The first summer center for orphans launches [Archives:2007/1062/Local News]
Nisreen Shadad
SANA’A ) June23, under the slogan, “With working, our hopes are achieved,” Orphan sector and lodging houses (accommodations); a branch from al-Saleh association for social development, launches the activities of the first summer center – on Saturday- for empowering the orphans who are elder than ten years old.
The summer center is considered the preliminary stage, “The whole sector was established 55 days ago,” according to Huda al-Yafe’e, the director of Orphan sector and lodging houses, who added “The strategy we will follow is of three stages which aim to make constant development . The first stage is opening a center to qualify the orphans. The second stage aims to develop the widows’ skills. The last stage is the stability of housing,” she said.
“The preparatory stage will last for two months while the second ranges from two to three years. Applying the third stage plan depends enormously on the success of the first and the second stages. The number of orphans who are involved in the first stage is 500 orphans; 250 girls and 250 boys.” Al-Yafe’e elaborated.
“Training is going to take place in two different schools; one for boys and an other for girls. Students are to study Holy Quran and life skills. Other training courses are related to computer, English, sewing, and maintaining. In the third stage, we will provide orphans and widows, who are not stable in Sana’a, with houses provided with the essential facilities, farms, shops,etc according to one’s specialty.,” said Ibtisam al-Khawlani, the director of training and education section in the sector. She confirmed that The President Saleh provided the sector with the land in which the houses are going to be built.
We have another program which is called the elder brother which is concerned with educating and empowering the “elder brother in a family”, who take the father’s responsibility and position, according to al-Khawlani.
The opening party was under the auspices of Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, the director of al-Saleh association for social development. Numerous ambassadors, ministers, and representatives of private sector attended the opening party to finance this project. The donations of the attendees ranged from YR 100.000 to a million
Muhammad al-Qubati, a seven grade orphan delivered a word about the orphan’s feelings when his father or mother passed away unexpectedly, saying “Yes I lost my father, however I do not lose hope.”
Bandar al-Dahish, eight-grade orphan and the eldest boy in his family said “I’d like to study computer in the center to be independent and join college in the future.” “Engineering college is expensive, but strongly I believe that I can work and study,” he added.
Khadija al-Haisami, the previous Minister of Human Rights, confirmed the significant of such centers, especially when there is a big number of orphans in Yemen.
