More than 50% of people in Yemen live under the line of poverty. Among those there are about 1,700,000 who not only suffer hunger and need of the necessities of life but also suffer from discrimination and cruelty because they are from a different race and called Akhdam. The Social Organization for Family Development (SOFD) has taken responsibility to make a difference. The SOFD is among the select few societies that have been instrumental in helping development of family in the society.
SOFD is a humanitarian non-profit governmental voluntary society working for family development in the community. The society was established first in 1990 and is registered at the Ministry of Social Affairs. It aims to improve the status of the lower class of people in the social hierarchy. The main building in Asser, consists of 6 sections; classrooms where students are taught up to 3rd grade, entertainment and games section, sewing room, a small clinic, administration and a small play-ground where students can practice games. There are around 8 members of staff, including a nurse who teaches first aid and family planning.
The Yemen Times went to their main center in Sana'a and had a talk with its chairperson Miss. Basma Alqubati and staff and we came with the following interesting details.
About the center's activities, Miss. Wagiha Mohammed Qarhash, manager of the society and head of the project pertaining to teaching democracy to small kids, described that the center accommodates around 80 children per day. For different activities ranging from education to entertainment and awareness. We even have around 40 women coming to us every month for family planning. The latest project is about developing a democratic attitude in the young minds of their students. She said that the program had special stress on education, hygiene and awareness about their basic rights. Also that most of these people lack the primary skills to satisfy their basic needs; they generally go for begging and sometimes stealing. The society attracts those children and gradually teaches them in order to improve their conditions. Miss Wagiha said that parents force their children to go and beg in the streets but the children would come to us instead. Now the situation has improved. There are now some families who have become creative because of the skills they acquired in the society. Now the society offers courses in different fields like electricity, electronics, mechanical maintenance, welding, carpentry, plumbing, agriculture, construction, bee breeding, manufacturing milk products, jam and juices, nursery and flower plantation, cooking, cleaning and hygiene . These courses are offered to both girls and boys . She added that after that those girls and boys were sent to public schools that refused them and even they suffer from a kind of social discrimination as the students in the schools look down upon them. The society does not accept them as effective members.

Miss Basma Alqubati after that took us to Asser Mahwa. That is, the place where these people live .It almost accommodates more than 500 persons. There are 9 other mahwas in Yemen. And all are of similar conditions. A striking point here is that not all are living there because they belong to the same Akhdam community, but also those Yemeni expatriates who came form Saudi and Gulf countries during the Gulf war. We met with Ahmed Abdulla Alraymi, leader of AL- Merad society who said: "they hardly call us human, it's true that we may be darker in color and lower in the social status but that does not give them the right to exercise discrimination against us. Most of us don't have the basic needs for living.. we don't have water, electricity, medicine.. Most of us are illiterate and have no method of earning other than begging. We want education, health care and a better environment to live in". "Look around you, we live in houses which are underground, like animals. Can you imagine what happens during rain??" , he observed. He said that they need somebody to pay them attention. This is why .. Mr. Al-Raymi and his friends formed ALMIRAD society in 1999, consisting of 7 founders and around 120 members. They decided to educate their children and teach them a better living.. "We don't have enough money to provide our sick with medicine. We need to be treated as human beings. Is there somebody listening to us?" he added pathetically.
Such people live a very miserable life. The irony is that Miss Qubati has said that their condition is now better than before. They used to live like animals, she said,. Even the basic civil methods weren't there. They fled from Hodiedah because of poverty. People in the suburbs are even worst off. With the help of the Swedish Organization for Child care, something was done.
"Now we want the new generations to grow up differently, this is why we try to attract them to come to us, by providing games and entertainment.. we are hopeful that charity organizations could provide us with story books and toys for these children". She said. " We also are seeking a psychiatrist because most of these children suffer from sharp complexes".
Development is a long procedure, it takes very less to destroy and very long to build. They are doing their best. And we hope others would lend a hand too.

Saleh Abdulbaki
Yemen Times
Many a Yemeni poet excelled themselves in the art of colloquial poetry. They were able to express feelings, passions in the most simple and spontaneous way. Those poets were successful in forming a certain kind of coherence between people's experiences in real life and the imaginative world of poetry through simple common however, most exquisite and magnificent images.
