Tunisia

Malek has more than six years of experience in the nonprofit sector in North Africa and earned a Master’s degree in Applied Sciences and Technologies from the University of Science of Carthage. For the previous four years, Malek has been managing operations of projects in Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco, making sure all projects meet their intended scope, budget, and timeline. Most of these projects aimed to assess the needs and living conditions of vulnerable groups, such as migrants and refugees, children, and communities affected by war. The output of these projects provided precise information and granular data on the humanitarian situation that more than thirty-six aid response agencies and decision-makers across the region used to know when, where, how, and what humanitarian assistance to provide to those in need. As an Operations Manager, Malek has also overseen talent acquisition, training, and integration of local staff. Prior to project operations management, Malek worked as a Senior Project Officer for six months overseeing the implementation of migration-related assessment on the border between Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Malek and the team of data collectors he was managing, collected more than four hundred surveys with migrants and refugees to understand their needs and integration process within the community. The output of this study was used by community stakeholders to integrate more than 20% of the refugees and migrants into the labor force of the area and by UNHCR for the resettlement of more than seventy profiles in acute need among them children and women. Malek’s main areas of interest are peacebuilding, child rights, and migration. His mindset of getting things done combined with his problem-solving abilities and teamwork skills are his main roadmap for tackling and positively contributing to these social issues.

Host Organization: CARE

Role at Host Organization: As a Supply Chain Fellow, Malek will support CARE’s supply chain transformation project and help drive key milestones. As one of the core team members, Malek will work with corporate partners and the senior team to review the organization’s supply chain to assess gaps, plan development, and prioritize needs. The Fellow will also support the implementation of supply chain policies and trainings across the organization’s different country offices.

Amina is a Procurement Professional with four years of experience working with international and humanitarian organizations. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in English Language, Literature, and Civilization from a Tunisian University in Tunisia. Over the past years, Amina has been working on development projects to improve private sectors and youth participation in civil society. Currently a Procurement Officer at FHI360, a $48,552,142 USAID project to increase youth participation in civic and political life. Starting in December 2021, her role has been of great help to the improvement of youth participation in civic life by procuring goods and services that impact directly and indirectly on youth participation in civic life. Previously, Amina worked as a Procurement Officer and was then promoted to Procurement Specialist with the USAID Tunisia Accountability, Decentralization, and Effective Municipalities project, a 4-year, $54 million U.S. government program to support the needs of Tunisia’s municipalities, implemented by Deloitte. She served as the lead procurement liaison between the USAID team, Tunisian municipalities, and local suppliers. Some of the procurements she led supported essential services, including road rehabilitation, energy, street lighting, waste management, municipal parks, healthcare, and government-wide IT procurements. In less than two years, Amina supported over USD 5,000,000 of local procurements for the Tunisian government on behalf of USAID. One of Amina’s most notable impacts in 2020 was leading the US government’s emergency response operations to supply the Tunisian government with USD 1,500,000 of COVID-19 equipment to over half of the country’s municipalities. She led the end-to-end process and coordinated with several awarded vendors to quickly manufacture and deliver the required items. Her efforts led to the delivery of 75,837 items and 1.5 million liters of cleaning solutions to 151 municipalities, and the Ministry of Local Affairs. Deloitte U.S awarded Amina an “Outstanding Performance Award” in 2020.

Host Organization: CARE

Role at Host Organization: As a Supply Chain Fellow, Amina will support CARE’s supply chain transformation project and help drive key milestones. As one of the core team members, the Fellow will work with corporate partners and the senior team to review the organization’s supply chain to assess gaps, plan development, and prioritize needs. The Fellow will also support the implementation of supply chain policies and training across the organization’s different country offices.

Mehdi is currently a Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Accountability professional with more than ten years of experience, including five in Monitoring and Evaluation in both the development/humanitarian and impact investing sectors at Oxfam and Yunus Social Business. Passionate about multidisciplinary knowledge and learning, Mehdi has always been an autodidact. He holds a Master’s degree in Accounting Sciences from IHEC Carthage. During his career, he earned multiple certificates related to his domain of expertise. Mehdi has spent the last three years working mainly with marginalized communities on tackling economic and gender inequalities, topics he has a strong passion about besides humanitarian work. His contribution covers many aspects and includes in particular: assessments; impact measurement; evidence-based learning; strategy design and interventions framing; designing monitoring and evaluation processes and developing tools (IT); capacity building; and empowering people and organizations. Mehdi is recognized for his problem-solving skills, his strategic thinking abilities, and his innovative and creative thinking.

