foreign assistance newsletter - june/july 2016 edition

VOLUME 3ISSUE 1

EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATESTUNISIA.USEMBASSY.GOVJUNE - JULY 2016

F O R E I G N A S S I S T A N C E

NEWSLETTER

FOR A BETTER FUTURE

YOUTH COUNCIL IN MAHDIA MOBILIZES 100 PEOPLE TO SPURCOMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT

29 CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS TRAINED TO ACT ASWATCHDOGS ON BUDGET TRANSPARENCY

IMPROVED COURT ADMINISTRATION IN TUNISIA

USAID/UNIDO HELPING NACIRA GROW HER BUSINESS THROUGHTHE MASHROU3I PROJECT

INTERESTING LINKS

MARKETPLACE

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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HIGHLIGHTS

PICKS

ECONOMIC SUPPORT FUND/MIDDLEEAST PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVEALUMNI CORNER

SPOTLIGHT

SNAPSHOT

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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MEPI Awards 34 Tunisian Women with Seed Funding to Start and Expand Businesses

MEPI grantee Institute for International Education awarded 34 women in the fourth round ofthe WES Business

Award, a competition that provides an opportunity for women who benefited from the business development

services of the Women’s Enterprise for Sustainability (WES) program to strengthen business plans and compete for

seed grants to launch or expand businesses. One winner, Rim Belgayed, grew up in the southern desert region of

Gafsa in a family that made clothing and home furnishings from the region’s abundant palm leaves.

This experience inspired Rim to consider other uses for palm leaves, and sparked her idea to start an eco-friendly

packaging business using dried palm leaves, an otherwise wasted by-product of palm production, to create

packaging for fragile items to be shipped domestically and internationally. Rim received bank loans

and microcredit of approximately $100,000 and utilized the services of the WES Center in Gafsa to gain financial

management and budgeting skills to develop her business plan and register her business, Ecopalme, the first of its

kind in southern Tunisia. Rim has created the final prototype and is currently seeking the additional funds needed

to begin manufacturing the product.

Additional details about WES Business Award winners can be found here: www.wesglobal.org

PAGE 2 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1FOREIGN ASSISTANCE UNIT NEWSLETTER

TUNISIA.USEMBASSY.GOV

PICKS

MEPI Student Leaders 2016 Cohort: Ready to Fly!

ESF/MEPI ALUMNI CORNER



Fifteen Tunisian students selected for the MEPI Student Leaders program came to the U.S. Embassy to attend a pre-departure orientation

session before for the start of their six-week exchange program in the U.S this summer. The 2016 MEPI Student Leaders program provides an

opportunity for approximately 120 undergraduate students from the Middle East and North Africa to attend leadership institutes with six

different American universities. During the orientation session, the students met with the Economic Section Chief Rich Michaels and spoke

with alumni of the program who shared their experiences in previous years’ programs. The pre-departure orientation session included a

presentation on important things to know before traveling to the U.S and a discussion about differences and similarities between campus life

and culture in U.S. and Tunisian universities. The MEPI Student Leaders are all enthusiastic about participating in the program and were

excited to depart for the United States on June 25. We wish the students the best of luck and look forward to hearing about their experiences

when they return to Tunisia in August!

“This experience allowed me to spread my wings and fly. I am a small artisan but I have big ambitions and potential to access the U.S.

market. My products developed so much following my participation in the program. I am optimistic for the future of my business. ” TAYP

received a grant to provide technical assistance in support of the Tunisian handicrafts sector in collaboration with National Office of Handicrafts

(ONA) and the Export Promotion Center (CEPEX). This encompasses all the activities and services required to bring Tunisian handicrafts to

market in the U.S. Through this project, TAYP has been able to bring in five U.S buyers to create synergy and an environment conducive to future

partnership. Through their participation in the “New York, Now” trade show and similar events, Neira Khouaja and other artisans get valuable

feedback about how to adapt their products to U.S. market needs.

Neira Khouaja, ESF TAYP Alumna: Exporting theTunisian Handicraft to the U.S.

Neira Khouaja is the CEO of Tuline, a Vintage artisanal company, and beneficiary of the U.S.-funded “Tunisian

Handicraft Export Initiative” program with the Tunisian Young Professionals Organization (TAYP). The program

provided her with training, coaching and support. It also introduced her to the U.S. market through providing

support in design, marketing and promotion. Neira twice had the opportunity to participate in the “New York

Now” gifts and home décor trade show in August 2013 and in February 2014.

“Our Democracy, Our Neighborhood”

This project is implemented by Jasmine Foundation, a MEPI-

grantee, working in the governorates of Tunis and Ariana. It

aims at empowering unemployed and marginalized youth from

Greater Tunis to increase their socio-economic inclusion,

citizen participation in the decision making process and

democratic values. The project team selected 100 youth

between the ages of 18 and 35 from the most disadvantaged

neighborhoods. The facilitators are the main cornerstone of

the project. They are the ones who maintain direct contact

with participants in marginalized neighborhoods. The cyclical

trainings and experience they receive throughout the project

enabled them to perform as facilitators. During the cycle of

“café jeunesse”, they have faced, as a team, weather difficulties,

bus-delays, constraints with security and also disputes with

local residents about youth participation in public affairs.

