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PARTNERSHIPS & PROGRAMS NEWSLETTER

Beyram Belhaj Amor &Ryadh Bouslama representing Tunisia at #GES2016

Two of the Tunisian entrepreneurs present at GES2016, Beyram Belhaj Amor of Simple Expert and Ryadh

Bouslama of Pinhole, are part of TAYP's Regional Initiative to Support Entrepreneurship (implemented

by RISE- a diaspora mentoring program aimed at assisting a select group of Tunisian entrepreneurs to

access United States markets), a program funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). Both

Bayrem and Ryadh have pitched to investors, attended side events and workshops, and met with

interested parties like the CEO of Samsung .

Moreover, the RISE program was featured by both the Tunisian and U.S. governments in a closed 30-per-

son session attended by Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and former AOL Chairman Steve Case, as

a successful pilot mentorship program organized by the Tunisian diaspora in the US (in particular

TAYP's 11 mentors) using a win-win design. Sec. Pritzker and Scott Handler were thrilled to hear that in

only 8 months, a dynamic diaspora/local entrepreneurs mentoring and partnership was established,

that 5 out of the 9 are currently on the path to securing support from U.S.businesses, and that the two-

way dynamic created by RISE is a key to its future sustainability.

“This was a life-changing moment for me“ Ryadh said.

“One person from Commerce on the ground would have never been able to do what has been accom-

plished by all of us together “Scott Handler expressed.


Fueling Business Growth: Supporting Chambers of Commerce & Youth Entrepreneurship Organizations

The Chambers of Commerce and Business Associa-tions Customized Assistance Program (CBACAP), funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) funded and implemented by Deloitte Consulting LLP, has made strides in building the capacities of eight Tunisian Chambers of Commerce (CoCs) and three youth entrepre-neurship organizations over the past three years.

The mission of the program is to drive inclusive economic development through increased competi-tiveness, business growth, and entrepreneurship in communities across Tunisia.

Key accomplishments include:

With CBACAP’s support, Cogite and Reseau Entre-prendre Tunis (RET), two youth entrepreneurship organizations, built a public policy advocacy platform, “Aventures d’Entrepreneurs”, which documents challenges entrepreneurs face in Tunisia. CBACAP assisted Cogite in publishing a position paper on �� ted with over 100 young Tunisian entrepreneurs. �� directly with entrepreneurs to assess project viability and argues for the legalization of crowdfunding to address critical funding gaps.

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Article originally posted on World Learning Newsletter (Edition #17)

ECONOMIC SUPPORT FUND /MEPI ALUMNI CORNERInsights on International Day of the Girl ��

Celebrations such as the International Day of the Girl open the

doors to discuss women and girls issues and highlighted the main

role of men and boys who must see women and girls as equals and

to stop violating them. As an organization devoted to non-formal

education, we believe that to stop violence, it is important to

educate young people from an early age and to do it in a fun and

participatory way, which allows them to learn in their own time and

ask questions in a safe space while keeping in mind that we are all

responsible and we can all contribute to make the world better.”

Karem Saad represented Tunisia at the "Future Generations in Economic Development in Egypt and the Arab Region" Conference“Discrimination and deprivation of basic rights impacts girls all over

the world. Unfortunately, girls live day in and day out with violence or

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in honor of the International Day of the Girl Child.

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just because they are girls, but also because they belong to an

excluded group within their societies and communities, so they are

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have served for many years, recognized that it can play an important

role to end the harmful stereotypes and discriminatory social norms

and attitudes that lead to gender based violence, and this, through

non formal education.

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strongly believe that non formal education is the key to combat root

causes ofviolence from an early age and that inclusion is the main

solution to make the change happen.

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Arab region, focusing on access to information, creating a partici-

patory approach, and public policy reform.


Congratulations to Khaled Koubaa on joining the ICANN Board of Directors

Ikram Ben Said nominated by UN Secretary General as member of "Advisory Group for Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security"

The ICANN 2016 Nominating Commit-

tee announced its selections for

seven leadership positions within

ICANN. Khaled Koubaa, a “Leaders

for Democracy Fellowship Program”

Alumnus of 2007, joined the Board of

Directors of the Internet Corporation

for Assigned Names and Numbers.

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coordinating the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and the Domain Name

System (DNS).Khaled is the Founder and President of the Arab World

Internet Institute. Previously, he worked as Head of Government

Relations and Public Policy MENA at Google.

Khaled has technical, management, and policy experience in IT with

more than 15 years international experience:

Previously, Khaled worked as an independent consultant for the

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promoting best practices in the use of information technology and

providing strategic advice regarding how to choose and use internet and

new media technologies.

Khaled founded the Internet Society chapter in Tunisia in 2006 and

served as its President. He has also served on the Board of Trustees of

the Internet Society and regularly attends Internet-related events

(ICANN, IETF, IGF, etc.). He was elected to represent the African region

in the ICANN Nomination Committee, and also served on the Board of

Directors of AfriNIC, representing the North African region.

The Internet strikes a personal chord with Khaled: he met his wife

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the Secretary-General

Ban Ki Moon as a

member of the

Advisory Group of

Experts for the

Progress Study on

Youth, Peace and

Security, mandated by

the Security Council

in its resolution 2250.

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young people and women; nine members are young practitioners

and twelve are women.

