Women leading post-revolution Tunisia

Guest post (English and French versions) by Dalel Krichen, Honorary President of the Assosiation of Majida Boulila for Modernity (AMBM) and WES trainer. Dalel is a civil engineer and graduated from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. She is actively involved with civil society organizations and has championed the cause of women’s empowerment and political participation. She is married and mother of two daughters.

Dalel Krichen facilitating WES training at AMBM

The Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia was not only a revolution against dictatorship, corruption and disparities between regions, but it was also fundamentally a yearning to build a society based upon the values of modernity and citizenship.

Thus, we witnessed a blossoming of non-governmental organizations and citizen initiatives aiming to build a country where everyone has the responsibility to participate in the rooting of the universal values of justice and freedom in society without any form of discrimination or exclusion.

In this context, and regarding women’s rights, I would like to highlight the fact that although Tunisian women have enjoyed a privileged legal status since 1956 (leader in the Arab world), their presence in the political and public sphere has been quite shy and falls short of our expectations.

Indeed, in 2012, only one in four women were active in the national labor market, and the unemployment rate for women was 26.9% in 2012, one of the highest in the world. Paradoxically, girls represent 60% of all university students and graduate at much higher rates with a much higher number of laureates.

Seeing that the economic independence of women is vital to the full control of their lives, the Association of Majida Boulila for Modernity (AMBM) has set on top of its priorities the economic empowerment of women and their integration into the labor market.

For AMBM, the Women’s Enterprise for Sustainability (WES) program was more than an opportunity, it was a dream. The dream of enhancing women’s initiatives, boosting women who dare to be entrepreneurs, reinforcing their capacities to manage their businesses through targeted training on administrative, financial and marketing techniques, as well as personalized assistance to help them set up sustainable businesses. This has opened new horizons and opportunities for women.

Creating your own business is often a lonely journey strewn with pitfalls. Feeling secure, supported, comforted, and encouraged to brave the difficulties, equipped with the appropriate tools and accompanied in this process makes the difference.

Today, seven months after the launching of WES, it is glorifying to see many WES AMBM graduates managing their own businesses and seizing every opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills to increase their chances of success.

The WES Network, established to create a platform for connecting WES graduates, continues to play a major role in building relationships and facilitating mutual assistance. It is encouraging to witness the beneficial partnerships created among the WES graduates at AMBM.

It was also a moment of pure pleasure for us to see our WES graduates present themselves as budding entrepreneurs during the Fair of Creators recently held in Sfax. The success of these entrepreneurs is for us a source of pride and motivation to move forward and expand the initiatives to meet the challenges and to fulfill the objectives of this project.

I warmly thank the Tunisian Association for Management and Social Stability (TAMSS), the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) for partnering with us to implement the WES program. I thank them even more for providing new opportunities for Tunisian women at a time when women are expected to play a key role in strengthening the economy and actively participating in the process of democratic transition.

To conclude, I would like to share, with all of you, a big moment of the program. This was after a training that I facilitated for young graduates in a disadvantaged, remote region of Sfax. I received a message on my Facebook Page which said, “please help me create my own enterprise.” That day I realized the impact that this program could have on these young people who are struggling every day to fulfill their dreams. That day, I realized that WES was more than a program, it is for many the only prospect for a better life. 

French Version

La révolution du 14 Janvier qu’a connu la Tunisie est certes une révolution contre la dictature, la corruption et l’inégalité régionale, mais elle est aussi fondamentalement une aspiration à construire une société fondée sur les valeurs de la modernité et de la citoyenneté.

C’est ainsi qu’on a assisté à une floraison d’associations non gouvernementales et d’initiatives citoyennes pour participer à l’édifice d’une Tunisie où tout un chacun aura la responsabilité d’enraciner dans la société les valeurs universelles de la justice et de la liberté dans la dignité sans aucune discrimination ou marginalisation.

Dans ce contexte, force est de constater que la femme tunisienne qui est réputée pour avoir bénéficié d’un statut juridique privilégié depuis 1956 ( leader dans le monde arabe), est sous-représentée dans la sphère politique et publique.

