LFT Yemen – Successful Yemeni Mother Finds the Way to Dignity and SelfReliance
Work with Passion: Successful Yemeni Mother Finds the Way to Dignity and SelfReliance Through the Support of Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable Trust (LFT).
Amal is a thirty-three-year-old Yemeni widowed woman from Sana’a – Kholan, mother of three. Since her childhood, she has dreamed of a decent life in which she works to be self-reliant. “I was not able to complete my secondary education because of the financial situation my family was going through, but I started to achieve my dream by joining the Mothernomics project provided by the Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable trust” she said.
When she got married, her life was not easy, and when the conflict started in Yemen in 2015, life became more difficult as the total dependence on the husband’s daily income. In 2017, her husband died, making her life horrible and a life of suffering for her and her orphans, especially in the circumstances of war and the absence of income for the family. “My children and I depended on financial aid and the help from some family members that give it to me,” she said.
Amal had some previous skills in sewing and by joining the Mothernomics program she found what she missed in her life, and she put all her hope on that it may fix something from the debris made by life.
When she participated in the program, she started to learn sewing from the basics. She developed her skills step by step with the other participants, but what made her unique from the other participants, she was diligent in the course and worked on sewing using the sewing machines available at the training institute outside training hours, which enhanced her skills and mastery of work. “The Lady Fatemah (a.s.) Charitable trust supported me during the training course by sponsoring my orphans through a monthly amount, which helped me a lot to focus on the training course”. She completed the course successfully with the highest grades.
The customs and traditions in Yemen, especially the tribal customs, prevent a woman from working outside the home and oblige her to serve family members inside the home. When Amal received the sewing machine and the essential tools needed for sewing, she started her activity from inside her small house and next to her orphans with every effort to find clients to buy what she sewed. And in fact, she succeeded in that ably.
Amal now earns about $200 per month as a profit from selling clothes in her neighborhood and some retail stores, and she is constantly seeking to raise her income to cover her family’s needs. “I found myself again.” She affirmed as this opportunity has helped her to heal from the trauma that she carried when she lost her husband. Now she feels much more relaxed, and she can leave her stress aside. The money she earns has allowed her to buy medicine, fresh fruit, and vegetables for her children. This opportunity supported and encourages her to work, build her skills and embrace her passion back in her life.