Marib – Six years of conflict in Yemen have resulted in mass displacement. Displaced children leave a lot behind: their homes, belongings, friends and school. To support displaced children’s access to education, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is working with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) to construct a primary school in Ma’rib city.

Much of Yemen’s infrastructure has been impacted by the conflict. Only two-thirds of schools are currently functional. It is estimated that over 2 million children are out of school and millions more are at risk of dropping out, with girls at greater risk. Displaced children typically have limited access to education, particularly in locations with large displaced populations like Ma’rib. Approximately, 1.65 million internally displaced children need education assistance.

“My children’s education is my biggest concern; it is a source of worry and anxiety,” said Samira, a displaced mother originally from Al Hodeidah, now living in Ma’rib.

“If we fail to guarantee their education, then there will have been no point in all the hardship that our family has gone through during displacement. We left our homes not just for safety reasons but to ensure that our children could have a good life and a bright future,” she added.

Samira has been living in Al Jufainah Camp, Yemen’s largest displacement site, for the past five months. She has four school age children, none of whom currently have the opportunity to attend classes.

“My children have not gone to school since we left Al Hodeidah for Sana’a. After that we travelled to Al Jawf, and then on to Ma’rib. Until we reached Ma’rib, we had been in a cycle of moving from one camp to another. We were searching for some kind of settlement as well as access education for my children,” said Samira.

The school being constructed in Ma’rib through this IOM-KSrelief project, which includes 18 classrooms and various sports fields, will be a life changing opportunity for an expected over 800 children from thedisplaced community as well as local inhabitants of the west part of Ma’rib city, and 140 teachers and other staff. Initially the school with only have one shift of students a day, but once more teachers are hired, it is expected that there will be a morning and afternoon rotation of students, doubling the number of children able to attend the school.

“The construction of this school will help address a major gap in Ma’rib city, as there are not enough classrooms to accommodate the increased number of students,” said Firas Budeiri, IOM Yemen’s Transition and Recovery Programme Coordinate.

“Most schools in the area are unable to absorb new students. Some displaced children, adamant not to pause their education, are travelling 1.5 kilometres or more to reach the nearest school that has space for them. The competition over classrooms has even led to some tension between the local community and new arrivals,” he added.  

“In Al Jufainah Camp, there are five schools but all of them are temporary school comprised of prefabs or tents,” said Abdullah Shadad, Head of the Project Development Unit in Ministry of Education, explaining the need for the school.

This is just one of multiple schools that IOM and KSrelief are partnering to construct in three governorates, which will help thousands of children access education and learn in improved classroom conditions that are fully equipped. The overall aim of the project is to contribute to the continuity and improvement of education services for crisis and displacement affected communities.

“It is education that will give us dignity and an independence life free from poverty and hardship. Education is also a means of achieving peace and security,” concluded Samira, the displaced mother in Ma’rib.

For more information, please contact:

• Mennatallah Homaid, Tel: +967739888755, Email: mhomaid@iom.int   
• Avand Hassan, Tel: +9647507359961, Email: avhasan@iom.int