Hussein Mahdi Al-Wali, a nine-year-old boy, lives in the remote village of Al-Imad in Dar-Saad district of Aden governorate. There are no job opportunities and the residents of the village suffer from poverty.
The five-year ongoing conflict in Yemen is a wound in the memory of the children of Al-Imad. They have been subjected to psychological pressure that has left them in a state of fear for the future. Their young memories preserve nothing but death and destruction and the sounds of shooting
“I am afraid of the sound of gunfire,” says Hussein. “My brothers and I cry when we hear these noises because they remind us of war.”
The people of Al-Imad also suffer from the presence of landmines, which have claimed the lives of many residents. “My friend no longer plays football with us because one of his feet was cut off due to mines,” says Hussein sadly.
During fighting in Aden Hussein’s family was displaced from their village and they had to leave their home and livestock behind. “After the war, I could not return to school because my father did not have the money to buy bag and uniform of school,” says Hussein.
With funding from BMZ, CARE intervened with a project to improve equal access to quality education for out-of-school children in Aden. The project aimed to improve school access and protection for students by providing school uniforms, dignity kits for girls and school recreational kits.
CARE’s project was the main reason that Hussein and many students – especially girls – came back to school. The pressure on poor families was eased as they didn’t have to worry about buying school uniforms for their children.
“After people heard that CARE would provide school uniforms, the parents sent their children back to school,” says Bashir, Hussein’s teacher. “The project restored happiness to the children and their families.”
