Taiz:
Generations Without Qat Organization for Awareness and Development organized, today, Thursday, September 2, 2021, in a hall in the Taj Shamsan Hotel in Taiz, an event entitled “Inspirational Women… Hearing Sessions”, in the presence and participation of about seventy personalities from civil society, local authority and youth community actors And young women, within the frame of the project “Strengthening community participation and building the capacities of civil society organizations, women’s groups, youth and women’s initiatives, and activating their roles in society”, implemented by the #Generations_Without_Qat_Awareness_Development Organization in the districts of Al-Qaherah and Al-Mudhaffar in the governorate of #Taiz.
During the event, stories of inspiring women in community work that promote gender, participation and community peacebuilding were presented.
The community activist, Mesk Al-Maqrami, presented her experience in community work and peace-building, which was first represented by her defiance of the social reality that marginalizes some groups of society and may deal with them inferiorly.
Al-Maqrami talked about her education and how she continued her education in the countryside of Taiz governorate until the high school stage, and how this woman used to show her societal roles by participating in resolving some conflicts in her village, even though this is the preserve of men, not to mention that she is a marginalized woman. Then she continued university education and presided over many initiatives to provide services to the community and families affected by the effects of the war, while at the same time defending marginalized groups, providing health aid, and urging them to continue education, integrate into society, and increase the effectiveness of peaceful coexistence.
In turn, the youth activist Amani Al-Jobani, who holds a master’s degree in Business Administration, spoke about her inspiring story of challenging disability as a person with special needs, as well as challenging the conditions of war in continuing her education and providing service to the community, especially the disabled, and helping them to rely on themselves and prove that they are an active segment in Society.
Al-Jobani spoke about her participation in community work that contributes to building peace through her work with the Association for the Care and Rehabilitation of the Disabled in Taiz Governorate, and how she worked to expand the work in the association by establishing centers that follow the association and provide its various services to the disabled at an early age and then chaired it for more than one initiative.
Activist Amani Al-Jobani is one of the members of the Businesswomen’s Administration in Taiz Governorate, where she spoke during the event about her return, after displacement due to the war, to practicing community work by establishing, with a group of businesswomen, the (Lak) Foundation for the rehabilitation of female entrepreneurs and she assumed the position of Secretary-General of the Foundation.
She said that she had strengthened her capabilities in the societal field, and established her community project (Context Organization for Youth and Development) with a group of women with special needs, as well as a group of young people involved in the community field, to contribute to strengthening the capacities of women and youth in participation and decision-making.
As for the youth activist Maha Aoun, a graduate of a Bachelor of English Arts and currently a student in the Department of Political Science and currently managing Humans of Taiz within the local mediation support team in Taiz governorate concerned with prisoners and detainees, she presented the experience that contributed to increasing youth and women participation in community work and peacebuilding through She chaired many initiatives and volunteered at the National Cancer Control Foundation, as well as her participation in economic empowerment projects for families and initiatives for visits to orphans and events. She also participated in organizing events such as the TEDx University of Taiz.
Aoun explained how she was able to provide her services to the community in the city of Taiz through many initiatives between relief, health, water, economic empowerment, repair of the city's sewage, and the removal of garbage from streets and alleys. Emphasizing that "her interest in youth and women's issues and empowering them greatly in all fields is a mission and goal she always works on" and that she "seeks to be a gender consultant and an expert in conflict resolution at the local, regional and international levels."
During the event, a film was shown of three other inspiring stories that contributed to building community peace in the city of Taiz, represented by the human rights activist Shenaz Al-Akhali through her work with different groups of society, including security men, local authorities, community bodies and activists in resolving community conflict issues, and community activist Ashwaq Abdul-Jalil from During her interest in the return of students to their schools and the continuation of the learning process, in addition to the community activist Shurooq Al-Rifai, who contributed to training many initiatives in rural Taiz, as well as youth activists on governance and social accountability, as well as conflict resolution, which she considers important in the quality of service delivery to the community and a catalyst in Community peacebuilding.