En effet, en 2012, seulement une femme sur quatre était active sur le marché du travail. Par ailleurs, le taux de chômage des femmes a atteint en cette même année, 26.9%, un des taux les plus élevés au monde. Paradoxalement, les filles représentent 60% du total des étudiants à l’université et le nombre des lauréates dépasse largement celui des lauréats.

L’association MajidaBoulila Pour La Modernité, consciente que l’indépendance économique de la femme est vitale pour qu’elle puisse avoir le contrôle total de sa vie ,s’est fixée comme priorité l’insertion de la femme dans le marché de travail.

Women’s Enterprise for Sustainability: Supporting Innovators and Leaders

“I have big ambitions. I want to start a factory that specializes in making traditional Tunisian clothes for children.” Amira Maiza, WES graduate, Sousse, Tunisia.

May has been an inspiring month for the WES team as we’ve been gathering stories from our partner organizations and the women entrepreneurs they support. In just 6 months, WES graduates are taking on new challenges to launch or expand businesses. Watch several of them share their personal journeys in our first WES movie.

WES Fair at the Spring Art Festival in Kairouan

In honor of Heritage Month in Kairouan and the start of the Spring Art Festival,  WES Partners Kairouanians for the Culture of Citizenship  and The NOOR Association for Human Development organized a fair from April 27 – 30th. The fair was an opportunity for ten women from the two WES centers to showcase and sell their products. The Minister of Culture, Mehdi Mabrouk opened the event which was attended by multiple local media channels. The WES entrepreneurs had the opportunity to showcase and sell their projects to the nearly 1,000 visitors who attended. In addition to being a business opportunity, this was also a networking opportunity for women in Sousse and Kairouan to explore options for collaboration and more sustainable business models.

[This video was created by Mohamed Rammeh, Communication Officer at Kairouanians for the Culture of Citizenship.]

بمناسبة شهر التراث و انطلاق فعاليات مهرجان ربيع الفنون الدولي , نظمت جمعية قيروانيون من أجل ثقافة المواطنة (القيروان) و جمعية نو ر للتنمية البشرية (سوسة) من 27 إلى 30 أفريل 2013 معرضا يتضمن منتوجات حرفية للنساء المشتركات ببرنامج المشاريع النسائية المستديمة WES , افتتح المعرض وزير الثقافة المهدي مبروك بحضور وسائل الإعلام المحلية و الوطنية و قد شارك بالمعرض 10 عارضات من ولايتي سوسة و القيروان و استقطب قرابة الألف زائر ليكون فرصة لتتدرب المشاركات على ظروف البيع في المعارض و للتشبيك بين المشاركات في مركزي  المشاريع النسائية المستديمة بسوسة والقيروان

Boudour Khthiri’s Mobile Restaurant

Boudour Khthiri at her Food Truck

“This project changed my life and made me a different person. I now feel like a fighter who wakes up every day to change my life for the better. I am more confident and stronger and I am sure that I can make it!”

When the WES center opened its doors at TAMSS in November 2012, Boudour Khthiri arrived with an idea she had been dreaming about for a long time and the commitment to make it happen. In just under six months, Boudour completed WES entrepreneurship and leadership trainings, and developed a business plan. She also worked on refining her pastry skills at a specialized training center in Borj Louzir.

Committed to supporting her business idea, Boudour’s husband Radhouane Cherif sold his taxi to finance the project. Together they transformed a large van into their own food truck.

This month, Boudour and Radhouane launched their “caravane”, selling fast food to families and workers living in the Ennasser neighborhood in Tunis.

What’s on the menu? Boudour intends to have a rotating menu with seasonal offerings. In the fall and winter they will sell sandwiches and homemade pizza and then ice cream and crepes in summer.

Congratulations to Boudour Khthiri and Radhouane Cherife!

Women in the Global Economy – Leading Social Change

IIESF Executive Director, Trish Tierney, social media expert, Beth Kanter, and Nuket Kardam and Fredric Kropp from the Monterey Institute of International Studies

Last week Institute of International Education’s San Francisco office opened its doors to our local community for an event to launch the new book Women in the Global Economy: Leading Social Change. Present in the room were former TechWomen mentors, friends launching a new network of women consultants, hospitality hosts for the International Visitors Leadership Program, champions for women’s rights, and IIE staff. This diverse network came together on Thursday March 21st to celebrate and honor the impact women make around the world and the importance of bringing voice to their contributions to social change.

