Project Details.

LPP implemented the CSO Bridge program in district Bahawalpur. The CSO BRIDGE program was implemented by a consortium led by Welthungerhilfe WHH (“consortium lead”) in partnership with Concern Worldwide 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 European Union funds the CSO BRIDGE project (EU) 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 put civil society organizations (CSOs) at the core of community preparedness on the impact of COVID-19 on youth’s economic empowerment and improved local governance in the targeted districts where the livelihood of semi-urban communities had been 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 putting in place the role of effective civil society, improved public services, and an economically empowered target group during and after COVID-19 in the targeted districts. Following are the major expected outputs of the program. Mobilization and the technical capacities of local CSOs are strengthened. CSOs and local authorities reached a higher level of collaboration, cooperation, know-how, and transparency. CSO is able to support youth, especially females, people with disabilities, transgender people, and other minority target groups across selected trades. 

The team at HCPL successfully developed a detailed methodology for the assignment, which was presented in the inception report following extensive engagement with the LPP team and a thorough review of pertinent literature. This methodology formed the foundation for the subsequent phases of the project. HCPL then proceeded to create a comprehensive questionnaire and assessment tool for conducting a capacity-need assessment (CNA) of civil society organizations (CSOs). Through their diligent efforts, they conducted extensive capacity assessment meetings with CSOs, meticulously evaluating their existing capacities across various organizational domains and sub-domains. The information gathered during the CNA was subject to rigorous analysis and prioritization by HCPL's team of experts. 

This analysis formed the basis for identifying and ranking the capacity development needs of all participating CSOs. HCPL also played a key role in the development of training content, collaborating closely with the client to tailor the material to meet the specific needs of CSOs. Laws and rules for CSOs (record keeping, organizational policies, bylaws, roles, and responsibilities) Supporting LAs in-mass awareness regarding RCCE for COVID-19/other epidemics and SBCC on health, hygiene, coping with stress, etc.