Until a few years ago, women in Marib did not have any significant presence in the education sector, work, and community participation, but the will of Yemeni women achieved what was believed impossible amid the ongoing war in the country.
For the first time, a girl from Marib launched a project for mobile phones maintenance in the governorate, achieving a qualitative transformation.
Girls in Marib entered the labor market through several projects for economic empowerment, fully funded by the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) through the "Marib Girls" Foundation.
During Asharq Al-Awsat's visit to Marib, head of the "Marib Girls" Foundation Yasmin al-Qadhi said it was impossible for women in the governorate to find work in recent years, aside from few rare opportunities in government departments.
"After displacement, women's movement became somewhat easier," said Qadhi, who is from Juba.
She discussed the Saba Project for the Economic Empowerment of Yemeni Women, funded by SDRPY, saying only 60 women were included in the project at first because the program has specific criteria and conditions.
Marib hosts more than two million persons from different parts of Yemen displaced by the Houthi militias. The Economic Empowerment project targeted all Yemeni women, not only those from Marib.
"We have qualified women in project management, marketing, and sewing workshops. A woman opened a phone maintenance project in Marib, while others opened incense, perfumes, and other projects," reported Qadhi.
She pointed out that the Foundation has an incubator for projects, providing support and courses for some women who own simple businesses but lack the experience to manage them.
Several international organizations requested funding for similar programs after the success of the Saba Project, said Qadhi adding that most of the associations were targeting awareness, and this is the first project to empower women economically.
"The UN Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund contacted us and informed us of their desire to fund a similar program to empower displaced women economically and involve them in the peacemaking."
The projects financed by the SDRPY will not be limited to female entrepreneurs only, according to Qadhi.
"Each woman employs at least four to five women, which helps in economic empowerment of families," she explained.
The conditions of women in Marib have improved, but the war has put pressure on Yemeni women, especially economically, and most of them support families because the father or husband is dead.
Al-Houthi: Yemeni women's nightmare
Qadhi said the Yemeni society values women and supports their independence, but the Houthi militias "killed these beautiful things."
Marib was seen as an area for tribal societies, and it did not have schools, but after the University of Sheba, a large number of girls enrolled in schools, said the official.
"The tribe was not the obstacle. Women's status and independence have always been respected."
Qadhi stated that Houthis have ruined all Yemeni customs, and they began to exploit and recruit women, and "because of the war, we fear that the beautiful things will perish in Yemen."
"The greatest difficulty we are facing is the war… The situation would be frightening if the Houthis took control of the country," she warned.