This new book tells the story of women leaders in a variety of fields and makes the case for investing in women to change economies, societies, and the world. Trish Tierney, Executive Director of IIE’s San Francisco office and Editor of the book reflects on the power of sharing the stories of those who have dared to dream regardless of whether or not they are heard. Trish writes, “Secretary Clinton said, ‘some leaders are born women.’ Her words ring true now more than ever, around the world, and in a host of fields. Women leaders drive change through political movements, emerging market growth, or grassroots activism. Yet, too often, their stories are not told.”

One week after the book launch gathering, the WES team in San Francisco hosted our first Lunch and Learn on Leadership where we shared highlights from Barbara Fittipaldi’s Innovative Leadership curriculum. We asked staff across global offices at the Institute to design and declare their visions to a small group of peers. We challenged them to examine what they want to accomplish more than anything else. Despite the challenges of doing this virtually, we wanted to give our community the opportunity to be heard among peers, which we realize is a luxury many in this world do not have. What resonated about this exercise across all groups is the energy that comes when we allow ourselves to declare what matters to us, and the excitement we experience when it begins to sound real and when our voice is heard. A group from New York reflected, “when we take time to step outside our to-do lists we quickly remember what it is we care the most about and how so many of us have the same visions”.

When Barbara led the WES TOT in January she reminded us the point at which we transform as leaders is the moment we stop trying to change who we are, and commit to being more of who we already are.

Women are leading businesses, movements, families, and nations and they are boldly declaring who they are and where they are going. Despite the demands and restrictions many women confront, they are not changing who they are as leaders, but instead by stepping up as who they already are they are propelling us forward. Women in the Global Economy Leading Social Change captures only a few stories of these women, but they join the overwhelming number of stories that illustrate that investing in women’s visions is the smart choice for the global economy and lasting stability of societies.

Why is it important to celebrate International Women’s Day?

WES Program Officer, Celia Boren with WES Trainers at The National Union of Tunisian Women, Kairouan

On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the inspiring and courageous work women around the world are doing to secure women’s rights and shape more tolerant and equitable societies. We also reflect on the work that remains and remember the many women whose voices go unheard and who continue to be excluded from realizing their full potential.

In post-revolution Tunisia, where IIE implements Women’s Enterprise for Sustainability (WES), many women, and men, are working to ensure that rights women have enjoyed for years are protected in the new constitution.

In recognition of International Women’s Day, we asked women from our WES partners and from IIE’s Center for Women’s Leadership Initiatives in San Francisco to share their thoughts on why it is important to celebrate this day. Below are their responses, in their own words and languages.

Responses

Because this is an opportunity to reflect, rejoice and recharge ourselves together in community with women all across the globe. It’s also a day to connect with one another physically, virtually and spiritually – and to give thanks for the generations of amazing women who have come before us, and the generations of phenomenal women still to come!
Beth Garriott
Senior Program Officer, Center for Women’s Leadership Initiatives
Institute of International Education, TechWomen

A mon avis on célèbre chaque année la journée mondiale de la femme parce que c’est l’occasion de faire le point sur la condition des femmes, l’égalité des sexes, mais aussi de regarder au-delà de nos frontières et d’approfondir notre réflexion concernant les avancées futures.
English translation:
In my opinion, we celebrate International Women’s Day each year because it is an opportunity to take stock of the status of women, gender equality, but also to look beyond our borders and deepen our thinking about the future progress.
Imene Chelbi
WES Trainer, Association of Sustainable and International Cooperation, Zarzis, Tunisia

Women have not always shared the same rights, and still do not in many respects. International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the women who have paved the way towards our progress, yet at the same time, it is a reminder of the inequality that plagues society. We must continue to support our leaders, innovators, and risk-takers for thinking forward and expanding the possibilities for women around the globe.
Arezoo Miot
Program Officer, Center for Women’s Leadership Initiatives
Institute of International Education, TechWomen