Since then, they have developed speeches and responses for

each situation and planned suggestions for any possible

operational difficulty. Facilitators represent interesting

profiles with huge potential for success.

“It’s amazing how we can inspire people to change themselves

for the better. We helped create community leaders,” Youssef

ben Hassine, one of the facilitators, said.



SPOTLIGHTThe Facilitators: Youth with Potential!

It’s amazing how wecan inspire peopleto changethemselves for thebetter. We helpedcreate communityleaders.

Youssef benHassine

Zouhair Labyath, a Participant from Bhar Lazreg:A Young Man with a Big Dream!

Zouhair is one of the project participants from Bhar Lazreg. He lives in a marginalized neighborhood and previouslydid not care much about education. He left school and spent most of his time on the streets.

Zouhair had never approached by an NGO or any institution before his experience with "Our democracy, ourneighborhood”. He expressed interest in continuing his participation in the project and went on to participate inthe trainings related to local governance and decentralization.

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In his third day of training, Zouhair approached the project’s master trainer Mr. Drif and revealed his willingness togo back to school. He says that “he wants to resume his educational journey and that he regrets not pursuing hiseducation until his graduation.”

Now, the trainer and the team are trying to help him get back to school. “No one ever spoke to me before aboutissues related to public affairs, politics, human rights or the services of my neighborhood. The only heard stories oftheft, drugs or illegal immigration.”

“No one ever spoke to mebefore about issues related topublic affairs, politics, humanrights or the services of myneighborhood.

The only heard stories of theft,drugs or illegal immigration.”

NEWS



Youth Council in Mahdia Mobilizes100 People to Spur CommunityImprovement

The youth council in Mahdia is one of 24 local youth

councils in each of Tunisia’s governorates that are

changing the way citizens, civil society

organizations, and authorities work together. The

Search for Common Ground (SFCG) Tunisian team

supported the inception and activities of the local

youth councils as part of SFCG’s MEPI-funded

Empowering Young Change-Makers project.

These groups are tackling a variety of different

local issues to improve living conditions and

increase public participation in governance.

The Mahdia youth council recruited over 100

people (among them the mayor and municipal

authorities) in the Borja Ras neighborhood to pick-

up litter and miscellaneous debris off the beach.

Later that evening, the team gathered in the public

garden for a children’s workshop on environmental

stewardship.

The Mahdia youth council has also funded its own

entrepreneurship competition and a local social

innovation lab and competition hub proving that

youth can and will play a vital role as positive

change-makers across Tunisia.

29 CSOs Trained to Act as Watchdogson Budget Transparency

On February 1-5, 2016, Financial Services Volunteer

Corps (FSVC) conducted a training session for CSOs

on Local Budget Analysis and Participation with

organizations based in the northeastern regions

(Jendouba, Beja, Kef and Bizerte) and southern

regions (Tataouine, Medenine, Gabes and Tozeur) of

Tunisia.

During the project, FSVC trained 29 CSO leaders on

various methods and tools for analyzing the national

budget. The training included case studies and

practical exercises based on analysis of the Tunisian

2016 Budget Law.

As a result of the project, participants acquired a

greater understanding of government budgeting

and learned about tools for analyzing the

effectiveness and usefulness of budget proposals.

CSO observance of public expenditures will put

external pressure on the Tunisian government to

formulate and implement budgets in an effective

and transparent manner.

Improved Court Administration in Tunisia



USAID/UNIDO Helps Nacira Grow her Business Throughthe “Mashrou3i” Project

Ambassador Daniel Rubinstein and Minister of Justice OmarMansour formally launched the Bureau of InternationalNarcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)project, “Improving Court Administration in Tunisia.”

This two-year $1.5 million program seeks to enable courts todeliver efficient and accessible services. The event, whichwas jointly organized by the Ministry of Justice and INL’simplementing partners, the National Council of State Courts(NCSC) and the International Legal Assistance Consortium(ILAC), provided an opportunity to discuss key topics ofrelevance to the improvement of court administration inTunisia, including the challenges of efficiencyand accessibility, the organization of the registry, automation,and workload.

Ministry officials, judges, prosecutors, clerks,and representatives from civil society and other donorprojects participated in the discussion.

From the premises of her business “Couture”

based in Le Kef, Nacira designs, produces

and sells clothes and curtains. The business

was running so well that she wanted to open a

second show room, but a lack of confidence in

her business plan was holding her back.

Nacira took part in a HP LIFE e-learning

training which enabled her to understand a

company’s hidden costs.

Now, she is in a better position to plan the

cost structure of her company and consider

all the costs in her business expansion plans.

