Fquih Ben Salah celebrates their International Day: Sustaining the socio-economic inclusion of rural women beyond simple recognition

Sustainable integration: Promoting the autonomy of rural women and strengthening their participation in territorial development were the main axes of a meeting organised on Thursday, 15 October 2026, at the headquarters of the Fquih Ben Salah province. Initiated by the Provincial Human Development Committee, in collaboration with several institutional and associative partners, this event is part of the celebration of the International Day of Rural Women. Placed under the theme "Supporting rural women: a lever for inclusion and empowerment", this initiative served as a reminder that improving living conditions in the countryside also involves valuing female skills and putting in place mechanisms favouring their sustainable integration into the economic and social fabric. Beyond their role within the family, rural women actively contribute to wealth creation at the local level. Their involvement in income-generating activities and the social and solidarity economy contributes to the revitalisation of territories and the consolidation of their economic fabric. Recognition of this contribution, however, calls for concrete measures to enable them to develop their initiatives and strengthen their financial independence. The INDH called upon to consolidate support mechanisms: In a speech delivered on behalf of the provincial governor by the head of a service of the social action division, emphasis was placed on the importance of translating the recognition of the role of rural women into lasting actions favouring their economic and social inclusion. Among the avenues put forward are the development of training offers, the strengthening of supervision, the acquisition of management and marketing skills, as well as support for projects and initiatives led by women. Simplifying access to available support mechanisms is also an important issue to facilitate the realisation of their projects. In this context, the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) occupies an important place, notably through its support for economic inclusion, the encouragement of income-generating activities, and the strengthening of the capacities of the actors concerned. The scope of these interventions nevertheless depends on several factors, in particular the quality of the support provided, its continuity, and its adaptation to the needs effectively expressed by rural women. Coordination between the various stakeholders remains, in this respect, essential to improve the effectiveness of the mechanisms implemented. Cooperatives and collective initiatives: Levers to be valued: The meeting also highlighted the need to better articulate the interventions of institutions and partners, while respecting the attributions of each. Such complementarity would make it possible to strengthen technical and social support mechanisms, while ensuring better valorisation of the resources and potential specific to rural territories. Particular attention was paid to cooperatives and collective projects led by women. By favouring the creation of added value and the improvement of income, these initiatives can contribute to broadening employment prospects and consolidating the economic autonomy of the beneficiaries. They also represent a means of strengthening the presence of women in public life and their participation in local development dynamics. The challenge is thus to go beyond a logic of one-off aid to favour viable projects, capable of maintaining themselves over time and producing lasting economic and social benefits. A mobilisation involving several institutions: Several organisations working in the social, economic, and agricultural fields took part in this meeting. These include the regional delegation of the Office for the Development of Cooperation, the regional coordination of the Social Development Agency, the provincial directorate of National Mutual Aid, the regional directorate of agricultural advice, and the provincial delegation of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection. The Association of the Family of Orphans and Abandoned Persons was also among the participants. The presence of these various partners made it possible to present their respective missions and the means of support falling within their fields of intervention. The exchanges also favoured the sharing of experiences and practices likely to improve the handling of the needs of rural women. Institutional coordination thus appears as a determining factor in better overcoming the difficulties they face and facilitating their access to training programmes, financing and support mechanisms, as well as various social and economic services. Embedding empowerment in the long term: Through this initiative, the Provincial Human Development Committee and its partners intend to promote an integrated conception of local development, in which rural women occupy a central place. This orientation notably assumes strengthening individual and collective capacities, facilitating access to markets and services, and ensuring the sustainability of women's projects. The objective is to create more favourable conditions for equitable economic and social inclusion, allowing rural women to value their skills, develop their activities, and contribute more to the prosperity of their communities. At the end of the meeting, participants called for maintaining the mobilisation of institutions, partners, and associations, while intensifying cooperation between the various actors. The implementation of concrete and sustainable initiatives remains essential to make the support of rural women an effective instrument of empowerment and a lever for sustainable human development in the Fquih Ben Salah province.