KHOULOUD BAGHOURI

Khouloud Ben Mansour Baghouri is a 24 years old student pursuing a bachelor degree in Science with a Major in Chemistry. As she grew up and went through a variety of experiences, the passion of leading and helping others allowed her to discover the path she wanted to go on. Khouloud had the honour of attending simulations of the United Nations, which she has used extensively to assess herself socially and professionally. As Chair of the Climate Change and Environmental Protection Committee in Morocco, she had the opportunity to train delegates on United Nations procedures, assess their progress in diplomatic discourse and evaluate their resolutions. Khouloud also ran campaigns on the latter for the goals of sustainable development and gender equality.

"Nothing Should Be Taken for Granted"

Q: TELL US A FEW THINGS ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY, AND ALSO YOUR LIFE'S STORY!

Tunisia is a country in Northern Africa bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR VIEW OF THE WORLD AS IT IS TODAY? AND HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE CONCEPT OF A BETTER WORLD?

The world today is currently facing multiple challenges, from climate change issues to economic crisis, wars and international health threats. I believe that the world is under big pressure which reflects the misbehaviour of human beings and the misconduct on our existing valuable natural resources.

The concept of a better world for me refers to a world where there's no war, where peace and coexistence are a common mindset that is applicable in everyone's daily life. I believe that a better world would be less stressful and more joyful and peaceful.

Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY CHALLENGES IN YOUR SOCIETY?

In my society, there are multiple challenges that we have been facing especially after the revolution. I would state mainly the unemployment issue which has led to corruption, poverty and many other negative misbehaviours and that has been reflected on youth. Unemployment is also linked to the lack of Education quality and the absence of quality education (for most rural areas where the access to Education is quite difficult to not say crippling). The unemployment issue has led many young talented minds to migrate outside of their territories in search of a brighter future.

This has raised the level of risk and anarchy in the society, making citizens feeling less safe and secured. The unexistence of the demands of most of the youth makes them choose the easy way that is to escape on an illegal way or work in their country under difficult situations. The employment issue remains a struggle on a hope to have better laws established to uplift the bright and great minds we have.

Q: AS A WOMAN WHAT ARE A FEW OF THE HURDLES THAT YOU HAD TO OVERCOME UP UNTIL TODAY?

As a woman, I had faced so many hurdles and still ongoing. I would say most of them are the lack of safety, feeling the need to secure myself on a daily basis either that was financially, morally or physically. Unfortunately, years after years the security level in our country is decreasing and for a working woman, it's no longer that safe every day. There is also the verbal harassment issue, on the streets, at work or on public places.

I'm an independent woman, I started working right after I finished high school. I have managed somehow up to my capacities - of course, to work and study at the same time, that is to help my family and also to make myself socially and financially self-reliant. I'm very proud of the person I have become, because thanks to those efforts, I'm now satisfied with how far I've come and all the work I did. I'm even happier because I am still motivated to do more and to reach more of my dreams. I hope that by that time, life can be easier and safer for young girls and women like me.

Q: WHY IS THE ROLE OF A MENTOR IMPORTANT FOR YOU?

The role of a mentor is important to me because he/she will guide me, help me and provide me with the necessary knowledge to figure out the correct plan I want to follow. It's also with the expertise of the mentor that a person can witness progress and improvement.

Q: DO YOU HAVE A LESSON THAT LIFE HAS TAUGHT YOU AND YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?

I have learned that nothing is given too easy and nothing should be taken for granted. In life, you have to earn things by your own work, your own efforts. No matter how easy it sounds to get the things you want, sometimes you're lucky to have them offered to you. But the real taste, the wonderful win is to work for them. Many times the road will get tricky, hard and full of rocks, eventually, it's the feeling of self-satisfaction and that reward you have after so much patience. I have learned that if you don't work on yourself, no one will push you for your own sake. The inner voice that wants you to succeed that's the only thing we need to listen to.

Q: NAME A PROJECT, A FOUNDATION OR A PERSON IN YOUR COUNTRY THAT YOU THINK IS DOING GREAT WORK IN HELPING IMPROVE OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES!

Founded in 2017, startup Think-it is one of the businesses tackling youth poverty and unemployment in the country. Think-it connects global tech companies with Tunisia’s brightest young people as a way to address brain drain – since the Arab spring, approximately 100,000 young people have left the country. Graduates are trained using the newest technologies, such as AI and blockchain, to develop skills appropriate for Think-it’s partner companies in Germany and the US – earning good wages without leaving their home country.

Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WOMEN IN YOUR COUNTRY FACE AND WHAT EFFORTS ARE MADE TOWARDS GENDER EQUALITY?

Tunisia is currently ranked 123rd on the Global Gender Gap Index of 2014 according to the World Economic Forum and is, therefore, one of the highest-ranking countries in the Arab world. Tunisia is viewed as a relatively advanced country in terms of women’s rights. Tunisia has repeatedly expressed its willingness to meet international norms and standards with regards to both human rights protection and women’s rights. To this end, the country has adopted several national measures regarding women’s rights, including granting women the vote in 1957 and granting women reproductive freedom in 1962 with access to birth control measures. The new Constitution included Article 46, which guarantees the “equality of opportunities between men and women to have access to all levels of responsibility and in all fields” and fair representation in all elected bodies.

However, despite immense gains on paper, Gender Concerns International and other NGOs have noted the contrasting stark reality of Tunisian women; a significant gender imbalance in Tunisia still remains. Several women’s activists have argued that this gender gap can be explained through a lack of awareness about women’s rights and the regression within the education sector of the country.

