Welcome to Tunisia Online, your digital gateway to news and information on Tunisia. Aside from appropriate interventions in all social fields, particularly those of education, health, housing and social protection, a number of special programs have been undertaken to combat poverty and unemployment. Some of these programs are specifically intended for poor segments of the population, and consist of assistance or direct subsidies and actions to create sources of income. Others are more preventive in nature, such as the social security programs, which make it possible to guarantee a minimum income.
Some programs channel private and public funds towards disadvantaged segments of the population.
The Fund, which collects voluntary donations from public and private institutions and individuals for the purpose of helping needy and isolated areas of the country, was created by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali after impromptu visits he made to isolated areas, on December 8, 1992. Every year in Tunisia since then that date is celebrated as National Solidarity Day. By the end of 1999, the fund has spent more than 477 thousand dinars helping more than 171 thousand needy families. Early in the year 2000, a new fund has been launched for the purpose of mobilizing resources to create employment opportunities. Men and women are eligible to apply for a loan with a maximum annual interest rate of 5 percent, and a flexible grace period of 3 to 12 months.