From Hardship to Hope: Jawaher Finds Her Way Back to School

In the Marqouda Camp for internally displaced families in Yemen’s Abyan Governorate, young Jawaher lived with her family after they were forced to flee Al Hudaydah in search of safety. Their new home was little more than a fragile shelter with barely enough to meet their basic needs. Yet the greatest loss for Jawaher was not the home they left behind, but the education she was forced to abandon.

With the family struggling to survive, even the cost of school supplies, a uniform, and a backpack became unaffordable. As a result, Jawaher spent two years out of school, watching her classmates walk to school every morning while she remained behind in the camp.

“I had to stop studying for two years because we simply couldn’t afford it,” Jawaher recalls. “We didn’t have money for notebooks, a school bag, or even a uniform. My family wanted me to study, but they couldn’t provide what I needed.”

Her father carried the burden of that reality every day. Displacement, unemployment, and the lack of a stable income left him unable to support his daughter’s education despite knowing how much it meant to her.

“It broke my heart,” he says. “I could see how much Jawaher wanted to return to school, but I couldn’t even afford the basic school supplies she needed.”

After two years away from the classroom, a new opportunity emerged through the Improving the Educational Environment for Displaced Children and Host Communities Project, funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) and implemented by Diversity Foundation.

The project went beyond providing school supplies. It improved the learning environment by equipping schools with new whiteboards and cleaning materials, training teachers, and organizing awareness sessions for families to encourage children to continue their education despite the challenges of displacement.

During the distribution of school kits, Jawaher received a complete set of educational supplies, including a school bag, notebooks, a school uniform, and essential learning materials. For the first time in two years, she was ready to return to the classroom.

“My daughter was overjoyed,” her father says. “The project provided everything she needed for school, and seeing her happy brought happiness to our entire family.”

Jawaher returned to Grade Five at Al Fath Girls School in Khanfar District, Abyan Governorate. Wearing her new school uniform and carrying her backpack with pride, she walked back into the classroom feeling equal to her classmates once again.

Social worker Lina Nasser explains that Jawaher’s story is one of many. The project has helped restore hope for dozens of girls whose education had been interrupted by poverty, enabling 101 students to return to school at Al Fath Girls School alone.

Today, Jawaher no longer watches the school from a distance. Instead, she begins each morning in her classroom, holding a pencil, writing in her notebook, and dreaming about her future once again.

“When the project gave us school bags and notebooks, I was finally able to go back to school,” she says with a smile. “God willing, I’ll continue my education, finish high school, and graduate.”

Jawaher’s journey is more than the story of one girl’s return to school. It is a testament to the power of investing in education, restoring dignity to families, and creating learning environments where every child has the opportunity to thrive. Above all, it is a reminder that education is a fundamental right, and that timely support can transform not only a child’s future, but the future of entire communities.