Source: Save The Children
Essam* and Lina*
Essam and Lina are 12-year-old students in Taiz, Yemen. They attend a school that has been severely impacted by the war.
Around eight years ago, the school was partly destroyed in a bombing.
The war had destroyed two schools leaving only six classrooms in this one. The lack of windows made us shiver from the cold, which affected our ability to study and to write.”
The facility is both cold due to a lack of windows and crowded due to a lack of desks. The dilapidated, unkempt state of what remains of the school makes learning difficult for the students.
In addition, landmines are a constant danger within as well as en route to the building, with several devices having exploded randomly in recent years.
It’s been a long time since they came and planted the landmines and yet, unfortunately, some people
have walked down the road and stepped on them.
As a result, many students are afraid to enter the school grounds.
A sign reading ‘Danger! Landmines” at a semi-destroyed school that’s contaminated with landmines in Taiz, Yemen. Photo: Al-Baraa Mansoor / Save the Children.
A sign reading ‘Danger! Landmines” at a semi-destroyed school that’s contaminated with landmines in Taiz, Yemen. Photo: Al-Baraa Mansoor / Save the Children.
Despite these challenges to their education, Essam* and Lina* are determined to succeed.
Looking forward, they dream of the landmines being removed and their school being rebuilt so that they can study in safety. In the future, both Essam and Lina dream of becoming dentists.
At school, Essam and Lina are active members of the students’ council, which is supported by Save the Children. The students’ council is a platform for children to engage in leadership and community-building activities.
Through their involvement in the students’ council, Essam and Lina have been empowered to take leadership roles in promoting protection and well-being in their community.
They have led a project, with support from Save the Children, to paint some of the walls of their destroyed school and to draw flowers to brighten up its appearance.
A flower mural painted by children on the walls of a destroyed school in Yemen. Photo: Albaraa Mansoor / Save the Children
A flower mural painted by children on the walls of a destroyed school in Yemen. Photo: Albaraa Mansoor / Save the Children
The project has not only made the school more welcoming but it also showcases how the community’s children are willing to take action to make things better.