Basic Social Services

Preparing a school construction programme in Lebanon

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Strategy & Concept development: A significant share of the Lebanese school infrastructure is characterized by small, rented schools in bad conditions. As Germany plans to support improvements to Lebanese school infrastructure, the Lebanese Ministry of Education requested the German government to finance larger school complexes in order to merge smaller schools. We critically assessed this approach, weighing potential benefits for educational quality and cost-efficiency against the risk of social tensions and conflict.

Project design & Evaluations: We conducted a pre-feasibility study to identify a suitable implementation modality and partnership structure and a feasibility study to develop a full concept for an open program. This included a detailed capacity analysis of the Ministry of Education to recommend the partnership structure and required implementation consultancy support. In addition, we conducted a detailed sector analysis, identified the process and the criteria for school site selection, estimated costs and analyzed environmental and social risks.

Process facilitation & Training: After years of post-war reconstruction with relatively little coordination, the Lebanese Ministry of Education lacked a systematic process to select locations for the future schools. We therefore facilitated a workshop among ministry staff from different departments (information systems, project coordination, GIS) to develop a feasible and targeted process and criteria to select school locations. We verified the feasibility of this approach through visits to potential land plots. In addition, we coordinated with all donors in the sector to agree on the process that had been developed by MEHE.

Shaping a cooperation strategy for improving sexual and reproductive health and rights with Togo

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Strategy & Concept development: After years of absence, donor support is returning to Togo and its health sector. Germany would like to focus its new engagement on strengthening the health system and providing critical and impactful health services to the most vulnerable. For this purpose, we conducted a comprehensive needs analysis and mapped existing support to the health sector to identify gaps and provide strategic recommendations.

Project design & Evaluation: We provided concrete suggestions for adapting and improving the existing health services and products to meet the specific demand and needs of women and youth. The first option consists of applying the model of social franchising to (private) health centers to improve reproductive health services. The second option consists of strengthening the regional public health centers to provide improved obstetric (emergency) care.

Process facilitation & Training: The options were developed through participatory approaches, such as focus group discussions with local stakeholders (health staff, community oversight committees, traditional leaders). We also conducted interactive workshops with key informants, government officials and donor representatives to develop priorities for action.

JimmaChild: Helping to build pediatric surgery in Ethiopia

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Project design & Evaluation: With just five pediatric surgeons serving 41 million children, Ethiopia urgently needs more qualified specialists. In the JimmaChild project, Jimma University Ethiopia and Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich collaborate to address this issue. Joyn-coop supported the design of the project through participatory workshops and elaborated the funding proposal to the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD. In addition, we introduced a Monitoring and Evaluation framework including relevant tools and guidance. Due to its success, other Ethiopian universities want to join the project.

Process facilitation & Training: We provided conducted continuous remote and on-site monitoring support of project activities and supported problem-solving and project management by facilitating multi-stakeholder workshops and conferences. We helped to strengthen the existing international medical & university cooperation by introducing international best practices for project management and monitoring. By coaching and supporting actors without prior experience in development cooperation, we helped set a positive example for North-South university cooperation, which can be replicated in other areas critical to child health.

Developing a WASH-NGO project in Burundi

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Project design & Evaluation: In the midst of a tense political situation, access to drinking water constitutes an important need in Burundi. Due to their access to the target area, NGOs are suitable partners for our client, an international donor, to rapidly and effectively improve the poor condition of the water and sanitation infrastructure in rural areas. To select an NGO as implementing partner, we facilitated a two-step call for proposal for a WASH project. We assessed the submitted project concepts as well as organizational capacities of the NGOs (incl. financial capacities and M&E systems) and prepared a decision basis for the client.

Process facilitation & Training: Working with international NGOs constituted a new cooperation modality in Burundi for the client. Therefore, we bridged worked to transmit knowledge and align expectations between the NGOs and the client. We worked in close cooperation with interested NGOs and guided them through the process of proposal development, coaching them on the requirements of the donor, such as procurement standards, disbursement procedures and operation and maintenance concepts. Furthermore, we visited reference projects to verify construction quality according to the client’s expectations. Together with the client and the selected NGOs, we adjusted the implementation concept to improve quality.