“Outstanding Social Entrepreneur in the Middle East and North Africa for the year 2010” (by The Schwab Foundation).
Essma returned to Tunisia in 1990 after 12 years as an international journalist accredited to the United Nations in New York, Rome and Geneva. She co-founded with her late husband, Michael Cracknell, an NGO in Tunisia, Enda Inter-arabe to contribute to the country's development through financial, economic inclusion and women empowerment. In 1994, Enda introduced best practice micro-finance to Tunisia and reached out to 1,400 million Tunisian among the poorest segments. Today, Enda Tamweel is the largest microfinance institution in Tunisia serving 500 000 active clients, 60% women and 35% small agricultural producers.
The NGO enda inter-arabe offers non-financial services including business training and coaching, financial and environmental education, support to marketing, diverse cultural and social activities in the most disadvantaged urban and rural areas of Tunisia. Enda is launching the Enda Academy for Entrepreneurship to disseminate the entrepreneurial culture among youth and help in the creation of jobs for the 700 000 unemployed youth in Tunisia.
Enda launched a payment company, EndaTao, to contribute to the digital inclusion of the low income population through mobile payment.
Awards: “Outstanding Social Entrepreneur in the Middle East and North Africa for the year 2010” (The Schwab Foundation)
"Outstanding Arab Woman" of the year 2019 (Takreem, a Lebaneese NGO)
Today, Essma is chairperson of the NGO Enda inter-arabe and the payment company, EndaTao.