The Yemen

In the Yemen, a civil war that began seven years ago between the Yemeni government and the Houthi armed movement, has led to an ongoing humanitarian crisis.  According to UNICEF, 80% of Yemen’s population are in need of aid and protection, with over 11 million children affected and nearly 2 million internally displaced and malnourished. A large proportion of the population is living in constant fear of attack and September has seen renewed fighting for control of the oil-rich province of Marib. Now, coronavirus threatens their lives too.

In this situation anyone who works with children is dealing with high levels of emotional distress and anxiety.  We have developed an effective online training programme which equips child care workers and teachers to use well-established tools and techniques to help children who are frightened and anxious, and who live in unsafe places. ACT International is working closely with Dr Kawkab Alwadeai, a Yemeni mental health activist, counsellor and researcher now living in Canada. There she has set up ‘Bridges to Peace and Solidarity’ which works hard with local partners on the ground to support teachers, psychologists in different schools, centers based in all provinces of the Yemen. Together we were able to offer a pilot training course in March 2021 in the province of Taiez. It was delivered entirely online in Arabic, by trainers based in Jordan and Gaza. With some practical help and funding from the British Yemeni Society and IMET2000, we are now using Kawkab’s network to roll out this successful model of training to people working with children across the whole of this war-torn country.