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April 28 2008

Earth Guest Day

A symposium was held last Tuesday in the Sofitel Hotel in Taiz on the occasion of Earth Guest Day, organized by the Mercure French Company in collaboration with The Yemeni Company for Industry and Trading. The national association for society development organized a session of lectures to train participants on environmental issues.

The participants discussed the people's awareness of environmental issues and ways to get rid of waste, solid and liquid materials, glass, plastic and harmful cans, and how poor families can make use of them.

A report was presented by Jamel Al-Maqtari, the manager of quality administration in the Yemeni Company for Industry and Trading, in which he highlighted the industrial processes of waste recycling.

Nabel Sailan, human resources manager in Sofitel Hotel, presented a report dealing with the effects on the Earth's atmosphere. He touched on the damage done to the ozone layer from factory waste and gases. Esrar Al-Kobati a trainer and member of staff the association discussed the types and rate of the solid waste that is produced in Taiz.

Samya Ahmed a representative of Saba Public School, gave a brief speech about the history of the environment, while Dr Abdulnaser Al-Kabab, Public Health and Population Office Manager, discussed the ozone layer's importance to people's health, specifically with regard to the respiratory system and blood circulation.

YALI makes remarkable recovery

The Yemen-America Language Institute (YALI) has made an astonishing recovery over the past six months following last September' labor dispute by teachers at the institute. YALI Director of Courses Greg Olson reports that enrollment has tripled, from around 950 students in October to over 2,850 in the current term. The institute has increased the number of teachers to a total of 62, he said, by rehiring a number of former teachers who returned after YALI provided the contracts they requested, and recruiting additional qualified teachers who must satisfactory complete a five-week training program in YALI's teaching methodology. YALI, sponsored by the US Embassy in Sana'a and managed by AMIDEAST, has made great investments in upgrading its facilities. Now available to students on 32 new computers in the Multi-Media Lab are English language software, movies, TV programs and the Internet. YALI recently opened a library, the first and only one of its kind in Yemen, where members can check out and take home reading material. The library also provides hundreds of fiction and non-fiction books for students in low-intermediate to advanced levels and has magazines and other reading material that can be read in the library.

YALI has also initiated free mini-courses on Thursdays, including conversation sessions with North-American and European students from the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies (YCMES, previously known as Yemen Language Center). YCMES, Yemen's oldest and largest Arabic language institute, through its exclusive partnership with YALI, also invites YALI students participate in YMCES field trips to share their culture and love of Yemen while conversing with students who are in Yemen to learn Arabic. The U.S. Embassy has continued to contribute extra-curricular activities such as performances by visiting U.S. musical groups and speakers.

YALI graduates, who average over 20 students per term, now have an opportunity to further master their English skills through a course series called Real World English. The new courses focus on preparing graduates to manage “real-life” material and situations and deliver critical information on how to study in the United States and get jobs with international companies.

“It has been an exciting privilege,” said Mr. Olson, “to work with YALI's team of dedicated staff and teachers to make possible the continuation of YALI's proud 32-year tradition as the pre-eminent institution in meeting Yemen's English language training needs.”

Marie Stopes celebrates its 10th anniversary

Marie Stopes International – Yemen (MSI-Y) celebrated on last Sunday (20th of April 2008) in Movenpick Sana'a Hotel, on the occasion of its 10th anniversary of starting up its Clinical Program on Reproductive Health and Family Planning Services in Yemen.

The celebration was attended by Mr. Tim Turlot, the British Ambassador in Yemen, Mr. Dana Hovig Marie Stopes International Chief Executive, Dr. Ahmed Borajee:- General Secretary of the National Council of Population, Mrs. Rashida _Al-Hamdani : The Chief National Women Committee, and Ms. Fran Roots Marie Stopes International Yemen Country Representative, in addition of numbers of delegates of foreign embassies and International NGOs.

Mrs. Rashida Al-Hamdani expressed for the media, her appreciation on the continuous efforts of MSI-Y in providing the high quality of Family planning and Reproductive Health Services to the community in Yemen since 10 years of its establishment along with all other national and international NGOs.

At the beginning of the celebration, Mr. Dana Hovig, the CE of MSI, said that he is grateful for the Ministry of Public Health & Population for their unlimited support of MSIY for its activities and growth since its establishment.”

He added that “”he is proud of the achievement of MSI Yemen staff and grateful to their hard work on rendering high quality of Reproductive Health Service for the Yemeni Society within the 4governorates; Sana'a