UNICEF Lebanon and Digital Opportunity Trust Launch B.O.T.

BEIRUT: Bridge. Outsource. Transform (B.O.T.); Lebanon’s first impact sourcing platform announced its launching at Antwork, Hamra on Thursday, July 12. UNICEF powers the platform in partnership with Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) Lebanon as part of the Generation of Innovation Leaders (GIL) Program with the funding of Netherlands and the German Embassies.

UNICEF Deputy Representative Violet Speek-Warnery, along with representatives from the Dutch and German embassies, representatives from UN agencies, NGOs, and companies from the private sector and youth beneficiaries of the program, attended the conference

B.O.T. is an impact sourcing platform that helps local, regional and international markets with high-quality digital services executed by skilled youth that are unemployed. B.O.T. provides the youth with access to jobs and gives them the opportunity to enhance their skills, while earning an income, through different learning pathways and career directions.

After graduating from the GIL program, which aims to provide them with the knowledge related to innovation, technology and social entrepreneurship, interested students can start working with B.O.T.

Mira Klaib, a fresh graduate, shared her story with Annahar, “I graduated exactly a week ago. My current experience with B.O.T. is teaching me everything that university hasn’t taught me in terms of practicalities, I’m sure that this will help me at getting better work opportunities.”

“Working with you is an urgent priority for UNICEF in order to lay durable foundations for stability,” said UNICEF Deputy Representative Violet Speek-Warney during her speech, while calling for investment in the capacities of young girls and boys, and by enlarging their opportunities; this will reap huge social and economic benefits for them, the community and the country.

She also encouraged B.O.T., as it is a social enterprise that will impact youth in Lebanon and the sustainability of the local communities.

In her turn, Country Director of DOT Lebanon, Marianne Karam Bitar, said that the youth is the nation’s strongest asset, but they are undervalued and under-utilized and this is why B.O.T. was created; to utilize their skills and giving back Lebanon’s its economy and its growth.

B.O.T Project Manager, Charbel Trad, gave a presentation about the way B.O.T. youth can serve companies and how is B.O.T serving the youth, another presentation was given by DOT Lebanon Country Director Mariane Bitar Karam, on building capacities for better employment. In his speech, Trad also explained how Lebanon needs a staggering 900,000 job opportunities to balance their supply with the demand.

Support Service and Date service clients also shared their experience with B.O.T. through panel discussions and explained how their decision had tangible benefits to business, and that by supporting B.O.T., businesses help combat unemployment, and thus support inclusive economic development.

At its early stage, B.O.T. has been operating for five months and working in data management, e-commerce, web and social media and staff augmentation services. The organizations B.O.T. works with include names like Libaladi political group, FabricAID second-hand clothing collectors and HiCart, the online shopping service.