Weaving Through Life

Here is another video of my work with women in Tunisia. As described in the last post (in Tunisia Women 1), my team and I distributed surveys to women in the city we were researching in southern Tunisia, (Beni Khedeche). After meeting with many local associations and business leaders, we wanted a chance to hear from the less vocal personalities of the village; we wanted to hear from the women.
We formulated a short survey that attempted to better understand how women viewed the opportunities that their village offered. The video shows our Tunisian counterpart speaking with several women while they take a break from weaving traditional wool rugs. These women make their living by weaving rugs and blankets and selling it to the Maison d'Artisan, which then sells them abroad. The interview is in Arabic, but below are the interview questions. You may be able to tell that the two women have trouble deciding which sector provides the best opportunity for youth in their village and which city they would work in if they didn't work in their native town. Most respondents said that tourism provides the best opportunity for economic development in Beni Khedeche but that agriculture now provides the best opportunity for youth. Most also said that if they did not work in Beni Khedeche, they would work in either Tunis or Sfax. Furthermore, the majority of women said that their education in Beni Khedeche does not prepare them to enter the workforce. Again, it became clear that empowering these women will be key in developing Beni Khedeche and the surrounding region. Enjoy the video!