Projects

CDB works on three main areas: Social protection, small business and climate change

Area 1: Agricultural Value Chain Analysis Studies/ Reports

Transformation to Low Carbon Agri-food Value Chains in Egypt:  Lessons from the Sustainable Agriculture Investments and Livelihoods project: in cooperation with The Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

As a follow-up on the outcomes obtained from the SAIL project and lessons learned from the Farmer Field School activities, are conducting a workshop detailed to analyze climate-smart Agro-food value chain for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Upper Egypt, focusing on three governorates (Beni Suef, El Menia, and Aswan) in September 2023.

Specific objectives are:

• Describe and document the detailed steps of producing, processing, cooling, transporting, marketing, and exporting for medicinal and aromatic plants.
• Document the selected value chains' challenges, constraints, losses, and climate risks.
•  Define and document the related climate-smart practices as mitigation and/or adaptation measures used or potentially used by several climate actors.
•  Identify the overall synergies and/or trade-offs regarding productivity, income carbon footprint, and water use efficiency.
•  Asses the economic feasibility of the proposed interventions at the small-scale farmer level and the national level as well.

  https://www.fao.org/3/cc9313en/cc9313en.pdf

Final Evaluation of Sustainable Agriculture Development Programme – REEF for Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture of Saudi Arabia

CDB worked on Evaluation of REEF Programme; the Methodology used is Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD - Development Assistance Committee methodology. The evaluation covers the following:

• Development of agricultural productivity according to the comparative advantages of the areas
• Establishing and developing agricultural cooperative societies
• Enhancing marketing and competitive capabilities
• Developing services and improving agricultural infrastructure
• Sustainable management and protection of agricultural natural resources
• Developing human and institutional capacities for agricultural rural development

Area 2: Agri-Business Studies

1. A Macro Evaluation Study for the Second Debt Swap Agreement  - Ministry of International cooperation - Italian Agency for Development Cooperation

•  The Italian-Egyptian Debt for Development Swap Programme (IEDS) - Phase II- has contracted CDB to conduct the final evaluation.
• The IEDS is governed by the Management Committee (MC), a body co-shared by H.E. the Egyptian Minister of Investment & International Cooperation and H.E. the Ambassador of Italy to Egypt, or their respective delegates. The Technical Support Unit (TSU) is a technical and financial monitoring body that supports the MC in the decision-making process.  Under IEDS – Phase II, a total of 31 initiatives have been financed, in diversified areas of interventions in different governorates.

          2. Evaluation of Green Trade Initiative, UNIDO, Ministry of Trade and Industry- - Italian Agency for Development Cooperation

• CDB is working on Evaluation of Green Trade Initiatives, the Methodology used is Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD - Development Assistance Committee methodology. -The evaluation covers the following:

1. the integration and governance of the national quality system and increasing volume and value of selected crops exportable to EU markets;
2. integrating and enhancing the logistics services and adopting optimal transport solutions;
3. Increasing access to financial facilities for SMEs and attracting more investments in the agribusiness sector; and
4. Guaranteeing a stable presence in target EU markets and better access to market information and innovation.

     3. Final evaluation- Developing the handcraft skills and enhancing the economic status of women in Upper Egypt (WEE)

• The project is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation and the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari. Developing the Handcraft skills and enhancing the economic status of women in Upper Egypt- WEE, Bari & MALR To improve the social and economic status of poor rural women living in the newly reclaimed lands in the Governorates of Fayoum, Beni Suef, Sohag, Assiut, and Aswan, by triggering and sustaining their capacity to produce and sell food and non-food items, while taking care of children and families.  The sectors of intervention were trainings, awareness, technical support, microcredit and provision of material, which remain key domains of this updated overall working plan in supporting women’s Socio-economic empowerment.

Area 3: Education and Labor market 

1- Evaluation of Development center for directors and teachers of technical schools, Education Development Fund.

