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Sarah Toumi

Founder & CEOAcacias for All

Biography

Sarah was born in France to a Tunisian father and a French mother. Influenced by her father who worked for years in the nonprofit sector, Sarah got involved in social causes at a young age to build youth centers, computer labs and public libraries in Tunisia’s marginalized communities. During her time at the Sorbonne, Sarah founded DREAM, an incubator for social and environmental students projects in Paris. In 2011, following the Tunisian revolution, Sarah, who had been leading a very comfortable life in Paris, decided to go back to her homeland of Tunisia. In Tunisia, Sarah saw that the levels of rural poverty, resulting from land desertification, were rapidly increasing. This eye opening experience led Sarah to her conviction that desertification and environmental degradation, leading to rural poverty, was the most pressing issue facing her community. She started by organizing a program called "Castle of Knowledge" in her grand-parents village (Bir Salah), offering women and youth the opportunité to get access to cultural and educational activities. Then she started planting trees with this community and created Acacias for all. Sarah is an Ashoka Fellow and Echoing Green #Climate Fellow.