Women in Development and Peace – Yasmine Abdulhafeez
Women’s aspirations in any society around the world differ, and according to their passion, they choose the field in which they work. There are fields of medicine, education, beauty, fashion, media, engineering, marketing, and arts in their various forms including singing, drawing, acting, office and home businesses, and others.
There are professions that Yemeni women have begun to enter after being exclusively for men, especially in recent years. Difficult living conditions have forced them to participate in construction work, butchering, working in restaurants and cafes, working as bus drivers, photography of all kinds, maintenance of mobile phones and other electronic devices, sports training, working in shops and malls, not to mention working in the field of contracting, which is one of the most important commercial fields that women did not dare to enter.
It remains for society and those around women to support and encourage them in practicing the work or profession that they have decided to pursue, including young people and youth initiatives, who have a role to play in supporting women and empowering them economically, like other components and individuals within society.
Models of Initiatives in Economic Empowerment
In recent years, and especially in the face of successive crises, Yemen has witnessed the emergence of youth initiatives that have helped bring about change on various levels. These initiatives have covered various fields such as education, health, rights, and economic empowerment, with a focus on supporting and training young people and women in various governorates, especially those affected by the conflict.
These youth initiatives are working at a time when the country is facing many economic challenges, in addition to the deterioration of the healthcare system, the decline in the level of education, and the collapse of many government institutions, among other challenges left by the conflict, the price of which is paid by Yemeni citizens.
Many initiatives are also seeking to intensify their various activities, especially in the economic aspect and women’s empowerment. They have implemented many programs, activities, and workshops in areas related to economic empowerment that contribute to providing women with many opportunities to develop their skills and abilities to enter the labor market and earn a living.
Wareef initiative is one of the initiatives working in the field of training and empowering women economically. It was established in 2018 and targets women in rural and remote areas who do not have access to training and rehabilitation opportunities.
Al-Anood Al-Iskandarani explains that the idea of the initiative was to create a group through the social media platform WhatsApp that included a group of girls with diverse expertise in the economic field. They train many women in various fields, such as sewing and embroidery, in addition to the arts of cooking and others.
Al-Anood (Director of Wareef Initiative) pointed out that the initiative was able to expand and become an academy in a short time, implementing many training workshops in many aspects, such as photography, editing, graphics, and business administration, in addition to its activities that it started with, such as cooking, sewing, and embroidery. Nearly 5,000 women have graduated from the academy, and many of them have succeeded in opening their own projects, becoming financially independent, and managing their businesses with high skill and efficiency.
On the challenges facing the initiative, Al-Anood explains that there are many challenges that the initiative has faced, including the difference in the exchange rate of the local currency between Yemeni regions, in addition to the lack of acceptance of the idea of training by many women, as it is remote training.
Youth initiative Khatwa Tamkeen has implemented many activities in the field of women’s economic empowerment. It has worked to train many young men and women on how to create various economic job opportunities, in addition to raising awareness about market needs.
The initiative is led by a team of young people who are proficient in various fields such as photography, event and bazaar organization, purchase and sales management, and training. The initiative also transformed in a short period into a company called (First Chef) for training and consulting.
Luluwa Ghalib Mu’awadh (owner of “First Chef” company for training and consulting, and “First Chef” factory for food production) mentions that the activities implemented by the initiative before it turned into a company helped in providing the local labor market with qualified outputs in the manufacture of local and international products in the field of cooking, such as pastries and baked goods, both global and traditional, the manufacture of various spices, traditional and international sweets, in addition to preparing main dishes and appetizers, as well as creating cadres to cover the needs of cafes and restaurants, and developing the skills of productive families to manage their projects themselves.”
Key Activities of Youth Initiatives
Shiryan Al-Ata initiative for rural development is another youth initiative that has played a significant role in the economic empowerment of women. It has implemented many training programs that have contributed to the economic empowerment of women in various fields.
One of the initiative’s activities was the implementation of a training course in handicrafts, targeting 20 trainees in the field of sewing and design. After the course, an exhibition was held for the women’s products, which are the outputs of the course, for direct marketing.
