Lebanon: Consultancy for a feasibility study on scholarship project for young Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Terms of reference

Consultancy for a feasibility study on scholarship project for young Syrian refugees in Lebanon

1.Purpose

The Asfari Foundation is a grant-making registered British charity founded and funded by the Asfari family. We work in and for Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and the UK. We envision educated, tolerant citizens working together for an inclusive, productive, open society under the rule of law. We believe we can reach this vision by investing in education and civil society. We carefully select and provide grants to capable partner organisations that share our values. Together we empower and educate young people, strengthen civil society, and provide relief assistance to young people affected by emergencies.

The Foundation’s work is organised in three programmes:

· The Youth Empowerment Programme, run by Sarah Bradley, divided into the sub-programmes of Youth Employability & Enterprise, Refugee Scholarships, and Improving Education;

· The Civil Society Programme;

· The Relief Programme.

The Foundation is keenly aware of the many young Syrians in Lebanon who are unable to access higher education. It is also encouraged by the many (often non-governmental) organisations which are providing or facilitating scholarships at universities and vocational training institutes. The Foundation wishes to investigate the possibility and feasibility of setting up a new ‘umbrella’ fund to support these organisations and, through them, reach many more Syrian scholars that it would if it were to simply provide scholarships at particular universities. It is hoped that the fund will not only enable Syrians to access tertiary education, but that it will also help to grow and develop these scholarship initiatives.

The Foundation is seeking a consultant to conduct a feasibility study of the scholarship fund project. The consultant will need to have considerable practical experience of setting up and managing large-scale education projects (preferably scholarships), be very familiar with the Lebanese higher and vocational education sector, and the situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. They should be proficient in both Arabic and English (including excellent written English), and should be able to produce high quality outputs within agreed time scales.

2.Expected outputs

The Consultant will be responsible for producing a planned and costed proposal for the scholarship fund, including:

· Establishment, structure and operational guidelines for the project;

· Recommended criteria for scholarship providers applying to the fund;

· Potential partners (ie recommendations for which organisations could apply to the fund);

· Timeframe for setting up and implementing the project;

· Expected project outcomes;

· Estimated costs (and resources required);

· Risks (and suggested means of mitigation);

· Plan of action – next steps.

3.Methodology

The Consultant will present their methodology with their proposal; this will then be finalised in cooperation with Sarah Bradley, the Youth Empowerment Programme Manager.

4.Contact persons

The Consultant will report directly to the Youth Empowerment Programme Manager (Sarah Bradley), who may also attend some of the meetings in Lebanon.

5.Timeframe

The Consultancy will take place in Autumn 2016, with a final report ready by the end of November. The Foundation anticipates the project taking around 15-20 consultancy days to complete.

6.Location

The Consultant will be expected to be self-sufficient administratively. Fees will need to cover any expenses made while conducting the study (including expenses associated with travel to Lebanon for consultants based elsewhere).

Any interested applicant should please write to Sarah Bradley (sarah.bradley@asfarifoundation.org.uk) by Wednesday 3 August (9am UK time) with the following:

• An up to date CV (no more than two pages);
• A summary of previous experience of conducting similar projects, including any experience of setting up education projects (no more than one page);
• A proposed methodology for the feasibility study project (no more than one page);
• Fees for the whole consultancy (inclusive of all expenses).