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Empowered Youth and Women in Tunisia through DRC’s programme

Through the “Accelerated Creation of Employment in Medenine”-programme, 32 young Tunisians have gained viable and sustainable livelihoods.

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Today, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in Tunisia — with the financial support of the Danish International Development Agency through the Programme Innovation and Business Engagement Unit (PIBE) — gathered with key local UN agencies, civil society organisations, public institutions and its 15 newly certified entrepreneurs, to celebrate the key achievements of its programme “Accelerated Creation of Employment in Medenine". The closing event took place from 10 AM to 12 PM (Tunisia Time) in Zarzis.

Since its implementation in 2021, ACREM increased the employability of 32 young man and women from some of the most marginalized and deprived communities in Tunisia: Medenine, a border state where a large segment of young people depends on illegal trade as a main source of livelihood.

15 job-seeking women have been matched with job vacancies within private businesses in Medenine, and 17 young people have launched their businesses after receiving a grant from DRC and undergoing entrepreneurship trainings. 15 of them pursued their journey to develop and improve their businesses by perfecting their customer relations and marketing skills.

“Going into this training, I had the expectation it would be completely theoretical. Not only did it help me conceptualize my dream of starting my own business, it also created an income for my family”, testified Karima Ghroul, one of ACREM’s beneficiaries from Zarzis, and now, founder of a sewing business.

“In line with the DRC youth-empowerment-and-livelihood-focused strategy, we wished to implement a project able to combine addressing root causes of conflicts and protection of local communities hosting refugee and migrant populations, as part of economic recovery and social cohesion efforts”, stated Andrew Merat, Country Director of DRC Tunisia and Algeria.

IMPACT OF THE ACCELERATED CREATION OF EMPLOYMENT IN MEDENINE

Youth empowerment and livelihoods in the south of Tunisia was DRC’s core programming in Medenine. The “Accelerated Creation of Employment in Medenine” was designed to increase employability. Below is an overview of what ACREM is and its impact on thirty-two young men and women’s lives:

Over 100.000 Euros invested in programme implementation;
Over 105.000 Dinars granted to new entrepreneurs to create and develop small businesses;
Over 150 hours of trainings and personalized support;
Over 6 types of trainings and mentorship: entrepreneurship and business development, market analysis; marketing and communications; customer relations development; to name a few;
32 empowered young people from Medenine achieved viable and sustainable livelihood;
15 female job seekers placed in several companies in the private sector in Medenine;
17 businesses founded and carried out in Medenine.

FUTURE DRC PROGRAMMING IN TUNISIA

DRC Tunisia will continue to develop an Economic Recovery programme that seeks to provide concrete opportunities for Tunisian youth, particularly women, to build their employability and find sustainable opportunities to generate income, to support themselves and their families, and thus offer an alternative to migration.

DRC Tunisia is currently implementing, as the country lead in Tunisia, the Youth Inclusion and Employment Project (YIEP) which is part of the Youth Employment Program within the 2022-2027 phase of the Danish-Arab Partnership Program (DAPP), but also seeking to carry out other NEXUS programs aiming to increase protection and enhance the inclusion of people of concern.

Media and information requests

To know more about ACREM, read this story and download the brochure at drc.ngo/acrem

For media and information requests, please contact: Mariam Chaabouni, Tunisia Partnership Specialist, Danish Refugee Council (DRC) Tunisia Algeria at [email protected]