For over 15 years, Essma Ben Hamida travelled extensively as a journalist and UN consultant, specializing in political, humanitarian and development issues. Frustrated with the slow pace of development despite innumerable UN resolutions and development programmes, Essma returned to Tunisia in 1990 and co-founded enda inter-arabe with her British husband, Michael Cracknell. Enda is the largest and pioneer microfinance institution in Tunisia serving 470 000 active clients, 60% women from 108 branches all over the country. Today Essma is chairperson of the NGO enda inter-arabe which offers non financial services including business training and coaching, financial education, support to maketing, diverse cultural and social activities in the most disadvantaged urban and rural areas of Tunisia. Essma received several awards including the distinction of “Outstanding Social Entrepreneur in the Middle East and North Africa” by the prestigious Schwab Foundation and the World Economic Forum (Marrakech October 2010).