There is an old Arabic saying which goes like this: "If you stand your ground firmly and long enough, you can withstand any pressure." 

The Hadharem Welfare Association (HWA), one of the country's most active NGOs during the mid-1990s and earlier, was finally back on track last week. On January 20th, 1999, the general assembly of the NGO - all the Saqqafs of Hugarriah and their neighbors - held an important meeting to review its past record, take stock of its activities, elect a new board of directors and a financial supervisory committee, and agree on a 3-year plan of action
The HWA, which was the target of open action by the state during 1995/96, was subjected to all kinds of harassment, including an attempt to dismantle its legally elected board of directors. The NGO which simply refused to be politicized or be used to advance the political agenda of the ruling party, the People's General Congress, was supposed to serve as an example of any NGO that refuses "to see light" according to the PGC politicians.

The prime minister at the time ordered the replacement of the elected board by hand-picked friends. He also ordered the transfer of control and management of the Women's Development Center to another NGO. When neither order was implemented because the general assembly - read the people of the region - refused to obey illegal orders, an army of 400 soldiers and officers occupied the Hadharem region. After one week, and continued refusal by the people to budge, the army was removed.

Then recently, there was more trouble. Five months ago, the Ministry of Social Affairs - using a dozen locals from the region - oversaw the establishment of a rival NGO in the same region to undermine and/or replace the HWA. Again, the people refused to work with this new NGO. The authorities have perfected the art of breeding splinter political parties, unions, guilds, NGOs, and other organizations, to weaken a political party, union, guild of NGO which does not toe the line of the rulers.

The HWA is not anti-PGC. It is, in fact, politically neutral. However, it refuses to be used by any particular political party.
On January 20th, in the presence of representatives from the Ministry of Social Affairs, the leading political parties of Yemen (PGC, Islah, YSP, and Nasserites), as well as regional community elders, the HWA held an important convention in which the NGO's future course was charted.

The HWA decided to pursue the construction of two new schools - both for girls, a new technical/vocational center for boys, and three feeder roads.
It also decided to consolidate the work of the Women's Development Center, the Hadharem Drinking Water Project, the Shoura Health Clinic, and the large boys' school.
The NGO also decided to look into two sectors that will generate income in the region. These are the fruit-tree planting project, which is going to be implemented hand in hand with the small dam project, and the animal husbandry project. The objective of both projects is to increase the local output of fruits and domesticated animals.

HWA Elected Bodies:
A. Board of Directors:
1- Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf: Chairman and CEO;
2- Talal Abdul-Hadi Al-Saqqaf: Secretary-General;
3- Adnan Fadhle Al-Saqqaf: Financial Director;
4- Abdul-Wahid Ali Al-Saqqaf: Director of Projects;
5- Abdul-Jabar A/Moen Al-Saqqaf: Director - Village Branch;
6- Tawfeek A/Warith Al-Saqqaf: Director - Aden branch;
7- Abdul-Rahim Saeed Al-Saqqaf: Director - Taiz Branch;
8- Fayez Noureldeen Al-Saqqaf: Director - Sanaa Branch;
9- Walid Abdullah Al-Saqqaf: Director, PR & Follow-up.

B. Financial Supervisory Committee:
1. Ali Abdul-Hadi Al-Saqqaf: Chairman;
2. Imad Ahmed Al-Saqqaf: Rapporteur;
3. Nayef Noureldeen: Member.

By: Bassam A. Al-Saqqaf,
Yemen Times.

 

Would you please introduce yourself?
My name is Alan Patterson, I am the principal of a large Co-Educational independent, private school in Melbourne Australia, I have 1100 students age 5-18 years.

What is the idea of your coming to Yemen?
The idea of me coming to Yemen was to see if I could have an arrangement between my school in Australia called Mowbray College and a school somewhere in Yemen and we found a school in Jibla. We visited the school and talked to the headmaster, staff, and the local education supervisor and we promised to come back in one year to have a look on the idea of forming a relationship between the two schools. This is our second trip and it's about finalizing the project and we are planning to come back in October next year.

Why are you coming back?
We will come back in October next year with a party of fifteen students, we will live in Jibla, in the houses of the local people and they have agreed to that. We will also do some work in the school like some painting, repairs, build a garden and improve toilet facilities. We will be going to Australia to raise some money for these works.

What else does your project offer?
We also offer a travel scholarship to a student from Jibla, to come to my school in Australia for three months to learn English, we will try to find a family in Jibla to have one of my students stay with them too, and we help in International cultural programs.

Are there any other schools taking part in this program?
We are committed to nationalism, we belong to about 35 schools around the world called Round Square Conference(RSC), they are in five continents and each one of those schools must have a project each year in a foreign country. We have a very large International program and we have exchange students program with 40 countries around the world, and we send exchange students out to those 40 countries also.

Why Jibla?
When Penny was here last time, she liked Jibla and she met someone whose family she was helping, so we went to Jibla because she wanted to meet that man and his family again. While she was there I went into a school, I just walked into a school and introduced myself and said that I wanted to form a relationship between my school and a school in Yemen. You see we had to start somewhere so it was Jibla.
What are you trying to achieve through this project?
We help students from different countries to meet and make friends. Youths are the future and when they become the decision-makers this kind of project will help them to understand each other better and make a difference. This is what we believe in RSC.

Ms. Penny Smithis a tour guide who fell in love with Yemen in general and Jibla in particular. Because of the lovely people she met there she wanted to give this heavenly village something in return.

Are you part of the project?
No, Alan and I are friends for the last 45 years. Alan came with me on a tour and it was a perfect one. He could see that there was a good opportunity to develop and enhance the relations between the children of the two countries, people in Australia know nothing about Yemen and this kind of project helps in bridging the gap. I have a special relationship with Jibla and I could see that there were opportunities to help in a small way to put something back for all the pleasure that I have had.

Two of Mr. Alan's students accompanied him on this trip.
Alona is 17 years old, a 12th standard student who says, "I like Yemen and I would like to come back again, I would like to have Yemeni friends come over to visit my country".
Gery, a 16 year-old says, "Yemeni people are a lot different from the people in Australia, they are a lot more friendly and they will go out of their way to welcome you."
It was no surprise to us when we saw the enthusiasm of these two young Australian students, who had come all the way looking for friends and a genuine friendship. When we asked them how they felt about this project, they said, "We are quite sure it is going to work out in bringing us together"

By- Dr. Salah Haddash
Managing editor
Yemen Times.

 

There is much talk about empowerment of women among Yemeni politicians. The concept features visibly in the programs of all political parties. The reality, however, is something different.
At best, women have become a token which is displayed to make a good impression on local and international circles as the situation calls for. That is why almost all parties have brought on board to their top organs a few women.
Though politicians and political parties do not take women seriously as decision-makers, they do take them seriously as voters. The record shows that nearly 30% of total voters in the last parliamentary elections were women. That is why all parties have a section for mobilizing female votes. That is also why most party programs refer to women's rights and other similar issues.

But, while the men do not really take women seriously as partners in political decision-making, how do women view their role. It is sometimes said that women stand in the way of female empowerment than men because they have accepted the existing power-sharing formula. I have decided to talk to a select group of women about this matter.
Here is what they said.

Social status: married.
Age: 29
Job: housewife
Number of children: 5
Area of origin: Haraz
Qualifications: secondary school certificate

We females are not much concerned with politics or anything related to it. It is normal, women are attracted to other objects which are well-known to all. I think that men are more concerned with politics, economy, and even sports. As far as I am concerned, I leave all these things for my husband, for he is infatuated with politics. My husband does not belong to any party, but, more often than not, he shares in the general elections.
I do not care for reading newspapers, local or foreign, since a married woman has a lot of chores to follow up and if I have a spare time, I spend it in teaching my offspring. However, this did not prevent me from voting in one of the general elections. I voted for a person belonging to a certain party in return for a financial bonus.

Social status: single
Age: 27
Job: teacher
Area of origin: Ibb
Qualifications: Educational degree in Islamic Studies

Really, we do not have enough information on political parties except that they only benefit themselves, with all due respect to the minority who really serve the society. I and my sisters have electoral cards but we do not cast our votes in each general elections because the ballot boxes are usually far away from our home. Reading newspapers is not my favorite hobby, however, I read non-partisan papers and magazines. I cast my vote once for a person from the People's General Conference because we knew him very well.

Social status: married
Age: 33
Job: housewife
Number of children: 7
Area of origin: Sanaa
Qualifications: illiterate

We truly love our country and are ready to die for it. If I were educated, I would have entered any political party to serve my country. I do not really know what a political party does, but I think that it works for the sake of the country. My husband is not a member of any party and we like to share in anything to benefit our country but we do not know how to do so.
I cannot read or write so I do not read the newspapers but my husband does out of curiosity, as a hobby or something else, I don't know. I have shared in the general elections many times but circumstances prevented me from casting my vote in all past general elections. I cast my vote for an independent nominee once and another time for a partisan nominee out of my keenness to choose the best man to serve our country.

Social status: married
Age: 36
Job: government employee
Number of children: 6
Area: Aden
Qualifications: BA degree in English Language

There are too many parties in our country which groups the good and the bad and we prefer maintaining a distance from them in certain things and keeping close in others. Frankly, we are always keen to keep away from politics and for that reason my husband is not a member of any party. I read many papers such as Al Thawra, Al Jumhoriya, Al Shoura, and others out of curiosity and to get acquainted with what is happening in the country. We shared in the elections and voted for a partisan candidate because he was a man who lived up to his word, a thing which he really proved afterwards.

Marital status : Married
Educational Qualifications: University degre
Occupation : A government employee
Children : Two

Our country enjoys good Democracy, which had given a good opportunity to many people specially women such as me to participate in the political life by joining Political Parties. Currently I am working in one of the government departments and I am a member of a political party( Congress). In the beginning I faced a lot of opposition from my family, but at the end they realized that it was a national duty. My husband encourages me and frankly speaking I have gained many things from the Party.
I am still with the Party and I will always be, women are a very important factor in politics too and after seeing Yemeni women participating in the elections which is a very good sign, it shows that Democracy is for everyone man and woman, it was then when I decided to join politics.
I read all kinds of newspapers it is not important if it belongs to a political party or independent institution.

By- Ahlam Khwlany.
Yemen Times.