The poet Abdulrahhman bin Yahya al-Ansi (1168-1250 H) is one of the most distinguished of the 'Humaini' colloquial style of poetry, an artistic style of Sana'ani poetry. He spent most of his life in judiciary career and writing verse. Being an inherent poet, al-Ansi was able to compose magnificent verse about many Yemeni regions. He was a man of his time with a creative mind focusing on the colloquial poetry. He gained celebrity and was referred to as class 'A' in this style of poetry. His poems were highly appreciated and approved of by the people who out of their mounting excitement and admiration used to refer many great traditional poems to him. He made two anthologies; one the 'Humaini' verse while the other on the standard verse. Scholars and literary figures such as the judges Abdulrahman bin Yahya al-Aryani and Abdullah Abdulilah were very interested and excited in studying his 'Humaini' collection making them conduct a thorough explanation of his book. Their imprisonment after the abortive uprising of 1948 had actually made things easier in their difficult life for they met with many outstanding poets who were imprisoned too. These poets helped them a lot in referring many colloquial expressions to their original dialects in different parts of Yemen.
Abdulrahman al-Ansi was a genius Yemeni poet in the Homaini and standard forms of poetry. His popularity came from his colloquial poems which later led to a growing interest in his poetry.
His love poetry was the most exciting thing in his verse. He used to depict the lover who stops at nothing and takes risks to reach his beloved's lodging.
His poems were sung by many Yemeni singers and are still receiving the same popularity. His two works are still widely studied and read. His 'Humaini' or colloquial collection was first published in 1369 Hejirah and then in Beirut in 1978. One of his greatest poems is "Ahebat Rubou Sana'a" meaning those who love land of Sana'a.
In short, Abdulrahman al-Ansi was a class by himself in the Humaini form of poetry. So far and throughout 500 hundred years his poetry has been attaining the same vigor and vitality. This bears a testimony to the greatness of this poet.

By Dr. Margot Badran*
The dismantling of the Empirical Research and Women's Studies Center at San`a' University over the past several months is by now a well-known story. As many also know that the Center for the Study of the Woman was created in its place. The new name alone hints at what was underfoot to those aware of the women's studies debates about the notion of the essentialized woman or "the woman." The name of the new center signals this very notion of the "idealized woman" that the new discipline of women's studies undertook to deconstruct in favor of examining real women and their real experiences.
The word genderÑwhich had been so ruthlessly maligned in public in the months beforeÑwas blithely purged from the academic lexicon of the new center. (Never mind that in the name of gender millions of development dollars have been and are continuing to be accepted through governmental and private channels, including real women's studies at San`a' University.) Without further ado, the central analytical concept and tool of women's studies was tossed in the trash bin along with the core courses in gender theory and methodology. That was the pathetic end of women's studies at San`a' University as a reputable discipline.
Now it is being said that "women's studies" is once again be funded at San`a' University by the Netherlands (which had funded the Empirical Research and Women's Studies Center for four years and stood by as it was disassembled.) It is more accurate to say that the Dutch have funded the Center for the Study of the Woman (for the coming academic year, in what appears to be a "wait and see" attitude). This is quite different from funding women's studies as a recognizably serious academic enterprise. But, there is a window of opportunity to rectify things. Currently there is a review underway of the curriculum of Center for the Study of the Woman. Gender could be retrieved from the trash, dusted off, and restored to its rightfulÑindeed necessary placeÑin the academic discourse. The core courses in gender theory and gender research methodologies fundamental to any serious women's studies curriculum could be re-instated. During the crisis (when gender and women's studies were vilified), some, both insiders and outsiders, saidÑand continue to sayÑah, the term "gender" is not suitable to this culture. (So let it rest in the trash bin.) Such an attitude may be "comforting," and is certainly patronizing but it is fit only for ostriches with their heads in the sand.
At this moment, it seems to me a certain amount of integrity is called for. You either have women's studies at San`a' University or you don't. You can't fake it. If you don't have it, then don't fund it. Otherwise, it is a joke, in capital letters. We as serious and self-respecting academicians cannot afford to trade in deceit (or deceit masked as ignorance). It would seem logical that funders should not be funding that which does not exist, ie. women's studies at San`a' University. How would the women's studies and gender development communities look at this? Surely, those who have struggled hard to create the discipline (fighting many battles at home) and have struggled hard to gain legitimacy, respect, and admiration for women's studies would not be pleased with supporting something ersatz in the name of women's studies. So why not take the high road and support a genuine women's studies project? Among those who want a real women's studies program some may be willing as a last ditch measure and salvage operation to join a masquerade dance whereby one seems to be doing one thing while doing another. But, veiling gender is not the answer either.
