WUNRN
Tunisia–Amal Programme to Increase Rural Women’s & Girls’ Rights, Empowerment, Voices, Inclusion
The
Amal Advocacy Campaign, launched in Azmour last December, aims to empower women
at every level of Tunisian society. Photograph: Omar Dhieb/LET
Nay Elrahi in
Tunis* - 30 March 2015
Growing up in a
village in north-eastern Tunisia, Ahlam Ben Ahmad had to walk up to 4km to
reach a hospital, buy food or attend school. She often got sick from the long
journey, and dropped out of school two years before graduation because of her
long commute.
“I woke up at 5am
every day, carried my sick brother on my back and walked to school to reach it
by seven,” she says. “But I still carried my brother there every day because at
least one of us nine had to finish school.”
Fifteen years
after Ben Ahmad, now 30, dropped out of school, the government has not improved
the roads near her home. It still takes her several hours to travel from her
hometown of Boucha to Kelibia, the nearest city. In a private vehicle, the same
journey would take just 30 minutes.
Like Ben Ahmad,
many women in rural Tunisia face long trips to access essential services, which
are usually located in urban centres. But it’s not just better road networks
and health systems these women want. They want to improve women’s rights at the
national level and bring female leaders into their country’s politics.
Tired of her
grievances going unnoticed, Ben Ahmad now works on the Amal programme, which aims to increase rural
women’s and girls’ awareness of their rights, and to empower them to play
leading roles at the community, regional and national level.
Tunisia’s women
have a long struggle ahead of them. According to a recent study by the Tunisian
Association of Democratic Women
(ATFD), 40% of women in rural areas are illiterate, while 60% suffer from
health problems, 93% of which are work-related. Just 10% had access to free
healthcare.
Amal, which means “hope” in Arabic, is a
three-year programme aimed at boosting women’s access to power in the Middle
East and north Africa. It has been rolled out in Morocco, Tunisia, Yemen and
Palestine by Oxfam and 15 local organisations with funding from the Swedish
International Development Cooperation Agency.
“The overall
goal of this programme is for women in the Middle East and north Africa region,
including poor and marginalised women, to have increased ability to participate
and exercise leadership at all levels of decision-making, gaining power over
their lives and ensuring their practical needs and rights are central for
existing and emerging governance structures,” Oxfam said.
Tunisia’s rural
women, with support from local and international organisations, are trying to
bring their ideas to the country’s decision-makers.
On 17 March, women
from five regions of Tunisia travelled to the capital, Tunis, to meet members
of parliament and representatives of ministries for the first time, and raise
the issue of female development priorities, which has been long-neglected. They
also made their voices heard at the World Social Forum, which ran in Tunis from 24-28
March.
Ben Ahmad and
other women in Azmour say they want easier and more transparent access to
social services, and better roads between villages and urban centres. Most
importantly, they want to establish a committee of local men and women to
follow up on the progress and implementation of development projects in their
region.
The women say they
have always had strong opinions about how Tunisia should be governed, but until
now didn’t know how to influence the political system.
Through local
organisations such as the League of Tunisian Women Voters (LET), the
Tunisian Association of Democratic Women, and the Association of Tunisian Women
for Research and Development, Amal is working to empower rural and marginalised
women with the skills, tools and knowledge to challenge political system in
five of Tunisia’s regions: Kef, Kasserine, Sousse, Ben Arous and Kelibia.
When they were
approached by LET to help improve political representation, the women of Azmour
were quick to engage. Through their advocacy process, Ben Ahmad and her
neighbours found out that the local council for development in Azmour had
already allocated budget for improving the roads in 2012, but implementation
was put on hold. So they circulated a petition demanding its implementation and
met with their local council last December. The government made promises, but
they want more.
“We want action,”
says Ben Ahmad. “We have been silent for a long time, today we want to act. I
want my children and grandchildren to go to school without getting sick. I want
them to go out on weekends, and join clubs and enjoy their hobbies.”
*Nay Elrahi is
communications and partnerships officer for Oxfam’s Regional Gender Justice
Programme in the Middle East and North Africa, and is currently supporting
Oxfam’s office in Tunis.