The Livelihoods and Food Security Fund (LIFT) is a multi-donor fund established in Myanmar in 2009. Operating under the management of the United Nations Office for Projects Services (UNOPS), LIFT aims to strengthen the resilience and sustainable livelihoods of poor households by helping people reach their full economic potential. This is achieved through increasing incomes, improving the nutrition of women and children, and decreasing vulnerabilities to shocks, stresses and adverse trends. LIFT is also working to encourage diversification in agriculture, more microfinance financial services, gender equality, social protection initiatives, safe migration, and skilling people for new jobs.

LIFT’s purpose is to strengthen the resilience and sustainable livelihoods of poor and vulnerable groups in Myanmar, particularly women, internally displaced people and returnees, migrants, smallholder farmers, landless people, people with disabilities and those vulnerable to trafficking and forced labour.

LIFT seeks to contribute to this purpose through three impact-level outcomes :

• Improved nutritional status, particularly of women and children
• Increased household income and assets, with greater control by women
• Reduced vulnerability of households and individuals to shocks, stresses and risks

Due to high levels of vulnerability, Rakhine State will pay a heavy price in the socio-economic crisis. The Rakhine Programme for 2021-23 is positioned within a COVID-19 recovery framework.

The programme will explicitly and intentionally contribute to LIFT’s strategic shifts in Rakhine, in particular:

• Strengthening civil society as key agents of durable change
• Gender equality and women’s empowerment
• Conflict sensitivity and social cohesion

LIFT encourages partnership and consortium projects that aim to address the dynamic nature of Rakhine by using innovative and integrated approaches to achieving results across the objectives and expected outcomes of this call. This includes initiatives that engage the private sector, CSOs, government working across sectors/components and geographies to benefit the most vulnerable. Partnership quality will be a key consideration during the evaluation of the proposals. Applicants should demonstrate that their organisation and proposed partners have relevant expertise and a proven approach based on evidence from the field.

LIFT aims to award 20% of the total budget in direct funding to local organisations. National NGOs and civil society organisations are therefore encouraged to apply.

International organisations with no presence in the target areas, but with relevant and demonstrated expertise in one of more of the programme components and/or type of interventions are encouraged, but not limited, to consider capacity building initiatives and technical backstopping for other partners operating in the field.

Deadline : February 15, 2021, 13:00 Myanmar time

Budget : USD 11.5 million

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