Food security and livelihoods support through localization in eastern Ukraine Massive destruction of civilian infrastructure has left hundreds of thousands in eastern parts of Ukraine without livelihoods. The economic situation of IDPs and returnees is declining. People resort to negative coping strategies, including limiting their food intake. The downfall of food security and livelihoods is predicted to intensify with the beginning of the cold season. Temperatures as low as -20C are expected over the winter months. 

Additionally, although local CSOs were the first to respond to the war in February, many face funding challenges. Underfunding may interrupt the much-needed operations performed by local organizations. The most significant barrier for local CSOs to international funding is the lack of knowledge of the institutional funding processes and project management life-cycle needed to operate assistance programmes. The situation has already manifested in a diversion of human capital, a parallel operational structure, and a disproportionate risk carried by local initiatives who usually work in the “last mile” operations.

With this proposal, ERC creates a consortium of local CSOs that will carry out food security and livelihoods assistance programs in eastern Ukraine, incl. hard-to-reach areas, newly accessible areas, and currently accessible areas at risk of being cut off, and to some degree in the NGCA (access permitting). The agreement includes sub-grants and capacity-building activities to the partner CSOs. The project is divided into three programmatic components:

1) Food security component: three local organizations have been chosen through a competitive due diligence process, based on their capacity and geographical reach, to carry out a food security intervention in Zaporizhska, Donetska, and Kharkivska oblasts. The consortium will reach at least 12 150 vulnerable beneficiaries with in-kind food assistance packages in line with international standards.

2) Livelihoods component: the consortium will reach 330 conflict-affected women and men with a comprehensive livelihoods intervention which support micro- and small business creation in Zaporizska, Poltavska, Sumska, Cherkaska, Chernihivska, Dnipropetrovska, Kharkivska, Kyivska, Kirovohradska, Mykolayivska, Odeska oblasts through carrying out Empowering Women Entrepreneurship Program.

3) Capacity building component: at least 40 team members of local consortium partners will be trained and consulted in humanitarian principles, project cycle management, humanitarian coordination structures, financial management and fundraising, monitoring and evaluation, and technical standards of aid delivery, among others. The aim is to prepare the local partners for independent fundraising from institutional donors like UHF. Trainings and consultations will be carried out by ERC or by local organizations to each other in order to support cross-fertilization and sharing of already existing good practices.

ERC will be in the role of consortium coordinator and represent the consortium in relations with the UHF. The partners will sign a consortium agreement to specify the relationship and organization of work between the partners, management of the project, and the rights and obligations of partners concerning, among other things, liability, access rights, and dispute resolution. The consortium will be managed through agreed topical working group meetings on a confirmed schedule. The Consortium Coordinator will control the integrity of the consortium activities via monitoring and reporting schedules agreed with the partners.