This story was originally published on UNICEF's website.

With the objective of rebuilding and fortifying the education system, the Ministry of Education, along with UNICEF, the World Food Programme, and Save the Children, launched the Restoring Education and Learning project, one of the largest educational initiatives in the country in 2021 Funded by the World Bank and the Global Partnership for Education, this venture ensures a brighter future for Yemeni children.

The project is supporting over 1,100 schools across 14 districts in a comprehensive package of support to the education system that encompasses financial assistance for educators, capacity building for Ministry officials, and strengthening Education Management Information Systems.

The project focuses on supporting struggling and out-of-school children to catch up on learning, improving school conditions, and ensuring access to primary education – through the provision of essential learning supplies.

Restoring school infrastructure

With the ongoing partially rehabilitation of over 1,100 schools, children now have access to more conducive learning environments.

The rehabilitation includes the construction of water harvesting tanks, maintenance of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities; repair works of walls, floors, stairs, doors, and windows; painting classrooms; fixing furniture, repairing boundary walls; as well as the maintenance of solar systems in 232 schools.

Waleed Hamoud, a school principal says: "The project intervened and rehabilitated our school. Now it is in a much better state than before, and students are in a far better atmosphere to learn."

Malak, a student from Taiz, shares: "What I liked the most was when they painted the classrooms, doors, and windows. It inspired me."

Nourishing bodies and minds

Over 600,000 children are receiving healthy snacks and meals in schools – enabling them to thrive and focus on their studies. This will encourage regular attendance and ensure that children are not hungry and are able to learn.

The project is also scaling up its healthy kitchen program providing freshly cooked meals at schools.

Empowering teachers and staff

To ensure consistent attendance and improve the quality of teaching, the project provided incentives to over 35,000 instructors and school-based staff.

The project emphasizes equitable education, particularly for girls. By incentivizing over 2,100 female teachers in rural areas and 2,600 volunteer teachers, the project ensures better opportunities for Yemeni children to access education in equitable learning environments, especially for girls and those in remote parts of Yemen governorates.

Ahlam Abdullah, 36, a female teacher working in Al-Wadi District, Marib Governorate says: “Only after I received the monthly payments, I was able to pay my house rent, transportation to the school, and afford my family’s necessities. I finally found a peace of mind”.

She adds: “This support empowers us to do our duty professionally, to raise educated generations of children, and to make them aware of the dangers of dropping out of school.”

Training for excellence

Over 11,000 teachers, school principals, and administrators were offered trainings that have enhanced their skills and capacity to support students on their learning journeys.

Remedial education and school bags for children

The project focuses on ensuring continued school functioning through a package of support for alternative learning across Yemen. More than 11,000 students in different Yemeni governorates were provided with remedial classes.

Moreover, 560,000 students across seven supported Yemeni governorates received school bag kits. Each school bag contained notebooks, pens, pencils, rulers, erasers, pencil sharpeners, and a box of colored pencils.

The school supplies remove entry barriers such as purchasing school supplies, motivate children to (re) enroll for the new school year and provide the essential supplies for learning.

A new chapter in Yemeni education

Despite the daunting challenges, the project helped deliver essential assistance to hundreds of thousands of children in Yemen.

The initiative is not just improving access to basic education but is also significantly improving conducive learning environment and enhancing children’s overall learning achievements and strengthening the education sector's capacity in the country.

More than an educational initiative, it is a testament to the power of resilience and the collective will to overcome adversity.

Through restoring schools, empowering teachers, and nurturing young minds, the project is writing a new chapter in Yemeni education – one filled with hope, opportunity, and the promise of a brighter future.

A collaborative effort

Each partnering agency plays a unique role in the project:

• World Food Programme: Provides nutritious school snacks and establishes healthy kitchens.
• Save the Children: Develops learning materials, rolls out alternative learning programs, and trains educational personnel.
• UNICEF: Provides teaching incentives, distributes educational supplies, and rehabilitates schools, including improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities.