Future regained in Tunisia
FAO tapped into assistance from the Italian Development Cooperation to provide Sonia with spices, a grinder and lessons in business management.
Thanks to the project, Sonia Mhamdi has swapped grinding poverty for grinding spices. Other beneficiaries have received livestock and been trained to become organic farmers. ©Nikos Economopoulos/Magnum Photos for FAO
Sonia Mhamdi had made the mental move across the Mediterranean. Soon, she would be there in the flesh – assuming she survived the sea journey. True, she would be leaving her three children behind. But as it was, her presence at their side kept them neither warm nor fed. Her exile would. If she was to put bread on the table, it would have to be remotely.
Typical of the semi-rural clusters that dot the far hinterland of Tunis, Sonia’s town had two names but few opportunities. Known as either Amdoun or Zahret Medien, it had long been a place young people moved out of rather than into – whether two hours up the road to the capital or further beyond.
Over the last decade or so, Tunisia has developed an active civil society and political scene. Education levels are relatively high. But economic growth has struggled to take off. Joblessness cuts deep. Remittances from outward migration make up nearly 5 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).