It seems to me the only answer is either to fund real women studies or not to fund women's studies, to teach real women's studies or not to teach women's studies, and to study real women's studies or not to study women's studies. Any anyway, what are you going to do with a diploma in fake women's studies? Serious people recognize a fake when they see itÑand those who had a hand in producing it. Who said: "Honesty is the best policy?" Let's vote for her!

* The author is currently teaching gender studies in the international summer school at Bogaziji University in Istanbul.

By: Manal Al-Kanadi
Prelude:
Condition of woman in Yemen does not differ from those prevalent in Arab region, Asia or Africa. She lives in that very identical triangle of poverty, ignorance and disease; thus international organizations and projects have been established. International conventions, such as the Beijing and New York conferences were held with the purpose of working together with local societies everywhere in order to enhance woman's role in all fields of development as well to increase her vital participation in society through support from these organizations.
In Yemen, these organizations fund projects meant for the development of woman to enable her improve economically, eliminate her illiteracy, offer her health services and reproductive awareness and politically to help her participate as a candidate and a voter.
All these led to the spread of the term of "gender". This expression is now well spread in Arab and Islamic societies; but gender is cloaked in misunderstanding of its real meaning.
In Arabic the term "gender" has a synonym in meaning known as " social gender". This carries the following meanings:-
1) Distinguished roles of man and woman in the society generated by civilization, cultural and social components in any society,
2) Relations between man and woman in that society at a specific place and time in as far as distribution of social roles for each sex for obtaining resources enabling them to meet their needs required for performing those roles are concerned.
This means gender works on concentrating efforts and finding out accessible resources to shrink differences and increase woman's participation in development, i.e., to make use of both sexes efforts in building the society. The aim is to work for rural woman's increased participation in agricultural production, increased partnership between husbands and wives in domestic works, child care tasks, to obliterate stereotyped traditional images of man and woman's roles in text books and to protect equality in job opportunities. These supportive projects for woman are mainly of multi-direction nature and serve both sexes equally. It leads to woman's integration in development planning because women represent the other half of society. Interest in educating her and her participation in different scopes of life makes her a basic element in upgrading the society and developing it. All these are not new things. Islam and its kind law are the first in the world to glorify woman, give her full rights and urge equality in rights and duties for men and women. Unfortunately, the overlapping of customs and traditions, old cultural heritage led to the creation of an inbalanced relationship at the expense of woman in distribution of power. These resulted in man occupying a higher position whereas the woman occupies secondary position in the society.
We would focus here on providing information on some projects offered to the Yemeni woman. What these projects can offer to her particularly as we are approaching new stages in our life, i.e. globalization and conversion of the world into a small village, are matters we take into consideration. Men and women are now equally facing great challenges that need to be faced together.
We have interviewed Mrs Hooriyah Mush-hoor, vice-chairman of the Woman's National Committee (WNC) .She spoke of the important projects which the committee had offered and is to offer to different segments of women.
The first is a 2-year project with the UNPF which aims at reinforcing the Committee's role and building capabilities of its members through training courses on issues related to legal and reproductive health care and in the field of gender. Through these courses they implement some survey studies for policies, strategies and projects at a group of ministries. Woman is included in these policies and strategies.
The second is the Dutch project which aims at developing the WNC and covering post-Beijing Conference activities' expenditure . These are the basic issues which care for growth and development of women at economic, social and political levels which were resolved at the International Conference held in Beijing in 1995.
The third is Phase II Beijing Project aimed at training WNC members working at ministries on pursuing and recording the extent of women participation in ministries' plans, programs and projects and to bridge the gap between males and females in different walks of life. The project also aims at enhancing WNC's relations with the NGOs as main partners in the sustained development process.
Mrs. Mush-hoor affirmed that as a government organization the WNC draws up general policies and strategies for woman's activities through coordination, follow-up and recording all programs from different government and non-governmental institutions for the purpose of analyzing the objectives, context and outcome of such programs. It also coordinates within itself to avoid dualism. It always considers improving woman's conditions in rural and remote areas where they represent the most deprived segment.