La femme est un pilier important de la société, c’est la mère, c’est l’épouse, c’est la sœur, la fille…. la où elle est elle participe activement dans la société. Elle mérite plus d’une journée.
English translation:
The woman is an important pillar of society, she is the mother, the wife, the sister, the daughter…. Wherever she is, she participates actively in society. Women deserve more than a day.
Sana Taktak
President, The Association of Continuity of Generations, Sfax, Tunisia

Je dulezite slavit Mezinarodni Den Zen, protoze na to pripomina uspechy zen a pomaha nam vytvaret budoucnost pro dalsi zeny.
English Trnaslation
It is important to celebrate and be reminded of the great successes of women as well as shaping the future women.
Katka Letzing
Program Director, International Leadership Division, Institute of International Education

Célébrer la journée internationale de la femme c’est rendre hommage à toutes les femmes qui ont milité à travers le temps et l’espace contre toutes formes de discrimination,d’exclusion,de marginalisation,de violence et d’inégalité des chances à l’encontre des femmes.c’est aussi l’occasion de se rendre compte que dans la plupart des pays du monde le problème reste d’actualité. En Tunisie ,le 8 mars 2013 représente pour nous l’occasion de lancer une compagne de mobilisation générale pour que les acquis et les droits des femmes soient inscrits dans la nouvelle constitution….un enjeu de taille sur lequel la société civile tunisienne ne fera pas de concessions.
English translation:
International Women’s Day is a tribute to all the women who have fought across time and space against all forms of discrimination, exclusion, marginalization, violence and lack of equal opportunities for women. It is also an opportunity to realize that in most countries of the world the problem is still relevant. In Tunisia, March 8th, 2013 represents an opportunity for us to launch a massive campaign to preserve women’s status and rights and confirm them in the new constitution …. a big issue on which the Tunisian civil society will not make concessions.
Dalel Krichen
Honorary President, Association of Majida Boulila for Modernity, Sfax, Tunisia

Célébrer la journée internationale de la femme parcequ’elles sont souvent considérées comme la clé du développement durable.
English translation:
We celebrate International Women’s Day because women are often considered the key to sustainable development.
Sonia Mhamdi
Administration Officer, The Association for the Development of the South of Gafsa, Gafsa, Tunisia

Pour moi c’est simple: célébrer la femme c’est célébrer la vie.
English Translation:
For me it is simple: to celebrate women is to celebrate life.
Rania El Ahmadi
Member, Association of Majida Boulila for Modernity, Sfax, Tunisia

Wat een geluk heb ik gehad; nog niet zo heel lang geleden hadden mijn oma’s geen kans hun eigen weg te kiezen in het leven. Jong getrouwd, veel kinderen en een druk huishouden. Gelukkig is voor vrouwen van mijn generatie een hoop veranderd en verbeterd, maar niet genoeg en zeker niet voor iedereen! Internationale Vrouwendag schijnt licht op alle zaken die in de weg staan van echte gelijkwaardigheid van vrouwen; van het zogenaamde glazen plafond tot verkrachting en huiselijk geweld. Vrouwen én mannen hebben samen de plicht de achterstelling van vrouwen definitief tot het verleden te laten behoren.
English translation:
How fortunate I am; not that long ago my grandmothers did not have the opportunity to choose their own paths in life. Married young, lots of kids and busy lives as housewives. Thankfully a lot has changed and improved for women of my generation, however not enough and certainly not for everyone! International Women’s Day sheds light on all things standing in the way of true equality for women; from the so-called glass ceiling to rape and domestic violence. Women and men together have the obligation to once and for all make subordination of women an issue of the past.
Lisette Beug
Program Associate, Center for Women’s Leadership Initiatives
Institute of International Education, TechWomen

Turkia Saiidi’s Determination to be a Successful Entrepreneur

Samples from Turkia Saiidi’s Margoum Factory

Turkia Saiidi launched her Margoum weaving business in 1999, during Ben Ali’s autocratic rule over Tunisia. Despite Ali’s policies to foster economic development, small and rural businesses suffered while the rest of the country prospered. This is the climate in which Turkia started her business.

In the first four years, Turkia’s business grew and she gained national recognition for her weaving. In 2003, she won the Golden Khomsa award from the National Office of Artisans for the most innovative product.