Host Organization: Transparency & Accountability Initiative

Role at Host Organization: At the Transparency & Accountability Initiative, Mehdi will serve as the Monitoring, Evaluation, & Learning Fellow. He will help implement TAI’s internal MEL system and practices. He will also support TAI’s learning initiatives, including staff internal reflection sessions, funder member-facing events and/or written products, and research around TPA-related topics.

Asma Rouabhia is passionate about working on the sustainable development agenda and empowering vulnerable communities to unleash their potential. She has 5 years of multidisciplinary experience in the development sector. She is pursuing a professional master’s degree in innovation, has studied diplomacy and international relations, and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Asma is an alumna of the US MEPI Student Leaders program and won first place in the MEPI Alumni of the Year 2020 award. She worked with an international training institute and contributed to projects focused on sustainable development and good governance. She led the design and implementation of capacity building programs for policy makers and public sector reform, primarily in Africa. Asma was a Junior National Consultant to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in the Recovery and Resilience Team. She is a former regional focal point for the Arab States and West Asia with the Major Group for Children and Youth and a coordinator of the Youth Sustainable Energy Hub. Asma is one of UNESCO’s Arab Youth Leaders in ESD and Green TVET, and one of the laureates of GIZ’s Accelerate MENA program. She is part of the technical working group focusing on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals as part of the UN High Level Dialogue on Energy 2021. Asma launched a new initiative called Elkhadra Sustainable: A Better Tunisia for All to strengthen the knowledge and skills of young Tunisians in sustainable development and be agents of change.

Host Organization: Girl Up

Role at Host Organization: At Girl Up, Asma will be serving as the Girl Up MENA Regional Fellow: The Developing Girl Up’s strategic approach to program delivery and engagement in the Middle East & East Africa region, building on the existing grassroots network of Girl Up Clubs and youth leaders throughout the region.

Chaima Chaouachi started her own social enterprise, Tela.tn, during the pandemic with one objective: Economic relief for the vulnerable professionals affected by the global pandemic COVID-19. Chaima graduated from the prestigious Tunis Business School, Tunisia with a Professional Master’s degree in Management of Non-Governmental Organizations and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Analytics and Marketing. Chaima held several positions as Project Manager and Communication Manager in both the non-profit and the private sector on a multinational level, where she succeeded to form new partnerships and long-lasting relationships with various local and international stakeholders. Chaima believes in the power of social and economic gender equality, that is why one of her life’s missions, is to create empowerment opportunities for Tunisian women and young people. Chaima aspires to be one of the Tunisian leaders who create change in the world.

Salma Necib has three years of experience in the nonprofit and corporate sectors, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Higher Institute of Management in Tunis (ISG). While working as a Product Owner with Keyrus for Orange Telecommunication client in Tunisia under Digital & Customer Experience Business Unit, she helped create a new digital revenue stream through the development and implementation of an e-commerce and content management solution in two pilot countries. Salma has also worked as a Project Manager of Selfcare Omniflow, which was the first proprietary software of Keyrus. Previously, Salma volunteered with AIESEC and was responsible for developing partnerships between AIESEC entities and promoting cultural exchange awareness. She has also been selected several times to represent her country’s exchange programs and volunteering opportunities in many countries including Switzerland, Bulgaria, and Morocco. Through these varied experiences, she has developed strong skills in leadership, public speaking, innovation management, product strategy consulting, customer experience, youth empowerment, and social entrepreneurship. Salma enjoys designing human-centered solutions, especially for emerging industries, including circular economy and sustainable mobility.

Host Organization: Village Capital

Role at Host Organization: At Village Capital, Salma will serve as the Startup Ecosystem Fellow: supporting Village Capital’s relationship with the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator with an aim of creating fans and advocates of IBM’s technology and approach with the fintech, health tech, insurtech, and regtech startup communities.

