Ikhlas Hamrouni

Tunisia – In the interior region of Sidi Bouzid, where support opportunities are scarce and social protection networks are weak, the "Women First" association stands out as an active institution, offering comprehensive services to women aimed at empowering them, helping them face difficulties, reclaiming their rights, and achieving their economic, social, and psychological independence.

Providing Integrated Services

In this context, the president of the "Women First" association, Hayet Kadri, says: "The association, composed of activists who embraced the idea of defending women's rights in the region and providing them with support in various fields, began its work with a full year of voluntary, unpaid activity. It carried out more than twenty activities targeting women, especially those working in the agricultural sector and women victims of violence. It also launched a literacy center that helped clarify intervention priorities."

She explained that the COVID-19 pandemic period was a crucial turning point, as the association transitioned to implementing projects funded by international organizations, which enabled it to develop its work and expand its scope of intervention from local to regional, then national, before opening up to international partnerships in Africa and Europe, particularly with associations in Morocco and Egypt.

Regarding program design, Hayet Kadri explained that the association's philosophy is based on providing integrated services, accompanying women through all stages of their lives. These services include psychological and social support, legal guidance, education, vocational training, healthcare, and economic empowerment. A beneficiary who turns to the association finds a safe space for listening and support, legal guidance to reclaim her rights, psychological care to help her overcome trauma, as well as educational and vocational training opportunities that ensure her independence and ability to work.

She pointed out that the association established a literacy center that annually welcomes more than 40 women, enabling many of them to learn reading and writing and enter the labor market. The association also launched a vocational training center in multiple specializations, which has benefited dozens of women victims of violence, with a number of them being empowered to start small projects and provided with necessary raw materials.

Opening New Horizons

Noura Khalifi, one of the beneficiaries, spoke about her experience, explaining that the association completely changed her life. "I made sure to consistently participate in the training courses organized by the association across various projects, worked in the field, and connected with other women, which allowed me to gain practical experience and educational skills, especially in adult education and literacy."

She affirmed that participating in these programs opened new horizons for her, as she is now able to teach women within the association and provide them with multiple services.

As a university graduate who had been unemployed for over ten years, she found in the association an opportunity to work, gain experience, and at the same time help other women improve their situations. She confirmed that learning and training enabled her to become more open to people, acquire social and practical skills, in addition to obtaining a stable source of income that restored her psychological and social stability, which also positively reflected on her family life.

For her part, Badiaa Kadri, also a beneficiary of the association's services, affirmed that the legal and psychological interventions had a profound impact on her life. "The association provided me with a lawyer to accompany me through legal procedures, which gave me a sense of security and reassurance. It also offered me psychological support through specialists, which helped me overcome depression, fear, and withdrawal, and regain my self-confidence."

She explained that after this support, she became more capable of caring for her children, achieving financial independence, and meeting their daily needs, especially those related to education, which gave her a feeling of strength and dignity.

Badiaa Kadri also gained practical skills from the training courses that enabled her to work and provide support to other children and women. She became more capable of communicating, controlling her emotions, and restoring her social activity, affirming that these interventions helped her build an independent and secure life for herself and her children.

Challenges and Perseverance

Although the association faces ongoing challenges, most notably the difficulty of obtaining funding due to the cessation of international support and the complexities of accessing national funding, Badiaa Kadri explained that the association has adopted alternative strategies by generating its own resources through providing paid services within its training centers, in addition to continuously seeking new funding and partnerships outside Tunisia.

By overcoming these difficulties, the "Women First" association continues to play its essential role in empowering women in Sidi Bouzid through comprehensive programs that restore women's self-confidence, equip them with knowledge and work, and open new horizons for a dignified and independent life.