Moreover, Tunisian women have continued to fight several forms of violence and harassment. According to a 2012 survey of the National Board for Family and Population (ONFP), about one in two Tunisian women said they had been subjected to violence during their life. With the resurgence of Islamist ideologies in Tunisian society of which some view women as second-class citizens, violence against women is increasing every day. Unfortunately, the government is slow to react to this type of violence. This may be attributed to the fact that gender-based violence laws are currently still sitting in parliament and have yet to be signed into law.

With alarm, Gender Concerns International and other NGO´s have observed that due to the government remaining silent on gendered security issues, unjust treatment of women still occurs on a daily basis. When a young woman is raped by a police officer, for example, she can be charged with indecency which may lead to imprisonment, regardless of her status as a victim. Another, rather hidden issue is the fact that some women are the victims of incest practised by fathers, uncles, cousins or brothers. Besides the physical and sexual forms of incest which are the most commonplace, many women suffer from economic violence since they are banned from working while others have their wages confiscated.

The position of Tunisian women in rural areas remains extremely problematic: 40% of women living in rural areas are illiterate while many rural women face numerous health problems due to a lack of access to free healthcare. Furthermore, these women are not well integrated on the economic and political scene. As recommended in the final report of the Gender Election Observation Mission (GEOM) 2014, 300,000 Tunisian women mostly living in these rural areas, who have been excluded from the electoral process, need to be given access to voting in any future elections in Tunisia. The fact that these 300,000 women lacked the official identity card necessary to cast their vote underscores the gap in Tunisia´s democratic system, especially with regard to gender parity.

Q: ATHENA40 IS THE FIRST EVER GLOBAL SELECTION OF THE TOP 40 WOMEN FORWARD THINKERS, COMMENTATORS, ACTIVISTS, AUTHORS, ACADEMICS, ENTREPRENEURS, EXECUTIVES, INNOVATORS. CAN YOU THINK OF A TRULY INNOVATIVE AND FORWARD-THINKING WOMAN FROM YOUR COUNTRY THAT YOU WISH TO NOMINATE FOR THE ATHENA40 GLOBAL LIST?

I would like to nominate Ms Hind Houas - Project Management Specialist / Democracy Rights and Governance for USAID. She currently serves as an advisor, coordinator, and program manager on a range of Democracy Human Rights and Governance issues including local governance, strengthening service delivery, decentralization, public financial management, transparency and accountability, electoral processes, civil society and inclusion of marginalized groups.

Ms Houas is also one of the primary contacts for a small, multidisciplinary team working to attain DRG-related objectives laid out in USAID’s Five Year Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) for Tunisia. Her programmatic duties include participating and/or leading the design of new activities, providing technical direction and financial management for ongoing activities within the DRG portfolio, and monitoring a variety of capacity development and performance improvement efforts. She maintains a working knowledge of political developments in Tunisia, collaborates with other USAID technical offices and supports teams to operate within a complex, fluid political environment and coordinate with high-level officials in both the United States Government (USG) and the Government of Tunisia (GOT) in addition to other public, private, and donor stakeholders.

She is currently the Agreement Officer Representative (AOR) for the USAID-MA3AN grant, a five year cooperative agreement implemented by FHI 360 focused on youth empowerment and community resilience. Ma3an includes a $7m Grants Under Contract fund, which she administers in terms of reviewing concept notes and approving grants applications.

In addition to being the activity manager for the USAID-TADAEEM project, a four year, $49m contract implemented by Deloitte focused enhancing service delivery by developing more effective ways to provide public services, ensuring that essential amenities are provided in an inclusive, efficient and accountable manner. TADAEEM includes a $5m Grants Under Contract fund, which she helps administer in terms of reviewing concept notes and grants applications.

Aside from the professional aspect, Ms Houas has been a supportive, humble and very given human being to myself and so many fellow leaders I know. She has been always ready and open to help, give recommendations and guidance to whoever needed it. She is also a giver to the country and that has been shown by her dedication to what she does and her work ethics. Therefore, I see she deserves to be nominated for the Athena40 global list.

Q: SHARE WITH US A PHRASE, A POEM OR A STORY THAT YOU LOVE OR YOU FIND INTERESTING!

Ordinary life does not interest me. I seek only the high moments. I am in accord with the surrealists, searching for the marvellous. I want to be a writer who reminds others that these moments exist; I want to prove that there is infinite space, infinite meaning, infinite dimension. But I am not always in what I call a state of grace. I have days of illuminations and fevers. I have days when the music in my head stops. Then I mend socks, prune trees, can fruits, polish furniture. But while I am doing this I feel I am not living. - Anaïs Nin , Diary of Anaïs Nin Vol.1

Q: TELL US ONE THING THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM YOUR MENTOR.

My mentor has taught me patience, perseverance and has taught me mostly to listen carefully. He has been always open to help and always ready to catch up and listen. I owe him big time for always providing me with consistent help and I cherish his valuable pieces of advice, I take them really in consideration and I follow what he has given me in my daily life. Whenever I tend to take a professional decision I remember what Mr David has recommended me. This has helped me even to grow as a person, to increase my sense of responsibility.

What I truly appreciate in my mentor, is his support, he genuinely boosted my self-esteem by believing in me and by seeing my potential which is very rare to be admitted by professional experts in his position. I would like to seize this occasion to thank him from the bottom of my heart and to have these words serving as modest lines of how much appreciation and respect I have for him.