A Special Advertising Section on Tunisia

Tunisia's National Solidrity Fund working to combat poverty

In Sidi Achour - a small town 14 kilometers from the capital city of Tunis - 27 families are all anxiously awaiting the completion of their new homes, thanks to the National Solidarity Fund (NSF).

Each day the families in Sidi Achour look down from the hilltop and monitor the progress being made in the valley below. Their anticipation is easy to understand. Their current dwellings are small mud and stone huts with no running water or electricity. Plus, the entire community becomes flooded when it rains.

One woman graciously gave a tour of her home, carefully bowing her head to enter the doorway leading to the tiny room where she, her nine children and her sister all sleep. She explained that everyone is at risk if one of them gets sick.

The new NSF homes will be a big improvement. NFS's mission is to provide disadvantaged regions with minimum, basic necessities.

The new homes will have up to three bedrooms, modern kitchens and bathrooms, indoor plumbing and an outer courtyard. The homes represent much more than pleasant surroundings. The new community symbolizes the hope that poorer Tunisians will soon be able to join the previously inaccessible modern world.

Dr. Rached Mahjoub, NSF's chief of mission, says that the most satisfying aspect of his work is seeing how these projects touch and improve the lives of his fellow citizens.

Most of the areas that benefit from the Fund are remote, and lack basic amenities such as electricity, potable water, paved roads, health care facilities, easy access to schools and decent housing. These factors - coupled with the lack of employment opportunities -have produced seemingly permanent zones of poverty.

The Fund is a testament to President Ben-Ali's commitment to human development. The president was extremely moved by the dire levels of poverty in some parts of Tunisia, when visiting the countryside in 1992. He decided to address the problem the same way Tunisians address most problems - by relying on themselves.

Part of the funding for the NSF comes from public and private institutions. However, a significant source of funds comes from donations by ordinary Tunisian citizens. Administrative costs of the Fund are kept to a minimum because most of its small staff is on loan from various ministries and agencies.

The NSF was created in 1993, and is administered directly under the presidency. In Tunisia, the NFS is simply referred to as 2626, which is the postal account number for the fund.

Mr. Kamel Hadj Sassi, secretary of state in charge of the NSF, explained that management decisions are transparent to all Tunisians. There is a meticulous sense of accountability to those who contribute their money to the NSF. The annual expenditures are even published in the local newspapers.

The coordinating office of NSF in Tunis works directly with local and regional authorities to assess the needs and implement the projects. The goal of the Fund for 1993-2000 is to promote 1,144 disadvantaged regions throughout the country, at an estimated cost of US $500 million. Over US $300 million has already been raised over the past four years.

The Fund truly embodies the spirit of solidarity, an ideal that is celebrated by Tunisians on the national holiday celebrated on December 8th. President Ben Ali will be in the prayers of Tunisians all over the country on that day.

Women joyously chanted their praises to the President during his visit to Sidi Achour. They - and others like them across Tunisia - will now have a chance to gain access to the basic amenities most of us take for granted, and they will now enjoy the dignity of living in a new, modern community.

The woman who gave us a tour of her home also invited us to return and share a celebratory drink with her when her new home was completed. Though it may be the last time we share a drink with the people of Sidi Achour, we know that they will have a place to proudly call home.

For donations and other information concerning the National Solidarity Fund can be found at http://www.26-26.org