Project Result (Bam)

1. Responsibilities and contributions of each project counterpart were defined during several meetings held in the first months of project implementation. Meetings and negotiations were held with Magfa-IT Development Centre, TVTO, the Kerman Governor as well as RCOI in Tehran, Kerman and Bam. Letters of Exchange between UNIDO and all project counterparts were prepared and signed. The UNDIO office in Tehran played a facilitating role in reaching these agreements.
2. A Letter of Exchange with TVTO Kerman regarding the allocation of a project office and training facilities for a training, demonstration and production centre (DPC) at TVTO Bam, in addition to 2 containers, was signed. The project office at the TVTO premises in Bam was set up with all necessary office equipment purchased by the project. As to the E-learning and ICT component, basic training facilities were set-up and training equipment, furniture, and PC-tables were installed. Furthermore, six sewing machines for training and related equipment were purchased. Additional three machines will be required to foresee the demand by trainees. The food technology laboratory on the premises of TVTO Bam and the Azad University in Bam will be made available for training project beneficiaries in food processing. TVTO has provided approximately 400 square metres in building space with furniture and basic office equipment for a learning centre and an e-learning facility for women and young entrepreneurs to be supported in community rehabilitation and business development in the Bam province.
3. A project car was provided by UNIDO Tehran for local transport in connection with the project activities, in particular training needs. The project driver was appointed by the project.
4. A Steering Committee consisting of all project stakeholders was set up. Two meetings were conducted: The first one was held on 7 June 2006 with the presence of the Project Manager (PM) and the HWA country coordinator and other steering committee members. The meeting was to review implementation, funding status and to prepare the field visit to the project site in Bam. The second one was held on 29 October 2006. A third meeting was held on 23/24 November 2006 in Bam and Kerman to discuss project progress, certification of training completed by trainers and beneficiary groups. Also, the work plan for 2007 has been drafted.
5. In order to provide technical advice and to assist in management of project implementation, a mission was undertaken from 4 to 10 June 2006 by the UNIDO PM. The mission was jointly undertaken with a representative of HWA, the University of Duisburg/Essen, Germany, as project partners, Magfa, the e-learning company based in Tehran, and the national project coordinator (NPC) joined the field visit in Bam. Meetings were held with the MOLSA and the Bam Welfare Organization, as well as the Governor’s office to discuss the sectoral planning issues, including tourism sector related to Arge-Bam, the clientele to be included in the training programmes as well as the credit facilities to be made available from their respective offices. The mission reviewed the sectors to be prioritised and the areas to be surveyed/analysed by the UNIDO marketing expert.
6. A second mission by the UNIDO PM was undertaken to Bam and Kerman in connection with the official inauguration of the Bam WED/YED project, with the participation of HWA and Austria’s Commercial Attach?©, based in Tehran. Contacts were made with the Sepehr Bam Charity Organization, which is providing space to the project for the establishment of business development services (BDS) to sustain the activities now being implemented by the WED/YED Iran Project. The Sepehr Bam will be providing its contribution to the project to facilitate its integration into the Bam service facilities targeting beneficiary communities.
7. In July 2006, a local market study was conducted by a UNIDO marketing expert to identify and analyse the market potential of products and services for reconstruction and rehabilitation of communities with a focus on priority sectors including cultural tourism in Bam and the region. This assignment was co-sponsored by the UNESCO Regional Office based in Tehran. Three sub-sectors with major potential (food processing, niche production of handicrafts and home furnishing lines, and tourism related services, i.e. guesthouse facilities) were reviewed. Reference was made to different products identified as being most immediate with employment potential and in the long-run sustainable, given market needs and potential market linkages. The analysis yielded the following relevant results for further action:
   • With reference to the main products identified in the field of food processing, high quality date packaging facilities and methods should be introduced to the local date processing industry, also through skills training provided to women entrepreneurs at TVTO. The UNIDO national expert in date processing and packaging should be commissioned to impart knowledge and skills to the beneficiaries.
   • A linkage should be established with Nakhl Vahid Production Cooperative Company, to initiate the employment of 600 women entrepreneurs at the date processing plant.
   • Production of high-energy fruit bars or other products of the value chain could be considered through subcontracting arrangement with bigger firms in Iran.
   • With reference to the second sub-sector identified (niche production of handicrafts and home furnishing lines), a central bazaar, where local handicrafts made by project beneficiaries can be displayed on a regular basis, should be established.
