Olla Al-Sakkaf (26) started doing social work at the age of 16. Today, she is a programme manager with the Youth Without Borders Organisation for Development (YWBOD). This is a leading Yemeni civil society organisation and a trusted Cordaid partner. She lives and works in the besieged city of Taiz.
“Being young in Yemen is the worst thing you can imagine. If you’re still alive, you can say you are still alive. That’s about it. We can’t dream of a better future; we only cope with essential needs and the fear of losing someone. We can’t travel, the health system has collapsed, there’s no good education. And the internet, our school and only gate to the world is really bad. We’re stuck. I have a bachelor’s degree in English literature. I wanted to do a master’s, but the war forced me to give up that dream.
“By making sure young people can take up their studies, by creating jobs and income opportunities, you are not only helping people now, you are also helping to end the war.”
COVID-19 has added an extra layer of suffering and fear. It imposed a lockdown in addition to the siege we have been under for several years. Some young men join the war, siding with one of many armed groups. Often, it’s just a way of dealing with extreme poverty. It’s like a job, unfortunately.
Some also organise themselves to alleviate suffering. I am one of them. Actually, with YWBOD, we are doing a lot of things. Mostly, we support rural communities, which suffer the most. Together, with the little means we have, we support schools and hospitals. We do humanitarian work, provide clean drinking water, and ensure people have enough for basic sanitation and hygiene.
“We don’t sit back and hope for the best.”
Nowadays, we get some support from INGOs like Cordaid. At the beginning of the war, we had nothing. But we did get things going. Groups of young women and men started cleaning neighbourhoods. Others distributed food they had managed to collect themselves and other items needed for survival. Some youths, like university students, started teaching at schools. Some schools are closed. Or bombed.
Peacebuilding and Security
A lot of what we do also centres on peacebuilding and security. For example, the Youth Mediation Support Team helps to end the siege imposed on Taiz, our city. We’re not directly involved in the mediation between warring parties, but we highlight the siege’s effects and the suffering it causes. We communicated about the importance of mediation. We gather and provide data on people who have been arrested, were taken hostage, or disappeared otherwise in Taiz.
In that way, our advocacy campaigns actively support the mediation. We don’t just sit back and hope for the best.
I am also part of the Youth Peace and Security Pact Yemen. We’re doing all we can to further the peace agenda with other young civil society activists. This is challenging because those in power keep young people largely out of decision-making processes. These are in the hands of politicians. The problem is that politicians are mostly concerned with power and control. Politics should be about governance. The main task of governance should be to support people and respond to their needs. Whether you’re a civil society activist or a politician, the starting point must always be helping others.
It is high time to rethink international support for Yemen. Humanitarian aid is still crucial, but parallel to that, we need to start investing in development. In the future. The rebuilding of Yemen has to start. This rebuilding comes in stages and with priorities. The economy has collapsed. People need jobs and incomes. Young people need to be able to look forward. They have to be able to study, work, and travel. More effort should be put into mediation efforts, locally, such as in Taiz and nationally. A special UN Envoy will not solve everything. Much more is needed.
Donor agencies have to start thinking about Yemen after the war. The social fabric of the country has to be woven anew. This reconstruction has to start now, even though the conflict is ongoing. By enhancing trust between wounded communities, providing long-term psychological support to a scarred generation, making sure young people can take up their studies, and creating jobs and income opportunities, you are not only helping people now, but you are also helping to end the war and to create a better future for the country.”