Entrepreneur donates protective suits to police
Like businesses everywhere, Cherni was forced to close his factory when Tunisia introduced a lockdown in late March. Then he saw an opportunity to keep his business operational and his staff employed.
Marwen Cherni is one of the most ambitious, resilient entrepreneurs that SPARK has worked with in Tunisia. Supported in recent years with business plan development and training, the self-made entrepreneur built a rural textile factory in Kef, north-western Tunisia, producing clothing that is exported to Europe and the Middle East.
Like businesses everywhere, Cherni was forced to close his factory when Tunisia introduced a lockdown in late March. Then he saw an opportunity to keep his business operational and his staff employed.
From 6pm to 6am, Tunisian security personnel patrol the streets to enforce the curfew. Marwen shifted his business strategy to start producing personal protective clothing. He began donating full protective suits to local police forces, which gained national media attention. Now, his company, Prestige Haute Couture, is producing suits for healthcare workers across Tunisia.
“My factory is now at the disposal of the Tunisian people and government. We are facing a global crisis and there is no place for individual interests”, he said.