Shiryan Al-Ata initiative for rural development was established in 2016 in Al-Shimaitain area of Taiz Governorate to develop the rural community, implement development projects for women, and raise community awareness about the importance of support, development, rehabilitation, and training for women in the rural community.
Hanin Al-Zakri, founder and president of Shiryan Al-Ata initiative for rural development, says: “The initiative has helped to empower women scientifically and practically through intensive courses for long periods in various fields such as sewing, computer science, English language, and others.”
She adds: “In the field of sewing, women have been economically empowered by supporting them with the necessary supplies such as fabrics so that they can sew them through their own machines, and work to display and sell them in the market, which contributes to improving their living conditions.”
Regarding the challenges faced by the initiative, Hanin says: “The challenges are represented in the community’s view towards our activities and their attempts to hinder us more than once. In addition, at the beginning of our work, there was no support provided to our initiative from supporting bodies, as we lacked support, especially since our relationship in the local community was limited.”
Wiam youth initiative strives for the economic empowerment of women, especially those with hearing and speech impairments. It participated in the family products exhibition held in Taiz Governorate in 2023, which displayed products made by the targeted women with hearing impairments in the governorate.
The initiative was founded in 2019 and targets women with hearing and speech impairments in its activities, to discuss their issues and make their voices heard to the relevant authorities and decision-makers, by highlighting their roles in society in various fields that are productive and beneficial to the local economy.
Many initiatives have also emerged that aim to empower women economically in Yemeni society, such as Nisaa Al-Reef initiative, which aims, among its activities, to furnish and rehabilitate the Community Development and Productive Families Center in Turba area of Al-Shimaitain District in Taiz Governorate, with the support of a local organization operating in the area.
The support included providing the center with sewing machines, fabrics, and other sewing supplies, as well as tools and raw materials for handicrafts targeting women, in addition to supporting the training and rehabilitation aspect in it.”
The Role of Youth in Women’s Economic Empowerment
Fatima Al-Huraibi established a training institute targeting women from rural areas with experience in various fields to help empower other women economically in Hijama area of Al-Salw District, Taiz Governorate.
According to Fatima, she conducted several training courses in the fields of engraving, hairdressing, and others, and many participants in these training activities were able to enter the labor market and start managing their own projects.
She also added to (Women in Development and Peace) newspaper: “I decided to build a training and rehabilitation center through which I was able to implement many training programs in the field of computers and English language, in addition to teaching the Holy Quran.”
She says: “Through my humble initiatives, I wanted to implement workshops in the field of life skills for women to develop rural women in various fields that help them rely on themselves and achieve financial independence.”
Fatima aims in the future to establish branches of her center in all the villages and districts of Al-Salw District to reach as many rural women as possible, to educate them and develop their expertise in various economic fields, and achieve their ambitions in opening their own projects, which in turn contributes to achieving community development in the region.
Many international and local organizations have helped to exert more efforts towards empowering Yemeni women in the economic field, and youth initiatives in various regions of the country were their appropriate means to implement their activities and reach as many women as possible, and empower them economically, especially in areas where those organizations found it difficult to reach and implement their projects.
The Importance of Youth Initiatives
Haifa Khalil Al-Saqqaf, Head of (Sawt Nisaa Al-Reef) initiative, says: “Youth initiatives are an important opportunity to strengthen the role of women in the workforce and enhance their participation in economic activity, especially in light of the current situation the country is going through.”
She continues: “The initiatives work to provide support, training, and economic opportunities for women in Yemen, and encourage them to develop their skills and enhance their capabilities in various fields, such as entrepreneurship, community, and development work, and promote awareness of women’s rights and gender equality, and encourage women’s political and social participation, which has achieved many successes despite the difficult circumstances.”
She also added: “The importance of the existence of initiatives in societies contributes to promoting positive social change in local communities; as it highlights social issues, enhances active community participation in various fields, and empowers individuals to participate in decision-making, and also strengthens cooperation between individuals, institutions, and relevant parties.”
She also explains that these initiatives work to promote innovation and leadership in local communities, by encouraging individuals to develop new ideas and solutions to address the challenges they face, in addition to raising community awareness about the importance of education and spreading knowledge, to help change stereotypical perceptions, and promote culture and education in society.