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2023 Annual Report

In 2023, global crises, including Russia’s war on Ukraine, earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, flooding in Libya, and the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine, continued to affect vulnerable populations, particularly youth, women, and refugees. These challenges, compounded by the pandemic, economic downturns, and climate emergencies, highlight the critical role of SPARK’s work in promoting economic opportunities for young people in fragile contexts.

Throughout the year, SPARK advanced the implementation of its Strategy 2030, focusing on green business, agri-business, and digital technology. By strengthening local partnerships and delivering tailored entrepreneurship and employment programmes, SPARK supported over 3,000 entrepreneurs and 2,600 young job seekers, fostering sustainable economic development in conflict-affected regions.

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Match Up

Enabling youth to access jobs through internships/traineeships and actual job matching

In collaboration with our partner, Qatar Charity, we successfully matched over 1,200 Syrian refugees with employment opportunities throughout the programme, resulting in the creation of 80 new businesses. This initiative demonstrates our commitment to fostering economic empowerment in the region.

Moreover, SPARK’s ‘Unlocking the Potential of Tech for Inclusivity in the Middle East’ (UPTIME) programme, financed by Google, seeks to bridge the digital gender gap by specifically targeting women and youth. The programme ensured that 60% of participants were girls and young women, providing them with support through our Skill Up and Match Up interventions. Digital skills training can be particularly transformative for women, who often encounter cultural and social barriers to traditional employment. Remote work and freelancing opportunities allow women to engage more actively in the economy.

UPTIME’s Skill Up activities equipped participants with specialised digital skills, including front-end web development, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. As a result of the Match Up interventions, 502 participants secured internship or traineeship positions.

Through the IsDB STEP programme, financed by the Islamic Development Bank, SPARK aimed to enhance resilience and reduce poverty among marginalised youth in Lebanon and Jordan, including those with refugee backgrounds. Working with our partner SE Factory in Lebanon, we organised three bootcamps focused on coding skills and soft skills development, enhancing the employability of 92 youth through paid internship placements.

Additionally, the IsDB STEP programme supported refugee-led businesses in Lebanon and Jordan, improving their access to finance and markets. Partnering with Jusoor, we assisted local startups in the digital technology sector with product development, transforming them into market-ready enterprises.

Hear from an intern

Name: Asmaa Hamid
Title: Employee (former intern)
Organisation: SEF
Location: Lebanon

Asmaa Hamid, 26, a Syrian refugee living in Lebanon, studied Computer Science at school but found that she lacked practical experience in the sector, making it challenging to find job opportunities. A friend recommended SE Factory to her, and she joined the coding programme to gain more experience and learn new technologies. Through SE Factory’s Full Stack Developer certificate programme and career coaching, Hamid acquired vital skills and proficiency that helped her ace interviews and eventually land an internship with a company in the United Arab Emirates. “Currently, I am interning remotely…with the hope of turning it into a full-time job offer,” said Asmaa.

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Start Up

Jobs are created by supporting promising, high-potential entrepreneurs (startups) with coaching, access to finance and markets

By 2030, the green economy is expected to generate 24 million jobs globally, with sectors like food, water, and renewable energy showing strong potential in fragile regions. SPARK is advancing these opportunities by focusing on green business practices and supporting high-growth MSMEs to drive sustainable job creation.

The ‘From Innovation to Creation’ programme, funded by the EU, boosts startup ecosystems in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Tunisia, specifically through green and digital initiatives. SPARK’s model provides in-depth support, offering direct mentorship to over 400 startups—90 of which centre on green innovation—and financial assistance to more than 50 ventures. The programme also strengthens Innovation Support Organisations (ISOs) by enhancing their operational skills and expanding a regional support network.

This initiative addresses key challenges for ISOs, such as startup scalability and networking limitations, through targeted capacity building and ecosystem mapping. Despite a high interest, managing applicants at varied maturity levels has proven complex. However, SPARK’s inclusive approach supports women, marginalised communities, and underserved areas, broadening the entrepreneurial pipeline.

