Naouel Hammi was born and raised in the palm grove of Tozeur – a tourism region which generates its income mainly from dates and oasis agriculture. Naouel is a housewife and mother of three. Three years ago, at 42-year-old, she decided to fulfill an old dream. Like many strong women in the south of Tunisia, she became an entrepreneur and launched her own textile business “Analyna Confection”, specialized in specific nets that protect the dates.
In all regions of Tunisia, women study and succeed in their studies. Once they are married, many women, like Naouel, devote themselves to their families and the education of their children, especially in the South.
“I got my baccalaureate in literature and then I studied computer science at the age of 20,” says Naouel proudly. “Today I am putting all this potential into the success of my project. The opportunity came to me while talking with a friend, to compete for a tender to sew mosquito nets to protect the palm trees in the Tozeur region.”
The season for protecting date palms usually starts in early summer in all oases. To protect them from bad weather conditions, the palm trees are covered with mosquito nets that safeguard the quality and nutritional value of the dates.
Apart from threading a needle, Naouel had no knowledge of textile making, but she learned everything very quickly. With the encouragement and financial support of her family, she started an apprenticeship in sewing. Then she rented a room, equipped it with 15 machines, applied for the tender to manufacture a batch of 200,000 mosquito nets and started to train her 15 employees.
“Being a woman in the South and starting a business is not easy. It is a daily challenge to face difficulties, to find solutions and above all to honor one’s commitments, where women are seen as the keepers of the home and the children education. Even though I didnt have professional experience, I am proud to have contributed the last few years to the protection of date palm production.”
Discovering Mashrou3i last summer was decisive for Naouel. She learnt that the challenge wasn’t only about launching her business, but above all in consolidating her achievements and to keep progressing.
“My adventure still goes on with Mashrou3i. I am learning that I need overcome the weakness of seasonal activity and diversify my business so it provide an income all year round. Thanks to Mashrou3i’s coach I have decided to expand my business into another promising niche in the south: household linen. I will soon receive a training to improve my technical skills for this specific activity.”
Mashrou3i is providing Naouel with an intensive two-week training course in her workshop where she will learn how to use software to design and produce models, alongside other textile techniques to enable her to diversify her activities.
“Running a business without the necessary qualifications has been very challenging for me. Thanks to Mashrou3i, I was able to overcome the challenges I was facing in management and marketing. Despite the restrictions due to the COVID-19 crisis, I was able to benefit from an online training on marketing and social media, as well as a face-to-face training on business management which helps me on a daily basis.”
Naouel is currently setting up a new workshop next to her house. Her vision for the future is clear: she will produce new products and launch a household linen brand while reinforcing her skills in the textile sector. Therefore, she is already testing samples and plans to work on her brand image with the support of Mashrou3i.