Advisory Group members have worked on a wide range of issues,

including youth empowerment, enhanced political participation of

women and youth, gender equality and peace, violence prevention

and youth development.

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to the Security Council in December 2017, on the second anniver-

sary of the adoption of resolution 2250 (2015).

EFE Alum i - Special Edition SP TLIGHT


Meet Maha, 34 years old, Bachelor in Marketing,Governorate of Tunis, Tunisia

Is it possible to leave a stable and high paying job to become an entrepreneur when you are a wife and a mother?

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- Special Edition


SP TLIGHT

Meet Suzanne, 29 years old, Bachelor in TransportationManagement, Governorate of Nabeul, Tunisia

Born in 1985, our alumna pursued a Bachelor Degree in transportation manage-

ment hoping to work in the new airport that was being built in the region.

After graduating from university and spending two years actively looking for a

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sales position in a local shop. “I was miserable. Work felt very meaningless.” she

said. This is why, one year later, she quit her job after meeting her husband and

getting married. Eighteen months later, she had a son.

Soon after, she started questioning her decision to leave her job. “I love my son

dearly”, she said,” but I felt trapped and frustrated being home full-time.

At the same time, I felt guilty about wanting to go back to my old life; about

leaving my kid in kindergarten.” “Interacting with the outside world, with

people who were not my family or friends, felt like a distant memory. How am I

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were out of date. I was truly intimidated.” At the same time, “I was excited by the

idea of going back to work, couldn't wait to re-join adult conversations, and have

structure and diversity to my day. More importantly, I was longing to prove

myself. I was sure that it was the right decision.”

After voicing her intention, she received mixed reactions from her entourage.

But it made her more determined to do what she believed was right for her and

her family.

Convinced that she could not return to her old job, she started applying for

several jobs and looking for trainings to overcome the years she spent unem-

ployed. That’s how she joined the Job Training and Placement program provided

by Education for Employment Tunisia. “I was thrilled when they told me that we

will be having a soft skills oriented training.” She said. “It was exactly what I

needed to feel fully prepared to come back to the work place.”

E Alumni

NEWS


INL-Supported Corrections Study Tourto the United StatesInforms Tunisian Prison Reform

The host organizations in the United States included the NYC

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U.S. Study Tour of Budgetary Watchdog Agencies

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PICKS

The Scouts are pursuing a number of activities including:

Dieter Bruhn, a teacher-trainer and ESL instructor from the U.S. state of Colorado participated in

Language Village Nabeul, an initiative of Tunisia’s Ministry of Higher Education which provides top

English majors from universities throughout Tunisia the opportunity to take part in an English-lan-

guage immersion program for two weeks. Bruhn conducted training sessions and workshops for the

university graduates on personal development, team building, leadership skills, and creative writing.

Bruhn’s participation in Language Village Nabeul was made possible with support from U.S. Embassy

Tunis English Language Teaching Program.

The Young Tunisian Coders Academy (YTCA) Summer Camp took place August 1-5. The

young coders shared their experiences with us through their daily “Postcards from

Kelibia.”

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work and LEDs light up."

We talked about the problems our society faces and how we can use technology to solve

them. Our brainstorming generated some great ideas! Then it was time to make tech

magic happen with an introductory session on Scratch. Thirty kids, 30 computers, and

plenty of creative thinking, playing and coding! What could be more magical than that?

The Tunisian Scouts, a scouting organization for boys and girls ages seven and up and the

largest youth organization in Tunisia, hosted a conference in partnership with the

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More than 150 participants including 100 Scouts, 20 imams, local community leaders,

government representatives including the Governor of Sfax, and media attended the

one-day event held in Skhira in the south of the Sfax governorate. Minister of Religious

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Human Rights, experts on CVE, and an imam from Sfax spoke to other imams, commu-

nity leaders and Scout mentors, discussing how they can play a role in countering

extremism.

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leaders have served as mentors to at-risk youth.

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issues. At no cost and using day-to-day interactions, Scouts have spoken with more than 100 imams, taxi

drivers, community leaders, educators, and bloggers about CVE and its role in society.

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curriculum for Scouts of all ages is being revised to include this important emphasis.

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SNAPSHOT

Tunisian MEPI'ers had much more fun together inD.C, of course we felt like a family there and itseems like we are having more fun than othersstudents from other countries!

I'm very happy to go through the MEPI experience!

Testimony of Jawher AllaniMEPI Student Leader Alumnus of 2016

ANNOUNCEMENTS


Proposals must be submitted to U.S. Embassy Tunis byno later than 5:00 pm on (February 05, 2017). Pleaseclearly label your email subject line to indicate “2017MEPI Local Grant Application for U.S. Embassy Tunis.

Link: https://tunisia.usembassy.gov/mobile/2017-mepi-local-grants.html

LES BERGES DU LAC 1053- TUNIS, TUNISIA

PHONE: 71 107 000FAX: 71 107 090

E-MAIL: [email protected]: TUNISIA.USEMBASSY.GOVFACEBOOK: FACEBOOK.COM/USDOS


U.S. EmbassyTunis, Tunisia

Since the January 2011 revolution, the United States hasprovided

approximately $865 million to support Tunisia’s democratic consolida-

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micgrowth, support for peace and stability, and support forcivil society

and democratic practices.

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