Our Projects Enhance Woman's Role in Society
Mrs. Noor Ba-Abbad, Project Director of Integrating Woman in Development explained that it was one of those projects that care for improving Yemeni woman's conditions. It carries out those tasks through eradication of illiteracy, offering loans, creating awareness on reproduction health and family planning. It also offers legal and social consultations out of the social perspective towards the woman. All this is aimed at providing her with skills which strengthen her personality and role in the society.
She affirmed that the project had contributed to reducing poverty through offering credits to women. The standard of poor women who received credits from the project's centers has improved. Their income has improved and they can meet their needs . This proves woman's clear, though limited contribution in the family. This will, no doubt, raise her status and also her social and economic situation, including health and education.

Muslim Woman is not Deprived Of Her Will
Dr. Haseena Al-Qadri, Assistant Professor at Faculty of Medicine, said that projects established for woman basically aim at listening to her voice to know her right to reproductivity health and education and linking them to development. It is also to make sure if the Muslim woman is deprived of her will or a victim of negative customs. Is she an effective member in the society? Through these projects and studies it has been confirmed that woman is the basic and only source of income of the family or for helping the family despite presence of the husband and her illiteracy. Despite the moral and economic hardships that surround the Yemeni woman, she is steadfast and strong. All she needs is support and awareness of her rights. She got the right to understand the affairs of her religion and her life. She needs awareness in health, availability of services and the right to choose in the field of reproductivity health and family planning. Soft loans should be availed to her to enable her establish small profitable projects.
Dr. Haseena affirms that woman is an important element. She is the basic element for upgrading development in Yemen. Her participation, hand-in-hand with man, in all spheres of life, means participation in raising her standard in all fields. For a Yemeni woman this is not a new thing because she is the daughter of Bilqis and Arwa.
In conclusion we appeal to decision-makers in particular and the society in general so that there is a conviction and desire in joining in this conviction with others and to persist in realizing the objectives in reality. This direction is important in the process of offering support for gender and enabling women.

Farook Al-Kamali
Taiz
Taiz city, 250km South of Sana'a, is one of the most densely populated cities in Yemen. Nearly 3 millions live in this governorate. The rapid population growth has been associated with a sharp decline in standard of living. High rate of unemployment and the number of people living below the poverty line are also shooting up, leading to the increase of so many negative phenomena in the society. One such negative phenomenon is the great number of beggars and lunatics who swarm the streets of the city. They are walking the city from dawn to dusk t reflecting a nasty image about the city.
Being a small city, Taiz is now generally referred to as a shelter of lunatics and beggars. In the beginning the idea of conducting a field survey with these lunatics was as strange and frightening as it could be for the hazards that may result. However, it was a real adventure I will never forget.
I started approaching some of them. I talked to them, befriended them and I was amazed with the results. I found most of them have reached to their present state due to some social and family problems that were beyond their ability to bear.
A homeless lunatic, Abdulwahed left his village after being forced by his father to divorce his wife due to some problems between the two families. Divorcing her, he started his long journey of endless despair and loss in the streets.
Abduh's problem was that he was a sex maniac. After raping a girl, he was severely beaten and driven out of the village to start a new life of agony and pain. Again while in town he tried to rape one female student who is in her way to school. However, she was rescued by a passersby who brutally beat him and turned him over to the police.
Saeed, the most miserable, was a hardworking student who used to score the first places in his classes. He passed successfully in his secondary school and was planning to join the Faculty of Medicine. Unfortunately, his father is very poor and could hardly make both ends meet. Saeed was, then, driven out of his house by his father to live homeless as a vagabond. The impact of this horrible experience was very severe on his character that he went out of his senses. He keeps moving from one street to another driveling away about science, philosophy and medicine.
It was obvious that most of these sick people's problems are social and the result of horrible family problems.
What was strange and unfathomable for me was that those lunatics disappear during elections and national days. One could hardly see any one of them in any street. Later, I came to find out that during such occasions they are taken to the Lunatic Center in Taiz.
Yemen Times visited the Center and came to find two centers, one is affiliated to Al-Thawrah Public Hospital, the other to Taiz Security Administration. The center affiliated run by the hospital is used to receive cases sent by the hospital. Such sick people are usually brought by their families and usually stay there for only few days. The center provides them with some medical care. The other center is affiliated to Taiz Security Administration and is used for those lunatics who are accused of assaulting others and those who have no families. The two centers are next to each other. However, there is a big difference between them.
