Tunisia
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Photo: Joy Portella/Mercy Corps
Our strategy
Empower women and youth, especially in marginalised areas, to develop productive initiatives that move forward the spirit of change that began with the Arab Awakening.
The context
The revolution in Tunisia sparked the 2011 Arab Awakening — a dynamic historical moment that is transforming the entire region. Young people, who comprise 50 percent of the country's population, led the revolution and will play a vital role in the country's transition. An extreme urban-rural divide must be bridged, and women are exploring new freedoms since the fall of the Ben Ali regime.
Our work
- Conflict & Governance: Supporting the growth and skills of local civil society leaders, especially women and youth, to create a new participatory culture
- Economic opportunity: Developing new job opportunities for young people
All stories about Tunisia
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Tunisia: Organizing a movement for her new country March 8, 2012
Sabrine Wafi is a dynamo. Young and filled with energy, it’s difficult to keep up with her. More than once during our conversation, I found myself asking her to hold up so I could wrap my head around her ideas.
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Tunisia: After Arab Awakening: 'Now we need to change ourselves' January 31, 2012
If you want to know what the Arab Awakening is all about, hang out with teenagers in Tunisia for an afternoon.
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Egypt, Libya, Tunisia: I am the Arab Spring January 24, 2012
On January 25, 2011, the people of Egypt took to the streets for a 'Day of Rage.' Thousands of young people took part in this protest and the huge movement of people calling for change across the Middle East and North Africa now known as the Arab Spring.
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Tunisia: Election day in Tunisia October 23, 2011
The blue ink on the tip of the fingers of these Tunisians indicates they've voted in the first free and fair election in their country's history.
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Tunisia: A day for democracy October 23, 2011
I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve heard the word “democracy” today. I’m in Tunis on a day that will go down in history as Tunisia’s first free elections in over 23 years.
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Tunisia: Preparing for Sunday's historic vote October 21, 2011
Nobody has ever explained participatory democracy to the people I met today in El Ktar in southern Tunisia. Until recently it was only a vague concept, irrelevant to their daily lives.
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Tunisia: Tunisia program launches in the wake of a revolution July 29, 2011
Mercy Corps is starting up programmes in the North African country of Tunisia for the first time.