SMALL GRANTS STORIES : Arc En Ciel Elementary School

COVID-19 Response / Articles / 22-02-2022

"After a career in civil engineering, my husband and I decided to embark on the wonderful adventure of teaching and open a primary school in Siliana. In our first year, we taught 14 children from our community and organized a successful theater performance, giving us a good reputation in the region. After just two years, we had ten times more students.   

However, the COVID-19 crisis presented a serious challenge to the new school. In March 2020, new health restrictions forced us to cut our enrolment in half while our expenses remained the same.

I heard about the launch of the COVID-19 Enterprise Recovery Fund established by the US government under the USAID Tunisia JOBS program through a colleague. The grant allowed us to invest in introductory robotics equipment, which we will use for new children’s classes. The rest helped us pay for fixed costs, like salaries and rent."

Rania Mhamdi - Founder of Arc En Ciel

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