Unfortunately, with increased visibility came increased scrutiny for Turkia. In 2008, a TV station approached her to produce a documentary to showcase her success as a businesswoman. The government opposed the film; “they were concerned the film would expose the realities of poverty in my village,” she explains. Turkia took a stand and insisted on moving forward with the documentary. More than 270 women from her region stood with her as they watched the government destroy her Margoum factory in retaliation.

Turkia embodies the tenacity often linked to successful entrepreneurs. After her factory was destroyed, she worked as a maid to save money to re-launch her business. Today, Turkia’s persistence has paid off and she is exporting her products to Jordan and UAE, and has showcased her products at numerous international fairs. Recently, Turkia participated in Entrepreneurship and Innovative Leadership workshops at the WES Center in Gafsa and was able to make key contacts with businesswomen networks like the Chambre Nationale des Femmes Chefs d’Entreprises (CNFCE). She is now working with the center to identify new potential funders to expand her business.

Today Turkia is a successful businesswoman, employing 600 people. Turkia has always advocated for women in business and sees WES as a great opportunity for women in her community. She has committed to bringing 40 women to WES trainings in Gafsa to help them launch new businesses and contribute to the WES network.

The WES Story on Valentine’s Day!

Guest post by Chéma Gargouri, Country Director, WES, Tunisia

Sunrise in Tunis, Tunisia

I have never been an active blogger. Expressing my “intimate” thoughts about any subject with people that I don’t know is not what I prefer the most. While my role as Institute of International Education’s Country Director of the Women’s Enterprise for Sustainability (WES) program in Tunisia might look at first glance simply as a professional role which involves supporting centers for women’s entrepreneurship and leadership in partnership with eight local partner NGOs in six regions of Tunisia, I do consider that this exceptional experience is as intimate as a love story.

This story started almost a year ago when IIE announced the good news that the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) decided to fund Women’s Enterprise for Sustainability (WES). At that time, I was ready and happy to start another new challenge since I am a person whose life has always been nourished by challenges. Over the months I have been discovering the other human and, also, at some moments, romantic side of the program. Often during the face-to-face meetings with the women who participated in WES training I was either sharing their untold, unrevealed dreams, or I realized that I was participating in fulfilling their vision, assuming some responsibility in making their hopes for a success in life come through. We did not know each other. But a few minutes after introducing myself and learning about why each one of them chose WES centers to accompany her through her path towards accomplishment we immediately start talking about our problems and challenges as women in a post revolution era. Whether graduated from university, or never been to school, or has a business, we all shared one common goal: making sure that we are providing a better life for our children in a country that is fighting for an equal society where boys and girls, men and women will enjoy the same rights and duties.

In business we are often advised to avoid emotions. To a certain extent this is true. However adding some feelings to what we try to do on the ground with our centers and their women entrepreneurs is something that could not be avoided. There were moments when I was hopeful for Tunisia working with young potential business leaders whose project ideas are fascinating and with a clear vision about where they want to stand in the future. However, I was also worried about other women, whose state of mind is expressed through a list of undermining adjectives, reflecting a complete absence of self esteem and a lot of doubts about whether or not they have the capacities to do what they want to do and live a life of their choice. While the WES centers are also there to sustain the transition from family- made to self-made women it is still difficult to inculcate the culture of “yes I can”. Thus the WES program is powerful in terms of its objectives which will lift the position of our women from serving to leading. This concept of women’s leadership has often been looked at as a “western concept”, accusing the western countries of trying to change women’s status in our countries from obedient individuals to simply human beings that make decisions for themselves. At a certain point this is culturally dangerous….and it is simply not true. Often we, women in our countries, forget that Khadija, the first wife of our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), was a very influential rich woman who successfully managed her father’s business’ interests and preserved the family’s fortune after her father’s death. Thus leadership for women is a concept that also belongs to our culture, something that we easily tend to forget.

The WES program is then not only a trip between realities and hopes, dreams and accomplishments, a difficult present and a possible future but also a process that is being put in place and already helping women take the lead in making their personal and professional journeys in life. The WES program became my personal love story.

Happy Saint Valentine’s Day.