The center affiliated attached to the Hospital is clean and modern. There are two in-patient rooms in the center each with 6 beds. It was strange to see two patients only in the first room and three in the second. The center is located in a nice and quiet place.
Meeting with Dr. Abdulkawi Mukred, he said "The center was built in 1994 by Hail Said Group of companies to treat those who suffer from psychological problems. The center receives cases that are referred from the Psychological Cases Department in the Hospital. We do not keep a continuous record of the cases that come to the center owing to the quick recovery of most cases. Most of the cases are between 20-50 years of age. We also receive some rare old cases."
Regarding the non-existence of an especial department for women he said "There used to be a special department for women in the center. However, due to large number of patients in the other center that is affiliated to Taiz Security Administration, the department was attached to that center. Since that time there has been no department for women in the two centers."As regards the difficulties facing the center, he said "There is a visible deficiency in medicine and nutrition. Most of the patients have to buy medicine from pharmacies outside the hospital."Dr. Mukred advised in-patients should practice sport activities as the center's mission was not only to treat but also to qualify and train patients. He said "Therefore, there should be some technical workshops and yards for practicing sports. We are 6 doctors and 12 nurses in the center. However, we have never been given the incentives so as to work harder."Then we visited the other center. However, after a long boring and tiring investigation by the gate keepers, we were able to get in. The moment I was in I was aghast. I shivered and was, a matter of fact, very frightened by the terrible sight I witnessed. There were many lunatics crowding in the center; some are semi-naked, others completely naked. All are in a real misery that words can never describe. They sleep on torn rugs on the ground. There are no beds in the center.
It was a dumbfounding experience!! I can hardly explain it.
I wondered what our armchair officials and activists of human rights organizations have done to relieve the suffering of these mentally sick people. They keep boasting of being supporters of human rights and respect them. However, all are words and no actions. These 'sick people' are kept in a place that is unfit even for animal habitation. Many questions have actually popped up in my mind including "Why is the center not affiliated to the Ministry of Health? Why is the center in that miserable condition?! I could find no answer.
In the Administration Department we met with Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Asbahi, manager of the center, who is the only doctor in the center. He said "The center was built in 1996 by the International Red Cross, Central Prison and Taiz Security Administration. The center was to shelter the homeless and the accused lunatics. Other cases come to the center by police or the central Prison. There are 60 patients in the center; 12 of whom are accused of murders. Last month they were 151. Generally speaking, 25% of these patients respond positively to treatment, 50% do not and 25% have a slow recovery.
The center receives a commendable assistance from the Red Cross which provides us with 30 volunteers who are working in the center. The Health Office also supplies us with some medicine."
Regarding the difficulties the center faces, Mr. al-Asbahi said "There are many problems that we face including that there is no direct authority which is in charge of the center. No budget is defined for the center. There is only one doctor, a nurse and 30 volunteers from the Red Cross. Besides, there is a deficiency in nutrition and specialized medical services. There are also other deficiencies in clothes and rugs as patients frequently tear them to pieces."Then we went around the center and while we were showed around, some patients came to complain about their situation there, requesting their going back to the Central Prison as the situation there is better.
There is a classroom in which patients are taught the simple alphabets and some simple words. The manager also told us that patients do some exercises on a daily basis.
Trying to take some pictures, we are not allowed by the bullheaded gate keeper who insisted on a permission from the director of the Security Administration. It was a clear signal to cover up the miserable situation of these patients who bear a witness to the flagrant violations of human rights.
To put simply, these mentally sick people are also human beings with rights. It was not their fault to find themselves in such condition. It was something beyond their ability to control. They are sick and the authorities have to treat them. However, the authorities concerned seem to play the role of a bystander. These sick people are either left to roam the streets reflecting a terrible picture of our cities or are kept in the Central Prison or are heaped up in the "Prison" of the Security Administration which makes things worse. These places negatively affect their physical as well as mental conditions. These patients should be given access to medical health centers which are to take the responsibility of treating them. Social Welfare Societies and Boarding Training and Health centers are to be established and to be fully equipped with all medical, nutritious, housing and training services so as to give these people the treatment and the training needed to help them overcome their psychological problems and come back to live a normal life. Heaping them up in these "prisons" is not the solution to the problem and is not the focus of this article. We want to send a message to all the "people in charge" and those supporting human rights to have mercy on these people and lend them a hand in their calamity and misfortune.