SELF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND CREATION OF SOURCES OF INCOME
| In order to diversify the scope of its intervention in favour of the low income families, the Tunisian Social Solidarity Union has launched in 1992 a program aiming at developing and diversifying sources of income and creating jobs in impoverished areas, in order to be in tune with the progress of the general standard of living in the country and the emergence of new challenges on the national and international level, in addition to the evolution of the aspects of the traditionally targeted categories as to their needs and their capabilities. | This program also aims at integrating the families in the regions threatened by social and economic exclusion and bringing them back into the global development plan of the country.
| | | | Since its launching, this program has gradually followed experimental method of intervention that allowed it to progress and develop continuously thanks to the encouragement and the support of the local governmental and technical services as well as the financial and technical support of Foreign Non Governmental Associations and International Financing Institutions.
| | |  OBJECTIVES AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE PROGRAM:
This program aims at limiting the effects of poverty and marginalization in the areas of intervention with regard to the targeted groups whether in the rural or urban environment among low income families, by implementing projects of creation of jobs and of support to sources of income and, thus, improving the living conditions.
| | The philosophy of this project relies on developing the spirit of enterprising among those concerned so they can rely on their own capabilities and command their energies to get rid of the spirit of dependence and participate in stimulating the continuous economic and social dynamics in their local society.
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| The intervention activities of the Tunisian Social Solidarity Union have started progressively through financing individual projects in the handicraft field and small business then they developed to finance projects by sector until they achieved integrated projects through coordinated efforts between the different parties involved.
| | Moreover, the number of sponsors and supervising staff has increased as well as the specialties involved so that there exist presently about 40 technicians, of a university and scientific level, in charge of executing and assessing the multi functional projects.
The TSSU has intervened since the creation of the program in 84 areas to the benefit of 4500 families in 23 governorates up to October 2008 with a total cost of 6.5 millions dinars.
Evolution of the funds to be allotted annually to the projects of development
| | Evolution of the allotments | |
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| The suggested methodology: |
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The objectives:
This methodology aims at guaranteeing the causes of success of the projects to create sources of income in the impoverished areas as regards the economic productivity and its durability and its contribution to the creation and consolidation of an economic dynamics in those areas on the basis of: | The good management of the natural resources in these areas and their affectation according to the local and regional market needs.
| | | Upgrading the skills of the promoters. | | Sponsoring and closely assisting the promoters to overcome the difficulties after implantation. | | Guaranteeing an adequate flexibility in the mode of financing. | | The applied methodology:
The intervention in the field of creation and consolidation of the sources of income in the impoverished areas adopts an integrated and rational methodology starting from a study of the local and regional market to the promoter’s vocational aptitudes and his ability to manage a project, going through a survey of the possibility to appraise and manage the natural resources and use them to control the costs of production and to raise the quality of the product.
| Means of execution: The adoption of this approach requires the elaboration of strategies and intervention that take into account the requirements and the causes of success as mentioned above. The elaboration of these strategies and the assessment of their results with all the modifications that may be necessary, depends on forming a permanent multi functional action group that insures the coordination of the efforts and the complementarities of the roles, of the interventions, of experiences in the field of execution, follow up and assessment.
| Method of selection of the intervention area  |
Stage | Result | - Site identification Visit
| > Forming a general view of the area | - Communal Identification of the problems
| > Consensus on a schedule summing up the problems | - Communal analysis of the problems and ranking the priorities
| > Consensus on a schedule to analyse the problems and classify the causes and the solutions | - Communal planning and programming the project activities with the residents.
| > Schedule of proposed activities by the citizens and their volume | - Sensitization of the technical parties and the local and foreign investors for participation in the project.
| > Consensus on the components and activities of the project and role of the parties involved. |
The TSSU strived since the launching this program to develop the scope of interventions and their diversification in response to the needs of the impoverished categories and disadvantaged areas. Its actions were illustrated through the diversification of operations, development tools, and setting up a contractual framework with partners in the implementation and monitoring of projects.
To ensure the sustainability of projects, the following mechanisms were set up : | Involvement of the citizens and classification of the beneficiaries within: | Appropriate committees, development groupings, service cooperatives and local associations for Social Solidarity. | | | Funds for support financing of projects : | The objective of these funds is to ensure continuity of funding to support the expansion and diversification of projects and provide financial autonomy to the region and the project. These funds contribute to develop the spirit of mutual assistance and solidarity
| | | Continuous presence and very close support : | Services extended by centres supporting communal life (poles of excellence) | | Services extended by centres offering to collect and market farming products. |
| | The governance of natural and ecological resources: | saving in irrigation
| | Fight against desertification. | | | Future directions of the Program: Concomitant with its continued identification of the needs of the impoverished areas and the efforts deployed to achieve integrated development projects therein, the TSSU plans to consecrate its effort to raise this program, its human and institutional resources to a professional level for the future through. : | Structuring the unit of the programs for development and elaboration of a manual of procedures for the execution of development projects. | | Implementation of training programs and upgrading for the managers of development.
| | Adoption of provisional plans related to : | The strategy of obtaining sources of financing and their diversification. | | The strategy of promoting and improving the income raising activities that create jobs. | | The strategy of determining the areas of intervention in conformity with objective Criteria. | | |
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Programs and actions 
