In the countryside of Kairouan .. 250 Tunisian become a bee cell produces oils and perfumes

Najih Al-Zoghoudi-Tunisia

Amidst the forests of Al-Waslatiya in the province of Kairouan, dozens of women and girls flock to the leaves of tall palms, pine branches, thyme and coriander, as if they were a flock of bees searching for the nectar of flowers.

The young university graduate partners in working on specific types of tree trees with a fine smell. When the bags are filled, they return to the laboratory where the plant oils are extracted to become medicines and perfumes.

In her white lab coat, Labia al-Amiri stands in a distillation space in front of the dispenser watching the leak of precious oil droplets in the tube as if she were watching a woman in labor.

Lamia and her sister and 250 women
Lamia was established in partnership with 250 women from the Al-Waslatiya area (west of Kairouan governorate), Jawahar and Salat Company, specialized in extracting, packaging and exporting aromatic oils from Aleppo pine trees.

The idea of ​​the project illuminated the years of dismal unemployment and the difficulties of seeking work among the governorates of Tunisia. During which neither Lamia nor her sister, university graduates, succeeded in finding a livelihood in the face of diminished employment opportunities after the January 14 revolution.

The rest of the women partners were formerly workers hired by seasonal contractors active in the field of picking corona and distill it to become expensive oil, in exchange for cheap fare and lack of protection in the middle of the forest.

Today, women have become shareholders of the company, while at the same time employees are receiving stable monthly salaries and enjoy health coverage, according to the system of cooperative companies that rely on the solidarity economy.

Jungle wreaths flower their flowers
In the morning, the women's groups head to the forest where the company has obtained a pre-authorization to harvest the coriander, thyme, juniper, kalitos and pine trees in the forest, as if they were a beehive.

The company extracts oil and water extracts separated carefully and carefully, and then work separately in a specialized laboratory, and refused to sell workers oil less than ten times the price of the molded despite the pressure of competitors.

The diverse workforce within the women's work team ensures the quality of the extraction and packaging process according to scientific standards and health conditions. These conditions enabled the company to obtain its distinctive brand.

Friends of the forest and its plants
The forest is not far from the center of the current company, not far from the workers' homes. They are forest dwellers, jungle friends and planters, and are dedicated to protecting plant wealth as a sustainable livelihood.

Through the scientific experiments carried out by Lamia became known as the season in which each plant produces more oil and the sharing of this information, taking into account the environmental aspects of the forest and avoid depletion.

The company obtained a license to exploit under preconditions to make women work more comfortably under laws that usually prevent the exploitation of the forest, in order to preserve some rare forest species, such as the Russian long-stemmed Kalitos tree.

The extraction process goes through stages that women can achieve according to harmonious and integrated roles. The extracted oil is transported to the laboratory and then placed in small flasks. The price of canned liter is estimated at $ 300.

50 Certificate in the field of plants and cosmetics
In addition to Lamia and her sister, the company has 50 postgraduate degrees in various fields related to botany and cosmetics. Each specialist works on experiments to extract cosmetics and perfumes from aromatic wood plants.

With the development of work and the stability of the company, the Women's Foundation has become a safe haven for women housewives from poor families. Dozens of women have joined the mountain dwellers and are able to provide them with decent living.

They were employed by forest users to extract coriander oil (sold cheaply). Their work was random and they received a low wage for work from dawn to sunset, despite what the work of the money to investors.

Young women are the most prominent element
Young girls are the most prominent element in a solidarity organization. The company embraced them after looking for jobs in coastal cities away from their families with little salaries that were not enough to buy and move. They finally found professional stability and dignity.

The project has faced many obstacles, including legal ones, before the state establishes legal frameworks for the cooperative economic model and government measures that promote the valuation of forest resources within the World Bank-funded "Scenario" project of $ 110 million.

The social-type project was able to provide stable employment for women in difficult economic conditions, including growing unemployment and poverty. Which prompted other young people to weave their way in sending projects similar to the region.

The Ministry of Agriculture described the project as "a model for valuing free natural resources to provide a difficult currency through export." And allocated grants and accompaniment in various stages of the project through the Agricultural Investment Agency.

64% of the labor force is women
According to official statistics, Kairouan governorate has an unemployment rate of 15.8%. The number of jobseekers is estimated at 27,000, most of them graduates, including 11,735.

Women working in the agricultural sector account for 64% of the labor force. However, social and human rights organizations indicate that 98% of women working in the agricultural sector have no social or health coverage.

Recently, the Ministries of Women and Social Affairs adopted a project entitled "Protect me", which aims to provide health insurance and a pension system that allows each woman to pay the subscription fee by applying the mobile phone in a fragmented manner.