Samar Baba has three years of experience in the nonprofit sector and almost two years of professional experience in a multinational company. Samar holds an Engineering degree in Applied Mathematics and Modelling from the High National Engineering School of Tunis (ENSIT). While working as a Developer Advocate in the Company’s IT department, she used to represent and advocate for the tools, components, and guidelines designed by the architecture department before the Delivery Teams. She designed and conducted workshops, trainings, and tutorials for developers. Also, she was the product owner of the IT Department’s internal framework. Samar was also a volunteer committee member of the humanitarian activities department of IEEE, an organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Her role consisted of mentoring and reviewing the reports of the funded projects around the world. While working as a youth adviser within a consultancy focused on creating innovative ideas and social impact opportunities, she was in charge of a team of 25 youth for a Microsoft project preparing for the next generation workforce. Samar has volunteered for 6 years within IEEE. She used to lead an initiative called TAWASOL, funded by the organization, for two years. The project aimed to initiate social change in Tunisia through technology using a platform developed by the team. Through these experiences, she developed strong communication, project coordination, and implementation skills. Also, she acquired the ability to make decisions and solve problems. Samar enjoys focusing on the topics of entrepreneurship and education and has a strong passion for youth empowerment.

Host Organization: IBM

Role at Host Organization: At IBM, Samar will serve as the DevZ Experience Fellow – Z Student Hub: supporting youth engagement in preparing for the future of work through digital skill-building, professional development training, and building entrepreneurial spirit with youth around the world who have not been exposed to computer science or are new to IBM Z technology.

Soufiene Chahbani has four years of experience in the nonprofit sector and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Engineering from the University of El Manar in Tunisia. He is currently preparing for his Master’s degree in IoT. Soufiene served as a Project Manager at Wasabi, a communications company dedicated to creating platforms for open expression. As a member of Wasabi, he helped in establishing a reliable entrepreneurship ecosystem through Afkar Incubator, the first idea stage incubator in Tunisia. He was also responsible for the logistics of the incubator, which includes event planning and communications support production. Moreover, Soufiene established the incubator’s sourcing and recruitment process and helped with monitoring and evaluating entrepreneurs. Previously, Soufiene was the Project Manager of ‘3alli Soutek’, Arabic for “raise your voice”, a civic engagement project that aims to empower young Tunisians to be active in civic life for the betterment of their communities. Soufiene worked on TEDxCarthage as a Volunteer Coordinator and as a Post-Production Manager. Soufiene is also the organizer of TEDxDjerba, the first TEDx in the south of Tunisia, where he was able to contribute to inspiring the Tunisian youth. Back in 2014, Soufiene served as a volunteer in the Media Center of the Independent High Authority for Elections and ensured the media center ran smoothly. Through these experiences, he developed strong project management, communications, and capacity building skills. Soufiene enjoys focusing on the topics of entrepreneurship and media and has a passion for youth development and civic engagement.

Host Organization: IBM

Role at Host Organization: At IBM, Soufiene will serve as the DevZ Experience Fellow – Z + VS Code: supporting youth engagement in preparing for the future of work through digital skill-building, professional development training, and building entrepreneurial spirit with youth around the world who have not been exposed to computer science or are new to IBM Z technology.

Nesrine Aouinti has four years of experience within for-profit and nonprofit organizations and holds a Bachelor’s degree in French Language, Literature, and Civilization from the Faculty of Humanities of Tunis, Tunisia. She is passionate about open governance, transparency, and furthering democracy. Most recently, Nesrine has served as a Senior Project Manager at Coinsence, a global and decentralized collaboration platform and change-maker network powered by blockchain-based impact currencies. Within that role, Nesrine facilitated various successful programs and oversaw the achievement of vital strategic objectives. Previously, Nesrine worked as a Project Manager for Wasabi, a media and communication company dedicated to creating platforms for public debate, community building, and open expression. Nesrine ensured a multi-stakeholder collaboration for national economic policy debate in Tunisia. Nesrine connected relevant key actors working on economic advancement in Tunisia and sustained partnerships between government, non-government organizations, and academic researchers. Nesrine also worked as a Project Assistant for Al Bawsala, a Tunisian non-profit organization that aims to reposition citizens at the core of political action. Nesrine worked towards the establishment of good governance practices and political ethics with the elected representatives. Nesrine reinforced the principles of transparency and accountability in 350 Tunisian municipalities by filing hundreds of access to information requests and meeting with municipal officials all around the country to discuss pressing issues related to access to information. Thanks to these experiences, Nesrine developed strong project management and leadership skills.