• CDB is working on Evaluation of Development center for directors and teachers of technical schools, the Methodology used is Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD - Development Assistance Committee methodology. The evaluation covers the following:

1. The managerial as well pedagogical competences on the base of the European Framework for VET professionals
2. The issue of a certificate recognized at European level.
3. Students employability

• 2- Improving Training for Youth Unemployment in Egypt: an impact Assessment, Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab J-PAL- and American University in Cairo
• American University in Cairo Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), has contracted CDB to undertake a research project which is seeking to improve labor market training for unemployed youth in Egypt.
• The project work to link youth with the labor market by training youth on market skills in three main sectors Hospitality, Retail and IT/BPO.
•  CDB, as a consultancy firm, is working on data collection and data analysis to test different ways in which to approach youth to recruit them for a training program.
• CDB has used an experimental design to conduct this research, the design of Randomized Control Trails (RCT) using data collection software Survey CTO. Eight  seniors were tested during this assignment
• CDB role was to interview 20 thousands graduate youth to define the best training methods in addition to recruit 10% of them – using selection criteria- to be trained by an Egyptian NGO named Education for Employment – Egypt.

3- Evaluation Survey for The Vocational of Government/ Public and Business Sector training Centers in Egypt, Egypt Ministry of Trade and Industry, TVET 2, and EuropeAid

The Ministry of Trade and Industry, TVET 2 contracted CDB to execute an evaluation aim to:  Assessment of the current status of public / government vocational training centers on the governorates of Egypt. The Evaluation and relevant survey should was done through visits to of 1000 centers divided on all governorate with a pre designed survey form approved by the team involved of the assignment.

• The evaluation criteria used was a mix of DAC (Development Assistance Committee) and the training business standardized process by private business.
• The consideration of small centers and how to evaluate them i.e. it could be through a desk research or evaluation of previous databases or record including phone contacts to ensure the existence and the information of such small centers.
• The project ended by 2 final reports Arabic and English in addition to a training info guidance in addition to GIS map defining each center place, services and admission process.

4- Ensuring Supportive and Safe Quality Education for Girls- Care International, Dubai Cares, Egypt Ministry of Education

CDB has conducted the baseline study for the project of Ensuring Supportive and Safe Quality Education for Girls executed by care international and funded by Dubai Cares.

• CDB, as a consultancy firm in the field of monitoring and evaluation, is responsible for: Designing and developing a comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework, implementation plan, and tools of implementation to monitor and assess the project's progress in achieving its outputs, outcomes and objectives in accordance with its theory of change and its Logical Framework.
• Conducting a baseline study prior to the start of the project's planned interventions and in line with the M&E framework developed.
• The project targets 15,000 Primary Students (50% girls, ages 6-12) in selected 30 target schools (10 in each governorate), 250 Teachers, 50 Social Workers, 120 BoT Members, 120 CPC Members, 50 MoE Supervisors, 60 school administration members, 60 P.E teachers, 90 girls leaders and 90 school maintenance team members.

5- Market Trends Analysis and Mapping of Financial and Business Developing Services Providers-Alexandria- Plan International Egypt

CDB has conducted market trend analysis to understand the local market activity and movement including basic supply and demand of goods and services, to identify market opportunities for self-employment for Syrian women refugees. The analysis will identify sectors with high potential for self-employment disaggregated by the targeted geographic areas and will focus on micro and small businesses,

• To identify viable business ideas based on the market analysis, to understand the supply chain and the trade routes and movements of goods and services in the market, and conducted a mapping of financial services and business development providers
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Area 4: Social Integration and Refugees 

1. Strengthening Resilience and Well-being of Syrian Refugee Children and Their Host Communities-Baseline Study- Plan International Egypt

