Nestled in a hut in Tunis, Leila waits for a hot meal from the "Love Restaurant", a lifeline for homeless people like her.
Leila, a 50-year-old woman from Tunis, Tunisia, said she has been living on the streets for more than 27 years. She does not want to go to a shelter and feels safe in a makeshift tent near the entrance to the Tunis zoo.
Leila was always happy to see volunteers from the NGOs Universelle and Samu Social bring her food and clothes every Friday evening. On the other days, she ate no more than a can of sardines.
The weekly Friday dinner is provided from the kitchen of the “Love Restaurant”, a charity initiative launched by Universelle three years ago to help the homeless in Tunis. The number of homeless people in the Tunisian capital is estimated to be in the hundreds.
Leila (right) and another homeless person enjoy a meal provided by the "Love Restaurant" in the capital Tunis, Tunisia on January 26. Photo: AFP
Nizar Khadhari, head of Universelle, said the “Love Restaurant” is Tunisia’s first low-cost business model that helps homeless people. It is a cheap eatery with prices suitable for everyone, with a plate of pasta costing just 4.5 dinars ($1.40).
The restaurant serves about 30 percent of the 400-450 meals it serves each day, and it also has a box at the cash register where customers can make donations to help the homeless if they wish.
“All profits from the restaurant go to the homeless. We also employ some homeless people and try to encourage them to integrate into society,” Khadhari said.
Khadhari predicts the number of homeless people in the capital will continue to rise due to the high cost of living and lack of job opportunities. “The economic situation is having a huge impact on this vulnerable group,” Khadhari said.
The North African country's growth rate is expected to be just 1.2% in 2023, while inflation is expected to be 8.3% in 2022, according to World Bank data.
Amid a pandemic-induced economic downturn and soaring food prices following the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, poverty has been rising in the country of 12 million. The national poverty rate in Tunisia in 2021 was 16.6%, but in rural areas it was nearly 25%.
Sabri, a man in his 30s who makes a living selling handkerchiefs on the streets of Tunis, said he had repeatedly considered suicide. "I'm tired of living on the streets for the last 20 years" and saw no solution in sight, Sabri said.
Volunteers from the "Love Restaurant" prepare meals for homeless people in Tunis, Tunisia on January 26. Photo: AFP
Rafik Bouktif, an official at Tunisia's Ministry of Social Affairs and head of the relief center in Tunis, said combining state resources and NGOs was an effective approach to helping many homeless people.
Bouktif’s center employs about 50 people and has a budget of 400,000 dinars ($128,000). In partnership with Universelle and Samu Social, Bouktif’s center is expanding its reach to help homeless people in the Tunis region.
"The ambitions are great, but the means are limited," said Bouktif.
Diners from all walks of life in Tunis think it's a great idea. "We eat, but at the same time we feed others," said Asmaa, a government employee who regularly eats at the "Love Restaurant" after learning about the initiative on social media.
Thanh Tam (According to AFP )
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