WES Social Media TOT – A Fun Learning Experience

Guest post by Ahmed Hamza, Program Coordinator, WES, Tunisia

Ahmed Hamza explaining the fishbowl exercise to the participants

The WES team and partner organizations gathered from San Francisco, Tunis, Kairouan, Sfax, Gafsa, Sousse and Zarzis for a six-day Training of Trainers (TOT) in Tunis, January 6-11, 2013.

The second half of the TOT included two workshops by trainer and social media expert Beth Kanter –the Networked Nonprofit and Social Media for Women Entrepreneurs. Beth is an impressive trainer and knows how to effectively incorporate lots of fun, interesting, and interactive activities into the training. She used a variety of participatory training techniques including a fishbowl exercise, speed geeking, variations of world café and stone soup to engage participants.

Working with Beth Kanter was a great opportunity for me to learn from her and also practice the training skills I had gained as a Training Coordinator for the E-Mediat program.
In the Networked Nonprofit workshop, participants created network maps for their organizations and thought through their social media strategies to achieve the objectives of the WES centers. The network mapping exercise helped participants to realize the value of creating online and off-line networks and sharing skills and resources across the WES network.

The Social Media for Women Entrepreneurs TOT exposed the participants to the strategic use of different social media platforms including Facebook, blogs and LinkedIn.
I had the opportunity to facilitate a small group exercise for ‘creating blog content’. I used a participatory technique to help participants to think through content for blog posts. The group decided on a blog post topic and each participant was expected to write the opening sentence for the post. Each participant then circulated their opening sentence to others in the group who kept adding sentences to create a full post. The exercise allowed each one to contribute to the post and the final product reflected different viewpoints. I was introduced to this technique at the Arab Regional Forum for Democracy, organized in Jordan in September 2012.

The TOT participants were an amazing group of people full of joy, smiles, and great hopes for the country, and the future of Tunisia’s Women. The interactive, participatory training techniques were appreciated by the participants and they enjoyed the lively sessions conducted in the training room and on the beach by the Mediterranean Sea!

I really enjoyed working with all the trainers and the IIE Team.

This training further strengthened my faith in the power of the Tunisian women and their capacity to participate in the shaping of a stronger and more creative new Tunisia.

Long live the WES Women’s Network!

WES Innovative Leadership Training – Inventing New Possibilities

Guest post by Julia Hendrickson, Assistant Director, Women’s Enterprise for Sustainability (WES), Center for Women’s Leadership Initiatives, Institute of International Education (IIE), San Francisco

Innovative Leadership TOT, Tunis, January 6-8, 2013

Inventing new possibilities – beyond those thought possible – and designing breakthrough results – this is the central theme to the Women’s Enterprise for Sustainability (WES) Innovative Leadership training. Last week in Tunis, 23 new trainers from the eight WES partners gathered for a Training of Trainers (TOT) that included a three- day workshop on leadership led by Barbara Fittipaldi, President and CEO, Center for New Futures. These new trainers will now begin offering leadership training to women in their communities through their WES centers.

The WES Innovative Leadership training is designed to provide emerging and established women entrepreneurs with the power to transform themselves and their organizations/enterprises. Through a series of discussions and exercises, participants learn how to shift traditional/automatic thinking, change the way they listen and respond, and remove perceived barriers that keep us from following our dreams. They also learn a step-by-step process to design and implement breakthrough results.

Two years ago this week, Tunisians ousted an authoritarian president in what became known as the Jasmine Revolution. After deposing one of the region’s most repressive dictators, today Tunisians are deep in the difficult task of creating a post-revolution society and writing a post-revolution constitution. What this means for women, and the role of women in a newly defined Tunisia, is on the minds of many. This is a critical time for Tunisian women who face new threats to rights they have enjoyed for years.

A powerful part of the WES leadership training is when participants declare their vision to the rest of the group– and participants listen generously with feedback on what resonates. It was tremendously inspiring to hear a shared theme among the 23 participants. They dream of a stable and prosperous Tunisia — where women’s rights are more secure, and women can voice and realize their dreams. They are deeply committed to this vision and to fostering women’s leadership, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment in their communities.

When I think of the incredible women and men who represent the WES partners I think of these words Barbara declared at the training — “Your voice matters. It is your time and your voice will change the world.” Tunisians have already demonstrated this to the rest of the world. I am excited about the future that together WES partners are working to create.