• Plan International has contacted CDB to conduct the baseline study of the project. The Project responds to the protection needs of Syrian refugees in Egypt given their protracted stay in Egypt and dwindling resources, which are compounded by a lack of livelihood opportunities and challenging wider socio-economic circumstances.
• Activities in the project to improve the ability of Syrian girls and boys to address their own rights through the establishment of safe spaces in the community that will impart life skills while psychosocial wellbeing will be promoted through recreational activities and group based support through a specialized technical partner. Parents, families and communities will be able to provide a more equal and protective environment, especially for girls, through support groups that act as a vehicle through which savings can be enhanced, good parenting skills can be promoted. The psychosocial support needs of parents will be addressed informally through recreational activities and through formal group based support led by the specialized technical partner. Existing mechanisms such as Child Protection Committees will be established or activated to actively include Syrian refugee children. Livelihood prospects – both through increasing access to formal jobs and to enhancing access to finance and entrepreneurship. The project will be implemented over a period of 37 months, directly reaching 2,192 in three communities of Giza governorate
• 2- The current situation of Women Working in the Informal Sector- CEOSS - the European Union
• CEOSS | Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services has contracted CDB to undertake a study to understand the current status of women working in the informal sector in Egypt, the project was financed by the European Union.
•   The study aims to provide complete information about the sector and develop interventions to allow women to formalize their projects and develop them.
• CDB role was to interviewing 2500 women and 30 NGOs to fully understand the women in informal sector in Egypt. CDB also is writing an international standard report to disseminate the study results. The geographic scope of the project: Cairo – Giza – Qalyubia – Minya – Beniswif.
• CDB Scanned the informal sector in the world and Egypt position, reviewed Countries’ previous experiences in informal sector, review Egypt’s experience and efforts in dealing with informal sector, by reviewing the efforts done by NGOs, governmental institutions, and international organizations, review the role of government institutions that work with women on informal sector, such as: Social Fund for Development, Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority, Nasser Social Bank, Investment Authority, and Industrial Development Authority, presented and analyzed field data collected and focus groups results.
• Presented set of interventions and polices that can be implemented by CEOSS during the execution of the project, or by the government institutions and NGOs working with women and informal sector.
• 3-Final Evaluation Phase out from Sponsorship Communities in Alexandria  - Plan International Egypt
• Plan International has contacted CDB to assess to what extent PIE program work has contributed to enhancing the situation of women and children’s rights, gender equality and inclusion in its areas of operation in Alexandria. To verify to what extent PIE has managed to establish an equipped and capacitated community cadres and associations who can mobilize and manage resources (human and financial) and have the needed skills for networking (for instance), all in order to have the ability to implement their own development plans and within the framework of “ownership”.
• CDB has conducted the phase-out assessment defining a transition period and a communication plan to explain why this phase out is taking place.

Evaluation of Robikki Leather City, Ministry of Trade and Industry

• CDB is working on Evaluation of the Robkki leather city, the Methodology used is Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD - Development Assistance Committee methodology. The evaluation covers the following:

1. Translocation of the tanneries from Old Cairo to the new leather city
2. The technology center equipment and performance
3. The quality of provided services and infra-structure
4. Wastewater Treatment Plant
5. The management system of the city. 

Women and Gender 

• Evaluation of Solid Waste Management in Minya Governorate, Italian Cooperation, UNDP
•  CDB is working on Evaluation of Solid Waste Management in Minya Governorate, the Methodology used is Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD - Development Assistance Committee methodology. The evaluation covers the following:

1. A waste recycling plant in one of the cities of Minya Governorate
2. A public dump beside the compost plant for receiving the rejects.
3. A waste collection system in Minya City

1. The Arab Women Role in achieving SDGs – Arab Women Organization- UNDP

• Working with the Arab Women Organization on an international report on the role of Arab Women in Achieving SDGs, this report is representing a toolkit that explain the achieved progress in SDGs regard for all the Arab countries, analyze channels, opportunities and represent solutions and policy advices.

1. Gender Based Budgeting for the Arab Region– Arab Women Organization

• Working with the Arab Women Organization on an international guide on the gender based budge, this guide is representing a toolkit that explain the achieved progress in this regard for all the Arab countries, analyze challenges and technical gaps on this regard, opportunities and represent solutions and policy advices.

1. Gender Mainstreaming in Arabic context – Arab Women Organization

• Working with the Arab Women Organization on an international training guide on gender mainstreaming targeting universities, schools, parliamentarians and policy makers. Differentiating what Arab Women can add on this regard, defining training materials, tests, advocacy and mainstreaming.