"Traveling from my hometown of Nasrallah to my tapestry job in Kairouan, I always admired the women outside working in the agriculture sector.

With the tourism industry struggling, demand for our tapestry products declined, so I decided to switch career paths. With the support of my colleagues, I began manufacturing harissa products. In January 2019, I opened a mutual agricultural services company with my former colleagues, a project I largely financed on my own. One of our main objectives was to create meaningful employment opportunities for our children, connecting them with the local ecosystem. We began developing typical Tunisian food staples using our local traditions. In 2019, we even won medals at a national career fair for our products.  

The business continued progressing, drawing interest from larger buyers and creating seasonal jobs. However, the COVID-19 pandemic took a major toll on our sales, putting our business in jeopardy. We heard about the COVID-19 Enterprise Recovery Fund established by the US government as part of the Tunisia JOBS program through our colleagues at another agricultural cooperative. JOBS’ grant helped us invest in machinery to increase our production, cover operational costs, and display our products at trade fairs."

Najwa el Balti - SMSA Nasrallah