The Gaïa Ferme Solidaire is a social and education centre for young people with disabilities. It is committed to helping 70 young people with disabilities from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds living in the peri-urban region of Tunis to integrate into society and find employment. This integration is facilitated on the one hand through training adapted to the needs of the market – such as horticultural production, small-scale livestock, promoting local products or equestrian training – and, on the other hand, by changing the mentality of the institutions that hire the young people after they have completed their training.
This is a pioneering project in two respects. Firstly, this kind of vocational training and employment structure is not currently available in Tunisia for people with disabilities, and secondly it provides the first form of protected integration for these young people within the centre in the context of income-generating activities. These activities will also, in part, ensure the project is able to continue in the long term.