Located at the gateway to the Tunisian desert and the border of Algeria, Rjim Maatouk is an oasis where the arid climate can sometimes make you doubt the land’s agricultural potential. However, the palm and dates plantations have made it one of the main regions for organic date farming in Tunisia.
Olfa Gares, an ambitious young entrepreneur with a passion for promoting Tunisian products, seized the opportunity to launch an agricultural development group (GDA) nearly 12 years ago, and more recently its affiliated brand “Jardins Secrets”.
Native from Sousse, Olfa originally started a career in the textile industry. But her passion caught her up and she quickly decided to make a drastic change of life and move to Rjim Maatoug in the governorate of Kebili where she started a project in date derivatives production.
“At the beginning, nothing really encouraged me to start a business. I found the steps like accessing funding and administrative procedures complicated… Until I met representatives from the town hall of Rjim Maatoug and the association Dream in Tunisia, who encouraged me to start a women’s cooperative. With their help, I was able to obtain production equipment and premises to set up the business.”
The young entrepreneur soon realized that social entrepreneurship could positively contribute to the promotion of the region’s cultural heritage. By creating the Cooperative of Rjim Maatoug, Olfa has not only invested in the development of the agricultural potential of the southern regions, but also in women’s empowerment and in environmental sustainability through organic farming practices. This triple impact encouraged Olfa to develop her technical skills, as well as those of the GDA’s members.
“The initial training has helped many of the women members. Through their commitment to learning the trade, they understood that their role was not simple workers but that they were completely independent. This phase was a precursor and essential for the future.”
As time went by, the Cooperative developed the quality of its local products, such as date syrup, dates coffee, jams and eventually obtained organic certification. In 2020, the cooperative exhibited its products at the BioExpo trade fair in Tunis and received a lot of positive feedback. This encouragement and enthusiasm from the public persuaded Olfa to focus her efforts on improving their products.
In 2021, Olfa discovered the USAID-funded Mashrou3i project. In two consecutive workshops, the project’s experts provided business coaching to the young women entrepreneurs and supported them in the growth of their activities and the development of their products.
“When I joined the project Mashrou3i, we were taught what social entrepreneurship really meant: what our rights were, the benefits, the social business plan… The 30 courses of the HP LIFE entrepreneurial program also helped us improve our entrepreneurial skills.”
Founder of the very first women’s cooperative in Rjim Maatoug, Olfa feels proud of the journey her partners have already accomplished. In addition to gaining independence through the birth of a new professional life, the 25 women of Rjim Maatoug have clearly gained confidence.
“It’s not easy, but women are getting out of their comfort zone. When they get more attention (whether from partners, trainers or others), it allows them to assert themselves and become more independent. They help each other and set new goals that gives them confidence for the challenges ahead.”
The positive impact of the Rjim Maatoug Cooperative proves once again that the support of active women in the rural areas of Tunisia is essential to contribute to the regional economic development and to enable the evolution of social trends towards gender equity.