Restore devastated classrooms in Marib, Yemen

Education is the cornerstone of development and as the United Nations considers it as a human right for everyone.

Access to safe learning environments is a vital requirement in every stage of a child's education, especially for girls and the surrounding communities. Many male and female students leave of schools due to the unsuitable environment for them to continue their education. Many schools were bombed and destroyed as a result of the conflict and war; so the most marginalized groups in the society especially the IDP who are the most affected group which impeding their life opportunities and pushing them further to the margins.

In Marib, the city that receives the largest displacement movement in Yemen, the number of population is approximately 338,000 across 14 districts according to official estimates. The real number is likely to be significantly higher, as Marib has seen a large influx of IDPs from other parts of Yemen. By some estimates, the population of the governorate is now 2.4 million, compared with the official estimates. Over 10,000 households fled to Marib between January and May, joining an estimated 23,000 households living in over 130 displacement sites in the governorate (the number of displaced people living in rented accommodation is unknown).

Children in the IDPs camps are getting education in tents or fully not qualified classrooms, as also the COVID-19 and the long conflict have taken their toll on the country's education process.

 After contacting and coordination were carried out with the Education Cluster in Marib and with our coordinator to nominate a school for IDPs, which is most affected. Al-Ansar School was nominated in AlQuoz camp.

The number of the students in the school is 204, 120 males and 84 females. Most of them displaced from Al Hudaydah governorate in western of Yemen; they go to the school where it is located in Al Rumailah or AlQuoz camp, which contains 500 families.

Al-Ansar is an elementary school, from the first grade to the sixth grade. The first grade is three sections, while the rest are only one section.

 Recently, 13 classrooms were built and only five equipped, while the rest are not qualified and need rehabilitation and furnishing.

The principal of Al-Ansar School, Amin Abdullah states that "There is a need of cooperation from everyone; the school needs rehabilitation to provide an appropriate environment for male and female students to get their basic right of education."

YFCA has worked hard on studying the needs and the quantities for the unqualified classrooms with the coordination of Education Office and Education Cluster. YFCA will fully rehabilitate two unready classrooms at the targeted school. According to the needs, the classrooms need stones, aluminum doors and windows, internal plastering, cement, wall paint, tiles, air conditioners, fans, whiteboards and electric lighting.

Tenders and procurement procedures are announcing and the project will be implemented directly within the coming few weeks.