3,000 small loans totaling over $1.5 million to low-income beneficiaries. The program is supported by USAID.
CHF
International Rural Community Cluster Development Program (RCCDP)(COMPLETED)
The Rural Community Cluster Development Program worked to promote citizen participation, as well as economic and social revitalization, in rural Jordanian communities. RCCDP focused on job and income generation strategies, as well as rehabilitating community and economic infrastructures. Thirty village committees and eight Village Cluster Committees (VCCs) were formed across rural Jordanian areas, creating a broad-based, skilled leadership network that can lead the future development of their communities.
CHF
QUDORAT Program
QUDORAT (Capacities): Launched in November 2004, the QUDORAT program (meaning capacities in Arabic) is a national program designed to promote the abilities of local NGOs across Jordan to lead economic development initiatives. The program focuses on enhancing NGO’s abilities to effectively engage with communities, and professionally design and manage income-generation projects. By enhancing NGO capacitythrough technical assistance and training sessions, they will be better positioned to enhance the living standards of their community members in a way that will be truly sustainable.
The QUDORAT program is being implemented through a dynamic partnership between the Noor Al Hussein Foundation and CHF International, and it will work to enhance the NGO sector in six Jordanian in six governorates (Irdid, Tafila, Balqa, Aqaba, Zarqa and Mafraq) over an 18-month period.
Lebanon
CHF
CEDARS Program (COMPLETE)
The CEDARS program has completed nearly 3000 agricultural projects, created over 1000 months of employment, and has leveraged nearly $2 million from outside sources to help fund projects important to the community.
CHF
Community Development
CHF works with 78 communities to foster reconstruction, expand economic opportunity, improve environmental practices, facilitate the return of displaced persons, and reduce ethnic tensions. Community Project Committees participate in all aspects of project identification, design and implementation. CHF has cumulatively approved and implemented 62 projects impacting a total of 49 villages that are grouped together in eight clusters. Projects include construction of new school rooms, vocational training, drainage and irrigation canal construction, feeder road construction, repairs to wholesale and retail market facilities, reforestation, and potable water treatment projects. Over $2 million in additional support has been leveraged by communities, thus benefiting over 260,124 families.
West Bank & Gaza
ACDI/VOCA
Monetization
and Grants Management
Performance Duration 7/1/02 – 6/1/05 (35 months)
ACDI/VOCA is monetizing 80,000 MT of wheat and corn, using the proceeds for work in two areas: (1) to develop the capacity of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and at-risk Palestinian communities in responding to current and future drought events; and (2) to support broad-based agricultural and agribusiness growth, in conjunction with natural resource management.
Targeted
Technical Assistance in Support of IFAD and ANERA projects in Palestine
Performance Duration 1/98-6/00
ACDI/VOCA was awarded a grant by IFAD to work with American Near East Refugee AID (ANERA), a West Bank PVO. Priorities are irrigation; cooperative training; integrated pest management; marketing, packing, and grading; and credit and savings.
CHF
Community Services Program (CSP)
The Community Services Program (CSP) is a highly participatory community infrastructure and human development program which functions in sixteen of the poorest communities in the Gaza Strip to build roads, schools, community centers, and other infrastructure facilities. A major emphasis of the program is the ability to receive input from all constituent parts of the community: members establish priorities before sub-projects are undertaken, and local councils receive opportunities for capacity building. Since 1999, 146 projects have been undertaken resulting in improved economic and quality of life to over one million Palestinians.
CHF
Palestinian Environmental Improvement/Vocational Training Program (PEI/VTP)
(COMPLETED)
CHF International’s program in the West Bank and Gaza, celebrated successful completion in the summer of 2004. The program worked in some of the poorest communities of the West Bank and Gaza, focusing on infrastructure rebuilding and cleanup efforts.
The results speak to its success: in two years, PEIP/VTP removed more than 160,000 tons of solid waste, provided over 100,000 hours of vocational training and 225,896 days of employment, all of which helped create almost $3 million in income for the participating communities.
CHF
Home Improvement Loan Program (HILP/PEOPLED)
HILP/PEOPLED has been successful in preparing thousands of Palestinian homes, creating thousands of hours of construction employment, and injecting vital economic resources into the Palestinian economy.
To date, HILP/PEOPLED has:
- Disbursed 6,518 loans to low and moderate income Palestinian families for home improvement and small business loans;
- Disbursed $28,121,020 worth of loans;
- Maintained a repayment rate of 98% over the life of the loan program;
- Integrated the private banking sector into the program, working with two commercial banks that provide a share of the loan capital and corresponding capital risk on each and every loan;
- Created 788,360 person/day of employment for Palestinian construction workers.
Yemen
CHF
Youth Economic
Development Initiative (YEDI)
YEDI will attempt to counteract significant unemployment in Yemen by launching a central vocational training center, an internship program, and an entrepreneurship syllabus to encourage young people to establish their own businesses. The program was developed through the Office of Program Initiatives in cooperation with the Middle Eastern Partnership Initiative, a section of the U.S. State Department, and was handed over to Field Program Operations to manage the YEDI start up.
Another aspect of
the program comes through CHF International's partnership with the Girls
World Communication Center (GWCC). Through the President's
Volunteers for Prosperity Initiative, we hope to aid GWCC, so that it can
enhance its capacity and continue its growth. The one-year program will
hopefully be the springboard for a long-term relationship with the people
of Yemen.