Project Details.

The consortium, led by WHH (“consortium lead”) in partnership with CONCERN, implemented the CSO Bridge in Sindh and Punjab. WHH has designed the program in collaboration with Concern Worldwide, an Irish INGO and a fellow member of the European Alliance 2015 network; the Thardeep Rural Development Program (TRDP) in Hyderabad; the Farmer Development Organization (FDO) in Multan; and the Lodhran Pilot Project (LPP) in Bahawalpur. The three and a half-year-long CSO Bridge project is funded by the European Union to strengthen civil society by addressing social and economic challenges and increasing the voice of youth in Pakistan in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. 

The program placed CSOs at the core of community preparedness concerning the impact of COVID-19 on youth’s economic empowerment while improving local governance in the targeted districts where the livelihood of semi-urban communities was adversely affected by COVID-19. The overall objective of the action was to minimize the socio-economic vulnerabilities of communities, especially youth in Multan, Bahawalpur, and Hyderabad, by leveraging the strength of civil society, hence improving public services and empowering the target group economically during and after COVID-19 scenarios in the targeted districts. The project was implemented in three phases. Objectives of the BRIDGE Programme: Minimized socio-economic vulnerabilities of communities, especially youth in Multan, Bahawalpur, and Hyderabad. 

The specific objective of the CSOs’ BRIDGE Programme is: effective civil society, improved public services, and economically empowered target groups during and post-COVID-19 times in Bahawalpur, Hyderabad, and Multan. HCPL thoroughly reviewed the available secondary data, which includes the program proposal, theory of change, LFA, documents related to CSO, and situation analysis/baseline report. The relevant information was extracted from the literature review and triangulation with analysis of primary data collected through FGDs and KIIs for the development of reports, social mobilization strategies, and implementation plans. The team also visited OPP and LPP and reviewed SWEEP of UNDP Project Rawalpindi and the other organizations’ reports as well. In addition, the team conducted a stakeholder analysis workshop and consultative sessions with Bridge Leadership.