   • Subcontracting arrangements with IDEA Home Furnishings and other wholesale buyers should be facilitated to sell crafts and textiles produced by the project beneficiaries.
   • As to tourism related sectors, linkages with ICHTO should be established to initiate the employment of women entrepreneurs on the ICHTO Arg-e-Bam recovery site. Training of beneficiaries in traditional catering and to establish restaurants and guesthouses to serve the tourism sector should be conducted.
   • Furthermore, computer repair and ICT services, i.e. Internet and printing should be set up.
   A complete report by the marketing expert is available from the PM.
8. Under the HWA subcontracting arrangements, two workshops were conducted between June and July 2006 in Kerman and Bam. Trainers of TVTO Kerman participated in the first workshop in which a designer from IDEA Home Furnishings displayed a new production line of home accessories, which had been purchased from different countries. Niche production, quality control, the focus on market demands and high quality training were topics that were discussed during the workshop. The second workshop was conducted in Bam in collaboration with the Handicrafts Organization. The participants included trainers from both the Handicraft Organization and TVTO Bam, whereas the workshop focused on raising the trainers’ information and knowledge level regarding new products.
9. The national project coordinator of Hilfwerk Austria undertook activities for selecting, interviewing and finalizing the profiles of project beneficiaries. In addition, she was to organize technical training at the level of Training of Trainers (TOTs) and the training of women and young entrepreneurs, to develop market linkages and linkages with the local NGO community for the benefit of project implementation and sustainability. An entrepreneurship development seminar for approximately 50 participants (20 trainers and 30 entrepreneurs) was organized to in Bam and Kerman for 2 weeks in July and September 2006.
10. Interviews and surveys based on questionnaires were conducted by the Coordinator with the help of the Azaad University among 64 women for the selection of women entrepreneurs to be trained within the project. Interviews were held in groups of 5 women. Each interview took at least 3 hours for each group, and the interviews were conducted during 5 working days. 29 participants for the TOTs and 56 women entrepreneurs for skills training in handicrafts and food processing were selected.
11. In November 2006 a TOT for entrepreneurship development in the textile and craft sector was organized for 20 trainers, with the help of designers and weaving experts to develop a home-furnishing line for production by the women in Bam. In addition, the basic IT courses started at TVTO with approximately 18 women planning to undertake a micro/small business. The total training duration will be three weeks of which one week has already been covered by the training. The two remaining weeks to cover the training will take place in December 2006 and January 2007.
12. Magfa-IT Development Center, a parastatal company of the Ministry of Industry and Mines, as a contributor to the e-learning component for WED/YED, has conducted a technical assessment of the existing facilities and hardware needs for the e-learning component of the project. According to their Action Plan provided, 30 out of 40 computers have been contributed to TVTO Bam as part of Magfa’s in-kind contribution. Magfa has already contributed US$ 3000 to the local project funds. The development of different e-courses (1. Marketing; 2. Confidence Building; 3. Teamwork; 4. Negotiation; 5. Entrepreneurship Development) has been requested. A ten-hours course will be finalized soon as an e-learning package for entrepreneurs. As soon as the intranet server has been purchased by the project, the course for the international drivers licence (IDLC) for computers will be put online.
13. The HWA project coordinator visited Vienna, Austria in September 2006 in order to attend Hilfswerk Austria’s annual meeting. A meeting was held with the PM at UNIDO HQ in order to give a brief on the project progress, to discuss the market analysis and to agree on how to proceed in further project implementation. Furthermore, several meetings were held by the Coordinator with different institutions/organizations in Germany. The project coordinator visited the Institute for Vocational Education, Labour Market and Social Politics (INBAS) and the Self Learning Centre (SLZ) in Offenbach, Germany. INBAS expressed their interest in providing their technical support to the project. Additionally, the project coordinator visited “Frauenbetriebe� in Frankfurt, Germany, an organization which provides consultancy services to women entrepreneurs, and the Learning Lab at the University Duisburg-Essen in Germany. “Frauenbetriebe� is interested in sharing their experience and in providing support, i.e. training measures and workshops, to the Bam project.
14. A technical mission was undertaken from 23 October until 11 November 2006, by the international expert from the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, at their own cost. The expert, who also attended the second Steering Committee Meeting in October 2006, provided his support as a consultant in assisting Magfa to also develop the e-learning centre at Bam.