DistantNews
Support us
🇹🇳 Tunisia /Culture & Society

France highlights Tunisian rural women's expertise through EFOR project in Gafsa

From La Presse · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • The French embassy in Tunisia is highlighting rural women and their expertise through the EFOR project, which aims to empower them economically and socially.
  • The project, funded by the French Development Agency, focuses on improving production and marketing of products like aromatic plants and dates in the Gafsa, Béja, and Kasserine governorates.
  • Testimonials from women farmers in Gafsa demonstrate how training and support from the EFOR project enhance their skills and recognition in society.

On Tunisia's National Women's Day, the French embassy in Tunisia is spotlighting rural women and their expertise through the EFOR project, dedicated to their economic and social empowerment.

In Gafsa, testimonials from women farmers concretely illustrate the impact of training and support aimed at improving their production and the marketing of their goods. The French embassy chose to honor Tunisian women by highlighting a Franco-Tunisian cooperation initiative: the EFOR project – Emancipation of Women and Rural Organizations in Tunisia.

A video published by the diplomatic representation features women farmers from Gafsa sharing their experiences with the program. Funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) with 4.5 million euros and implemented by Expertise France, the project runs from March 1, 2023, to February 28, 2027. It operates in three governorates, Béja, Kasserine, and Gafsa, aiming to enhance gender equality in agriculture and support the economic emancipation of women farmers.

We work on supporting their production capacities, but also on their contribution and their role, and especially on the recognition of their role in society and in their families.

— Leïla RajhiLeïla Rajhi, head of the EFOR project, explained the program's goals in a video.

In Gafsa, the EFOR project focuses on training as a tool for autonomy. The example highlighted is the El Aguila women's agricultural development group, which includes over twenty women. According to EFOR project head Leïla Rajhi, the program provides training in areas such as aromatic and medicinal plants, and date valorization. The goal is to enable beneficiaries to better process their products and facilitate their commercialization.

"We work on supporting their production capacities, but also on their contribution and their role, and especially on the recognition of their role in society and in their families," Rajhi explained in the video. Dalila Dhahri, a farmer and group member, testified that EFOR's training significantly improved her skills in product transformation and valorization, enhancing the quality of products made with other group members. The group has already achieved three objectives, she stated.

The training helped me a lot in transforming the products.

— Dalila DhahriDalila Dhahri, a farmer and member of the El Aguila group, described the impact of the EFOR project's training.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Presse in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog