SANA’A, June 10 — A young Yemeni man who knows well the meaning of life once said, “The smile of a poor child carrying his food ration is indescribable.”

Himmah Shabab (Arabic words for youth, enthusiasm and energy), is a project that is dedicated to helping needy and distressed people. Its seasonal activities take place every year during Ramadan.

The organization began by starting small projects to distribute food to families in Sana’a suffering from extreme poverty. The project only provides food to families after visiting them and confirming they are in dire need of assistance and that they have no source of support or income.

Coinciding with the launch of the first conference for the youth initiatives and institutions this past Wednesday, the initial Himmah Shabab project has expanded into the Himmah Shabab Foundation For Development (HSFFD).

The HSFFD seeks to empower and enable the youth to engage in the construction and development process of their country, help support them with development of their own projects, discover their skills and work to improve them. It seeks to build a civil society through promoting social solidarity and sustainable development.

On Wednesday, HSFD launched a conference in Sana’a, the first one for youth initiatives and institutions under the theme of institutionalization of the projects.

High-ranking officials including Prime Minister Mohammed Salem Basindawah, Minister of Youth and Sports Mu’umar Al-Eryani and Minister of Information Ali Al-Amrani attended the conference. Well-known businessmen were also present.

During the conference, the participants discussed a number of working papers focusing on how to implement the initiative’s visions and turn them into reality. They also discussed the role of civil society organizations in improving the youth’s work and developing a single program to implement youth initiatives.

In his speech, Basindawa commended the group for organizing such a conference, saying it reflects their sense of responsibility towards society.

“We are proud of our youths as they have proven that they are aware of their major role in society,” Basindawa said. “We witnessed this awareness when they led the Yemeni revolution, when they took up their role with courage and sacrificed their lives for the sake of a better future.”

He said the government would spare no effort to support such initiatives, which raise youth awareness of the importance of institutional work and its role in fostering teamwork, implementing initiatives and encouraging creativity.

“You guys are taking part in building the new Yemen and in enhancing the institutional approach which we want to be the motto of the next phase,” Basindawa said.

He stressed the need for such initiatives to help unify the groups efforts and to motivate them to adopt a single program to benefit their community.

Basindawa also called for the private sector to hire Yemeni youths, saying that cooperation between companies and young people would yield hard-working, knowledgable and skillful employees.

“Yemen is going through a critical stage that requires hard work from everyone, especially the youth as they are the pillar of the development process,” Basidwah said.

The head of HSFFD, Mohammed Mutahar, stressed the important role of youth in developing their communities.

He said the conference aimed to promote the concept of institutional work and its active role in social development and to give an opportunity for youth to discuss their issues.

Mutahar said more than 120 representatives of the various youth groups and unions participated in the conference to agree on a single unified initiative based on the numerous ones put forward by the various youth unions. He outlined the goals of the conference and explained his foundation’s role in bringing youth together.

Speaking on behalf of the youth unions, Mohammed Rashad, the head of Ata Organization, said Yemen is at the gate of a new era in which the youth will be the main element of development.

The conference included exhibits of various youth initiatives and activities.