Our Objectives...

Our initial objective is to help the children in Kasserine remain in school and continue their education by providing them with the means to do so, including bicycles to reach school for those far away, warm clothing and shoes for the harsh Winter months, basic school supplies, food for breakfast, sports equipment for the school. Our long-term objective is to encourage entrepreneurship among the already educated youth through the development of several micro-projects. This is a long-term project to be undertaken in steps. We have already begun initial steps of our project with the distribution of Autumn clothing in and school supplies in Kasserine, mid-September.

The funding raised through kisskissbankbank.com will be used for the following initiatives...

1. Collection and distribution of Winter clothes, and purchase of winter shoes for the children (200€)

2. Distribution of basic health kits to the school children (50€), and basic food staples to the neediest families (50€)

3. Purchase of bicycles for the children who are the farthest from school (500€)

4. Purchase of sports equipment for the school; using Sport to Combat Poverty (100€)

5. Student Scholarship Fund (50€ per child per year, approximately 350€)

6. Funds in Excess of our goal will help fund Micro-Projects: Sustainable entrepreneurship (sport activities, home stays, cultural workshops, sustainable tourism in Kasserine)

Details

Distribution of Winter Clothing…

In Kasserine, most school children come from very modest families and are unable to afford the most basic necessities. children and their families, needed for the harsh Winter months. Surprisingly, this region of Tunisia is very hot in the Summer(30-40°c) but can be very cold in the Winter (0-12°c). In 2018 a cold snap brought snow to the region, and the people are ill prepared for this cold weather. (add map of the region). Many children do not have shoes to withstand the Winter months.

Working together with our local partner in Kasserine, our first initiative was to collect and distribute Autumn clothing, and we will be distributing Winter clothing and purchasing Winter shoes for the most needy children.

Distribution of School Supplies…

In addition to distributing basic clothing, we have also distributed school supplies to the school children mid-September.

Health Kits

During our next visit in November-December, we will be distributing basic health kits to each children, including soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste. Your donations will help us pay for these items.

Budget: 50€

Food Staples

Many of these children go to school having had little to eat. One of our initiatives is to distribute food to the neediest families to help sustain them through the school year.

Budget: 50€

Bicycles for Schoolchildren

There is little or no transportation to school here, so many children must walk great distances to school each day. This is especially difficult in the rude Winter months. Your donations will help us provide bicycles for the children who need them most so they can get to school easier.

Budget: 100€ per bicycle (500€ total)

Purchasing Sports Equipment

Participating in sports has health benefits, and combats poverty. It fosters social interaction and team spirit and can remove the inequalities between girls and boys. In most cultures worldwide, sport is an integral part of a child’s life, but for poor communities, participating in sports is not possible financially. Your donations will also purchase sports supplies for the school.

Our long-term plan is to develop sports activities within the school or in the village, to be run by a local youth entrepreneur.

Sports Equipment Budget : 200€

Educational Sponsorship

Depending on the success of our kisskissbankbank.com campaign, we hope to sponsor several children each year in pursuit of their higher education, setting up a yearly merit scholarship and eventually an educational and cultural exchange between our school in Tunisia and a school in France.

Budget 50€ per child per year (scholarship fund)

Funds exceeding our target amount will help us develop our micro-projects…

Several micro-projects will promote sustainable entrepreneurship through alternative tourism.(Sport activities, Home Stays, cultural workshops)

The youth of this region who complete their university education diploma are still unable to find employment, due to the extremely high unemployment rate in the region. Our long-term initiative is to encourage and support the creation of young entrepreneurs in the region, through the development of sustainable tourism in the region.

Tourism accounts for nearly 7% of Tunisia’s GDP, and employs close to 400,000 people. However, the seasonal nature of Tunisian tourism, lasts approximately three months, is dominated (95%) by mass coastal tourism (a source of environmental pressure on the natural resources and coastal areas, including water, waste pollution).

Tourism in Kasserine

Yet, the inland region of Kasserine is rich in history, remains undeveloped in comparison to the coastal “all inclusive” tourism.

Development of the “Sustainable Consumption and Production National Action Plan for Tunisia”is currently underway to ensure that tourism continues to be a driving factor in the country’s economy while reducing its ecological footprint. Supported by The World Bank, it is structured around two priority sectors: food and tourism.

Sustainable Tourism

Working alongside our local partner in Tunisia, Outback Riviera intends to develop and promote this region by developing year-round small group holidays for visitors interested in learning more about this rich inland region, its culture and its people far from the coastal mass tourism, to develop sustainable tourism and employment in the Kasserine region. This requires training local youth as young entrepreneurs so as to benefit the local population, and includes

- Sports: hiking, bike rental, bike tours, VTT excursions

- Culture: cooking workshops, cultural activities

- Alternative accommodations: local home stays

High Potential for Job Creation

We are convinced there is a high potential for job creation in the alternative tourism sector in the region due to its cultural richness, archeological sites and natural beauty. This would be just a first step towards reaching this potential, bringing sustainable tourism to the region with the long-term goal of helping to reduce the high unemployment rate for the young people of the region.

We count on your help to put our initiatives into action. The youth of Kasserine count on you to help improve their future.

Slah MHAMDI : Our Partner in Tunisia

Slah Mhamdi is our key partner in the field and will coordinate our efforts in Tunisia. Born in Kasserine, he lives in Monastir and currently works in the tourism industry.

In his youth, he also faced difficulties in continuing his education. He knows, first-hand the difficulties still faced by families, schoolchildren and youth in Kasserine, where most of his friends and family still live. He would like to see the younger generation of children in Kasserine have a better future. He will play a key role in seeing that our project is a success.

We count on your help to make our initiatives a reality. The young people of Kasserine are counting on you to help them improve their future.

Please Donate. Let's Give The youth of Kasserine Hope!

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Association website:
https://www.outbackriviera.com

Hope for the Children of Kasserine Tunisia