| ID: | 87884 |
|---|---|
| Country: | Tunisia |
| Title: | Tunisia - Economic, Social and Solidarity Project (IESS) – May 2024 |
| Description: |
Khmaies (51) is a street vendor. He sells fast food such as cakes, boiled eggs and hot tea, which he prepares on the spot. He also sells soft drinks and lemonade in warmer weather. He lives with his wife Feiza (51), and their two children, a girl and a boy aged 19 and 17 respectively. The whole family live in the Kairouan governorate. He used to accompany his brother-in-law in his car to transport his products and equipment to the markets in the various regions of Kairouan. But when his brother-in-law sold his car to go into farming, Khmaies was faced with a major problem: transport. He didn't give up and continued his business to provide for his family. But this time he had to pay for a seat in a private car, which cost him 20 dinars for the round trip. His small income did not allow him to cover the transport costs. He has had to stop working, sell his equipment and even borrow money to survive. As he lives in an isolated area, it was essential for him to be able to travel if he wanted to take over his business. Two years ago, he didn't hesitate to join the long list of people dreaming of a motor tricycle, commonly known as TOKTOK, when he heard about the Economic, Social and Solidarity project (IESS-Kairouan) project which is funded by IFAD. In December 2023, he finally received his TOKTOK. "Owning a means of transport gives you a sense of independence and freedom," says Khmaies. He remembers the time before he got his TOKTOK. He would walk to the end of the street with all his equipment to wait for the private car, which sometimes didn't come to pick him up. Khmaies was sometimes forced to go home with nothing in the pockets. He tells how he used to get up very early, at two in the morning, to prepare his equipment and products so that he would be ready to serve his customers when he arrived at the souk (Arabic: market). "Thank goodness, I'm very happy with my TOKTOK, which has changed my life", he says. He adds that thanks to his TOKTOK, his financial situation has improved considerably. He explains that when the weather is hot (spring or summer), business isn't very good and the best-selling product is lemonade. In winter, sales improve. His life revolves around his business and his days are marked by routine: He comes home from the souk, has breakfast, rests for a while until 1 p.m., then gets on his TOKTOK to ride around the neighbourhood and collect the eggs laid by his neighbours' hens, which he will sell the next day at the souk. He then returns home, unloads the eggs, rests for a while, then goes to fetch some wood, which he will use to cook the eggs and prepare and heat the tea at the souk. He then goes home, has dinner and watches the television before going to bed at around 10pm. He wakes up at two in the morning to prepare his products and equipment, which he loads onto his TOKTOK, ready to hit the road. Every day, he transports around 200 eggs to the market. Around ten eggs are bought from his wife Feiza, who breeds a few hens in their garden. He says that he and his wife are financially independent of each other, and that they each have their own source of income. He adds that his wife helps him a lot and sometimes cooks the eggs he sells in the souk. He would have preferred to have a small truck to sell sheep, as it's a juicier business. However, he no longer has any sheep, as he has sold almost all of them to survive. He says there's a lot he could do to improve his business and his life, but for now he can't complain, because he considers himself lucky and happy with his situation thanks to his TOKTOK. |
| Size: | 15.39 MB; 6720 x 4480 pixels; 569 x 379 mm (print at 300 DPI); 1778 x 1185 mm (screen at 96 DPI); |
| Show more details: | Chedly Ben Ibrahim |
| Copyright: | ©IFAD/Chedly Ben Ibrahim |
| Categories: | New from Near East, North Africa, Europe and Central Asia |
| URL: | www.ifad.org |
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