Host Organization: American Red Cross

Role at American Red Cross: At The American Red Cross, Nesrine will serve as the Knowledge Management Fellow for the Global Disaster Preparedness Center: providing support to the preparedness team for knowledge management, research and learning needs both at Headquarters and in the field.

Wiem Jbeli is a young Tunisian who has over 4 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She has earned a BA in Business English and an MA in English for Communication. Wiem is currently the Secretary General of the Tunisian American Alumni Network, focusing on reintegrating Tunisian exchange programs alumni upon their return to Tunisia; thus, creating an opportunity for them to come together to bring positive change. Her role with TAAN includes establishing and promoting synergy between exchange program alumni. Wiem started volunteering in the community when she was a student. Her main interests revolve around women, youth empowerment and education. Wiem participated in various local initiatives and projects and succeeded in encouraging youth in her community to be more active. Her experience and her devotion to her community granted her the chance to represent Tunisia in the MEPI Leaders program of 2016, where she took part in a leadership and project management training at Georgetown University and volunteered for DC Central Kitchen. Upon return from the U.S., Wiem invested and transferred the knowledge she gained in her community and worked as a facilitator for the Association for the Promotion of Citizen Education – APEC. In this role, she was part of a program targeting high-school students in marginalized areas. The program included workshops and activities aiming at raising awareness on active citizenship and engaging young students in their communities. All these experiences made Wiem keen to move forward and continue working on making her community and country a better place.

Host Organization: Meridian International Center

Role at Meridian International CenterAt Meridian International Center, Wiem will serve as the Youth Programs Fellow: developing strategic communications plans, managing social media efforts, and preparing graphic materials and mobile apps for GlobalConnect’s international youth programs.

Marwa is a public-private dialogue projects manager and high-performing executive with four years of experience in improving the business climate in Tunisia. Marwa has two years’ experience in strategic planning and implementing public-private dialogue programs. She has demonstrated an efficiency in staffing, training and development, budgeting, proposal writing, and external communication. She has been leading the National and Regional Business Agenda: projects that advocate for regulatory reforms to boost the private sector investment. Thanks to this program, Marwa has gained an expertise in advocacy and communication. In addition to having conceived advocacy strategies within these projects, she has held advocacy campaigns, such as on the self-entrepreneur draft law, the simplification of administrative procedures draft law and on improving the efficiency of the national port system. She has developed an in-depth knowledge of the fundraising ecosystem. Marwa is also an IACE Representative, she has represented the organization at the national and the international level, including at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress. Marwa has organized events and conferences on gender equality, governance and transparency, and anti-corruption on the natural resources sector in Tunisia.

Host Organization: Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)

Role at Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) Marwa will serve as the MENA Fellow: supporting CIPE MENA staff in implementation of projects and initiatives, and assisting with tasks related to all points of the project life cycle.

Abir Chermiti is a Software Engineer from Tunisia. She is a Program Manager of the nonprofit Arab Women In Computing (ArabWIC) as well as an ICT4D Research Fellow for Engineering For Change LLC. Abir has years of volunteer experience among a variety of organizations. Professionally, she is well versed in computer sciences and was selected by the IEEE Women In Engineering as the Winner of the Most Inspiring Student Member of the year 2017 award. Additionally, Abir founded the first women in technology summit in Tunisia, the IEEE Women in Engineering Leadership Summit. She is a proactive team player, problem solver and has impressive interpersonal skills.

Host Organization: Cultural Vistas

Fellow Role at Cultural Vistas: Abir will serve as a Software Engineer Fellow and is responsible for developing, creating, and modifying general computer applications software or specialized utility programs. She will also analyze users needs and design databases within an application area.