WC4T’s mission is to empower women and young girls, regardless of social class or geographical location in Tripoli, via tools, instruments and mechanisms on an educational, economic, civic and political level so as to enhance women’s educational capacities and income generating activities, and foster women’s civic and political engagement in their communities through launching neighborhood initiatives and projects that address their needs and the needs of their communities.

The WC4T aims to become the go-to platform for women in Tripoli to gain the right tools and skills to actively engage in and build their communities and work towards implementing actions that address their needs and the needs of their communities.

Following its membership-based approach, the WC4T aims to become a hub to attract more and more women and young girls to essentially promote peacebuilding and women’s rights in Tripoli as well as active community engagement.

The community-based approach undertaken by the WC4T in this phase is very relevant in the context of Tripoli and the social dynamics at play in this city. Making the shift from traditional, top-down approaches, the community-based approach adopted fosters a sense of ownership and trust among the members of the coalition. In this light, the women themselves become the idea-generators, putting in place activities that are specifically tailored to meet the needs of their communities, thus acting as the main drivers of change and action.

Much greater insight into the socio-economic context of certain problems faced in Tripoli is gained and mutual learning experiences between the members of the coalition and the members of the community is enhanced by observing, recording and reporting back the real-life problems and issues that their community is facing.

The WC4T will work towards putting control and decision making back into the hands of its members, leading to more customized, centered and relevant activities with better, concrete and long-lasting results.

In order to host the WC4T’s operations, a Locale, or office space will be set up. The Locale will act as a hub for the members of the WC4T and for the communities they are serving as well. The Locale will be divided into two, to host the operations of the two designated Local District Committees, i.e. two rooms in a shared space, each one serving its corresponding neighborhood. Moreover, the Locale will be used to host meetings, planning and discussion sessions as well as a wide range of events, such as openings, conferences, seminars, workshops and trainings.

The WC4T Charter will include an administrative and operational framework for the Locale, citing its functions, rules and regulations (Code of Conduct) and the duties and responsibilities of the members and others towards it.

The Virtual Communication Platform is an online platform set up as part of the WC4T activities to operationalize and empower the coalition to be functional, effective, and impactful in peacebuilding in Tripoli via inter-community dialogue.

The VCP integrates various communication tools to create an interactive space for constructive and collaborative dialogue among the members of the coalition and eventually among the members of the community in Tripoli as well.

Social Media platforms, a Chat box, and an interactive calendar highlighting upcoming events and activities will be integrated in the platform.

Objective

The objective of the VCP is to promote the communication and interaction among the members of the coalition, in an effort to facilitate the operations of the coalition in regards to its obligations and duties, activities and planned interventions.

Swiss Embassy in Lebanon

The WC4T (Phase II) is funded by the Swiss Embassy in Lebanon. BRIC has adopted the approach of continuous information sharing with the Swiss Embassy with regard to the WC4T’s Charter and overall progress of the Coalition’s activities in the field. This approach enhances the relationship with the Swiss Embassy and provides a better understanding of the complexity of the context in which the WC4T is functioning.

Strategic Model

BRIC’s method is based on initiating interdisciplinary research programs that would involve researchers and experts from different institutions. These research programs aim at providing services with high added value to the business community and society, and developing an innovative technological product with a high potential to be commercialized. It also aims at grounding field interventions by developing and implementing scientific evaluation and data gathering.

Each program is conducted in collaboration with local partners in the private/public sectors with the civil society, and is mentored by one or more international institution to secure cutting edge research, visibility, good governance and efficient transfer of knowledge and know-how.

BRIC is driven by an ethical and entrepreneurial spirit with high social and environmental responsibility. The entrepreneurial activity is supported by a business development unit that would:

• Coach the scientists in turning their innovative creativity into commercial products
• Articulate the edge of the business communities and institutional organizations
• Facilitate interaction between the public sector and civil society

BRIC’s Role

During Phase II, the WC4T will operate under BRIC’s umbrella in the first stages. In the beginning, the dynamic of the relationship between the WC4T and BRIC, which involves planning, designing, and executing the different activities, will be much heavier on the side of BRIC but will gradually shift towards the WC4T, as the members gain experience in managing conflicts and practice good governance principles and guidelines internally, and gain outside trust and confidence.

During this time, the WC4T will report to BRIC. The Center will be responsible for the WC4T, the implementation of the different activities and will act as a liaison between the Wc4T and funding agencies.

As part of its activities, BRIC will secure an independent community space – a Locale – in Tripoli to facilitate the administrative and logistical arrangements for the Coalition’s work in the city.

In parallel, BRIC will support the WC4T’s members to establish a number of Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as part of their economic empowerment and job creation activities in the city. Those SMEs will contribute with a share of their profits to ensure the self-sustainability of the Coalition. This approach will be complemented by a comprehensive communication and fundraising plan to ensure the availability of resources for the Coalition’s operations in Tripoli.