Political and regulatory obstacles, particularly in Lebanon, pose challenges, yet SPARK has collaborated with Cewas to develop a policy paper for sustainable waste management. This effort aims to guide environmentally responsible practices among waste management businesses. By fostering a green and resilient economy, SPARK is setting a foundation for sustainable growth and innovation across the MENA region.

Hear from an entrepreneur

Name: Ramy Bawadi
Title:
Founder
Organisation: Ramy’s Ecological Farm
LocationLebanon

Ramy Bawadi is a young Lebanese farmer on a mission to promote sustainable agriculture, fight climate change and combat poverty in Lebanon. Having studied landscape architecture, with an expertise in environmental conservation and modern agriculture, Ramy had all the right tools to set up his ecological project. In 2019, he founded ‘Ramy’s Ecological Farm’, becoming the first ecological farm in Lebanon.

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Scale Up

Jobs are created by scaling growth-oriented SMEs through coaching and facilitating better access to finance and markets

By 2030, agri-business is projected to provide up to 75% of jobs in fragile and conflict-affected regions, particularly benefiting vulnerable communities. This sector is vital for food security in post-conflict societies, prompting SPARK to focus on supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) within agri-business, including post-harvest processing and distribution.

In Rwanda, MSMEs constitute over 90% of businesses, generating more than 70% of jobs. The GWIZA programme, backed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, addresses the challenges faced by MSMEs adversely affected by COVID-19. With limited financial products and high loan costs, SPARK established a loan guarantee fund to enhance financial access and foster resilience. The initiative has facilitated loans for over 460 entrepreneurs, creating 1,008 new jobs and significantly improving financial inclusion by reducing barriers like high-interest rates.

SPARK’s impact extends to Burundi through the Akazi Keza programme, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which supports MSMEs in overcoming youth unemployment and an underdeveloped private sector. In 2023, the programme empowered 104 agri-business MSMEs with entrepreneurial skills and facilitated access to loans, resulting in the creation of 400 new jobs.

Through these initiatives, SPARK not only safeguards existing employment but also drives systemic change, fostering a more inclusive financial ecosystem and enhancing the growth potential of MSMEs in fragile contexts.

Hear from our partner

Name:Vincent Bihimvyumuderi
Title:
Project Officer
Organisation: SPARK

“Instead of closing the lake for three months, we see other solutions,” says Vincent, who knows these waters well. With financing from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SPARK has built the Samaki Centre close to Rumonge, with facilities for cleaning, drying, smoking and freezing excess catch. In a country of 11.7 million people, only 3% have access to electricity, so the freezing facilities in particular are a first-of-its-kind in Burundi.

 

Skill Up

Higher education curricula and career centres become stronger and give youth access to market-relevant skills and entrepreneurship training.

Through our employability and employment programmes, over 2,600 young people were coached or trained in job-specific or soft skills for employment. Of these youth, 1,842 were directly matched with a job and more than 1,300 were matched with an internship or traineeship position. Throughout the year, SPARK worked with higher education institutions to develop or improve curricula and to train faculty staff in updated teaching methodologies, for the benefit of many thousands of future students.

 

Hear from our partner

Name: Professor Mohammad Al-Widyan
Title: President of Amman Arab University
Organisation: Amman Arab University 

“Jordan is a youthful nation and it’s an amazing environment for entrepreneurship, we have the infrastructure, we have the mindset and we need to utilise the resources to support the young entrepreneurs,” explains Professor Mohammad Al-Widyan, President of Amman Arab University.

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The Annual Report provides comprehensive information on SPARK’s activities throughout the preceding year. Published with the approval of the Supervisory Board, the SPARK Annual Report is testament to the priority we place on transparency and accountability.

Download 2023 Annual Report

Former Annual Reports

2022 as PDF 

2021 as PDF
2020 as PDF
2019 as PDF
2018 as PDF
2017 as PDF
2016 as PDF
2015 as PDF
2014 as PDF
2013 as PDF
2012 as PDF
2011 as PDF