In Yemen’s displacement camps, where uncertainty often defines daily life, Relief International has been working tirelessly to create spaces of safety, healing, and hope. Amid the challenges of displacement and limited access to essential services, these spaces serve as a lifeline, offering women and girls the chance to rebuild trust, find community, and reclaim their sense of dignity. Every day, Relief International’s teams work hand in hand with local communities and partners, to ensure that protection and support reach those who need it most.
Through a series of educational sessions, we have supported more than 4,800 women and girls to recognize and respond to patterns of gender-based violence.
We have also provided critical psychosocial support and case management services to survivors, offering comfort and care to over 150 women. Our healthcare workers and volunteers are trained to respond with compassion. They have training and experience with case management and clinical care, specifically for survivors of sexual violence.
Additionally 350 Yemeni women have taken part in our life skills training through which they have not only regained their income but their confidence, identity, and purpose.
Ahad’s journey: Finding strength in her own hands
Ahad was just fifteen, still a child herself when she got married. By eighteen, she was a mother of two and had fled her home in Sana’a Governorate with her husband’s family to seek safety in Al-Faw Camp, Marib. Life in the camp was far from easy. There was no stable income, no proper home, and even access to basic services like healthcare and education was scarce.
When Ahad heard about Relief International’s life skills training, she decided to join the course. That decision marked the beginning of a transformation. Ahad used her limited resources to buy a few molds and began making incense and candles, adding her own creative flair. She named her small business Lamasat Fan, meaning “Artistic Touch”.
What began as a small step soon became a source of dignity, pride and independence, allowing Ahad to provide for her family. Today, Ahad is not only her family’s provider but also an inspiration to other women in the camp who dare to imagine a new beginning. Today, she is not only her family’s provider but also an inspiration to other women in the camp who dare to imagine a new beginning.
Amira’s story: A needle and a new beginning
In Al-Himmah Camp, Amira’s days once revolved around day to day survival. Displaced from Ibb Governorate, she cared for her four children while her husband’s illness kept him from working. With no income and no plan, life was a daily struggle.
That changed when Amira discovered the Safe Space run by Relief International. She enrolled in a sewing training course, where she learned how to transform fabric into opportunity, and a needle into hope. Without a sewing machine of her own, she borrowed one from a neighbour and began stitching clothes to fulfil local orders.
Little by little, Amira’s confidence grew along with her earnings. She no longer waited for assistance — she became self-reliant and financially independent, able to buy the basics that her family needed.
“Relief International changed my life,” Amira says. “Many women who have no revenue or source of income could join the training as I did and support their families and children for a better life.”
Yousra’s story: Confidence beyond disability
Displaced from Al-Jubah district to Al-Hymaid Camp, Yousra lived in deep isolation. Born with a physical disability in her hands, she spent years feeling unseen and excluded. Marriage, work, or even friendship seemed beyond reach. Her father, aging and unable to work, carried his own quiet sorrow and Yousra’s sense of hopelessness grew heavier each day.
Then one day, everything began to change. She heard about Relief International’s Safe Space through an education campaign,and decided to join the pickles and dairy training program. For the first time, she was surrounded by people who saw her not for her disability, but for her determination.
The programme changed her life for the better and helped her gain confidence and strength to live her life with dignity.
Yousra said, “I thought I was finished, but the Safe Space brought me back to life. I feel better, more optimistic, and capable of supporting myself and my family. The project helped others in my community, as many women joined the training programs and their living conditions have improved.”
Yousra learned the art of production, carefully crafting pickles and dairy products with her own hands. Hands that had once been a source of pain now became a symbol of pride. Every jar she sold brought not only income, but a renewed sense of self-worth and belonging. Yousra’s journey is one of quiet courage — proving that with the right support, every woman can rise above her circumstances.
It is with the support of European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) that women like Ahad, Amira, and Yousra, who have endured unimaginable hardships yet found strength within themselves to start anew. Together, we’re helping them move beyond survival and toward a life of hope, dignity, and independence.