Thanks to USAID/UNIDO HP-LIFEe-Learning program, Nacira is nowequipped with hands on management skills.

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1FOREIGN ASSISTANCE UNIT NEWSLETTER


Training the Next Generation of Tunisian Media Professionals in the U.S.

Thanks to support from the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, nine Tunisian graduate journalism students from the TunisianInstitute of Press and Information Sciences (IPSI) participated in a two-week training in the U.S. in March 2016. The training took place in professional newsrooms where the participants had the opportunity to share, with theirpartner International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and media hosts, new insights on the challenges Tunisianjournalists face in a nascent democracy dealing with conflict.

They were the first of two groups of broadcast and print/online students from IPSI to participate in ICFJ’s 2016Training the Next Generation of Tunisian Media Professionals program. Through a12-day internships at news outletsacross the United States and meetings with media experts in Washington, D.C. participants learned how media in theU.S. operate.

After a three-day orientation program, the Tunisian students were placed in newsrooms in Washington, D.C.; Akron,Ohio, Minnesota; Fargo, North Dakota; and Texas. In these cities, they observed the day-to-day activities of the hostnewsrooms, learned practical skills to enhance their reporting, and immerse themselves in American culture.Many members of the group said they were struck by how American journalists work together to produce qualitystories. Their experiences ranged from covering criminal cases, city council meetings, and train accidents, toparticipating in daily newsroom meetings and learning to use new video storytelling tools.

The program helped to break down stereotypes about the United States some of the students had before travelingthere. In an interview published online by the San Antonio Express, Ms. Fida Bahrouni said: “[My] false impressionsabout average American behavior toward Arabs were changed.” She added, “We discovered helpful, nice and goodpeople.”

Ms. Souad Trabelsi, who was hosted by Rubber City Radio Group in Akron, said in a blog about her experience, “Itwas my dream to discover another society, another culture, another civilization -- filled with a diverse group ofpeople and I am grateful to this opportunity that made my dream true.”

ICFJ’s U.S. internship program is designed to bolster best practices and introduce new digital skills and tools to thenext generation of Tunisian media professionals. The program is supported by the U.S. Embassy in Tunis.

PICKS

MEPI-Funded "Free Women Association" Launches a Campaignin Agareb, Sfax, to Encourage Women Participationin Local Governance.

"Women on the Frontline!" in Pictures:



SNAPSHOT

ANNOUNCEMENTS

On June 4, 2016, MEPI Tunisia Alumni Association (TAA)was officially registered. MEPI TAA, the first MEPIAlumni civil society organization to be formallyestablished in Tunisia since the inception of theprogram in 2002, will be a catalyst of positive political,social, and economic changes in Tunisia.

MEPI TAA will support and strengthen the network ofMEPI alumni leaders in Tunisia. The organization willact as a platform for alumni to share their skills andbenefit from each other’s expertise, networks, andtechnical assistance and learn about partnershipopportunities.

MEPI TAA focuses its work on four main programmaticareas: women‘s rights, security, creating economicopportunity, and democratic practices and goodgovernance.

MEPI TAA was co-founded by a board composed of sixMEPI Alumni Leaders from a variety of professionalbackgrounds who participated in various MEPIprograms:



MEPI Tunisian Alumni Association is Born!

MEPI TAA President: Ms. Nosra AyariMEPI TAA Treasurer: Mr. Hatem Chebbi

Advisory committee:

Ms. Lobna JeribiMs. Rym Bedoui Ayari

Ms. Basma AziziMs. Amna Tounekti

MEPI TAA contact info:E-mail: [email protected]: (+216) 26 567 806

INTERESTING LINKS

The Maktabat MEPI Library is a regularly updatedonline repository for training resources developed bycivil society organizations and institutions that supportcivil society in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)region through MEPI funding.

Maktabat MEPI also includes additional resourcescreated by organizations that work toward morepluralistic, participatory and prosperous societiesthroughout the region.

Link: www.maktabatmepi.org



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Transparency and open data enable stakeholders andthe general public to better understand U.S. foreignassistance investments around the world, make foreignaid more useful for development, and help hold foreignassistance providers accountable.

Link: www.beta.foreignassistance.gov

MARKETPLACE

Neira Khouaja"Tuline"Phone: +216 71 766 667E-mail: [email protected]: www.tuline.net

Sahbi Rchid "La Balance du Cuivre"Phone: +216 98 652 375Facebook: La Balance duCuivre ArtisanalWebsite: www.el.mizane.com

It is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices.

Quote by J.K. Rowling

Since the January 2011 revolution, the United States hasprovided approximately $750 million to supportTunisia’s democratic consolidation, focusing ontechnical and financial assistance to Tunisia’s economicgrowth, support for peace and stability, and support forcivil society and democratic practices.

LES BERGES DU LAC 1053- TUNIS, TUNISIA

PHONE: 71 107 000FAX: 71 107 090

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U.S. EmbassyTunis, Tunisia

foreign assistance newsletter - june/july 2016 edition

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