Tunisia’s economic crisis deepens as the promise of a better life fades

Tunis, Tunisia – Like many Tunisian university graduates, Cherine Ghanmi believed a degree would offer her family a way out of poverty.Growing up in the marginalised town of al-Mazzunah, in the central Sidi Bou Zid governorate, Ghanmi had walked 5km (3.1 miles) to the school her parents struggled to put her through. They hoped she would eventually find a job and support them financially, easing their burden after years of sacrifice.But more than a decade after graduating in 2012, she remains unemployed. Instead of supporting her parents, she says, she continues to rely on them.“We studied and graduated believing we had finally found a way out of poverty,” she said. “We thought that once we found jobs, we could make up for all that hardship, repay our parents for their sacrifices and make them happy.”“Unfortunately, reality was a big shock for us,” she added. “Instead of helping them, we have burdened them even more.”For Ghanmi and thousands of other unemployed university graduates, the struggle to find work has become a symbol of Tunisia’s wider economic crisis, marked by limited opportunities, mounting financial pressure and growing frustration with successive governments.The ‘Dig...