On the 20th of May 2025, Aflatoun International hosted the second session of the Regional Partners’ Exchange Programme, highlighting a powerful success story from Tunisia: the implementation of Aflatoun Clubs in primary schools by Enda Inter-Arabe. The session brought together 30 participants from 11 organisations across 6 countries: Jordan, Yemen, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan and Tunisia.
The session was opened with a welcome from Nancy Abu Hayyaneh, Aflatoun’s MENA Regional Coordinator, followed by an inspiring presentation by Imen Hamza from Enda Inter-Arabe. Enda Inter-Arabe has been active for over 35 years in Tunisia, evolving from an environmental NGO into a key player in economic and social empowerment, especially for women and youth. In partnership with the Tunisian Ministry of Education, it launched Aflatoun Clubs targeting children aged 6–12, offering fun and educational content in social and financial education and life skills.
The pilot of the programme was launched in 2013, and the full national rollout was completed by 2021 with the support of UNICEF. Since then, the programme has been expanded to include AflaYouth and Entrepreneurship Education.
The AflaToun clubs engage in environmental, cultural, and charitable projects with an emphasis on savings, responsibility, teamwork, and social values. The target group of the programme comprises children from marginalised and underprivileged communities, students with low academic performance or low self-esteem, and it is supported by motivated volunteer educators.
Challenges Faced:
- Administrative: limited engagement from some educational authorities.
- Infrastructure: lack of resources in schools.
- Scheduling: conflict with academic hours.
- Logistics: facilitator travel difficulties, especially in remote areas.
Positive Outcomes:
- 412+ educators trained.
- 139 active clubs nationwide.
- Improved self-confidence among children—especially girls.
- Reduced school vandalism, stronger school belonging.
- Self-funded student initiatives and stronger entrepreneurial mindsets.
Enda Inter-Arab’s Tunisian model is an example of how strong government partnerships and localised curricula, Aflatoun Clubs can become a national success story. Nancy Abu Hayaneh praised the initiative as a powerful example of how regional collaboration and experience-sharing can help scale impact across the MENA region.