UNICEF Yemen: Providing safe learning space for children in Yemen

In two different incidents before 2014, two children from Jader village in Bani Al-Hareth district, Sanaa, Yemen, died as they were hit by speeding cars while crossing the road to reach their school that was more than an hour walking distance for these children.

As a result of these incidents and other car accidents, many families decided to stop sending their children to schools so not to expose them to danger, thus protecting their lives. The danger lurking for these children could also be anything that puts children’s lives in danger while walking these long distances without even the ability to get aid in time, if needed. Many families were also not sending their daughters to these schools as they were too far away from the village.

Ten years of relentless conflict and rising poverty in Yemen have left Yemen’s education system in tatters. In 2025, 3.7 million children aged 5 to 17 are out of school. Those still attending endure overcrowded classrooms with teachers who are overworked, unsupported, and unpaid since 2016 in the northern areas of Yemen. In addition, 94.7 per cent of 10-year-olds in Yemen[1] are unable to read or understand a simple text, an issue called learning poverty

Despite the challenges, the community in Jader village was determined to come up with an idea that could offer a safe learning opportunity for their children. 

“We do not want our children to lose their opportunity in life for not having a safe way to access school. Education is important for every single person in this world including children in Yemen”, said 70-year-old community member Ismail Saleh.

Community initiative and growing needs

The community took the initiative to ensure their children do not miss out on their education. So, they rented a building and established it as a school with support from education authorities. However, the rented building was not structurally fit to be a public school. It lacked a ventilation system, proper toilets, and school extensions like labs, library and open yards. In 10 years, the number of students grow from 700 to more than 2500 students. During all these years, parents kept on paying the monthly building rent of 200,000 YER (around 400 USD), which became difficult for them as many of them lost their sources of income as a result of the ongoing conflict and its impact on the economic situation. 

[1] Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation Economic Studies and Forecasting Sector, Yemen Socio-Economic Update, Issue (82) October – 2023, ‘General Education in Yemen Reality and Development Prospects.

“By 2024, this school was accommodating more than 2500 boys and girls from first to ninth grade in two shifts. This created pressure on the teachers, and the learning environment was not conducive for the children,” said the school principal Mujahed Yehya.

UNICEF Intervention

To help thousands of children in Yemen have access to safe learning spaces and support the overall recovery of the education system in Yemen, UNICEF directly supports the rehabilitated and/or the construction of destroyed schools or construct additional classrooms to schools to that need to accommodate more students.

Thanks to support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), UNICEF was able to directly manage the construction of six classrooms with WASH facilities for the 21 September school. 

New school year in new classrooms!