Rising to Challenges in Yemen

Triangle has been running programmes in Yemen for over ten years and this is our oldest operation. We feel deeply attached to the country and its inhabitants and, in the face of so many needs, it is evident that we will continue working here. Yet despite our deep-seated commitment to Yemen, running programmes here is far from easy…

A challenging country…
The first challenge is physical : whether it be in Aden, Hodeïda, Shabwa or Socotra (the 4 places where we are based), heat and humidity make life difficult almost 8 months a year.
It is then psychological: despite the indisputable interest of Yemenite culture, its remoteness from French culture can be destabilising.

But Yemen has two further specificities that add to the challenge:

Qat (also known as Khat), the green leaf with euphoric virtues that is chewed by 80% of men and 50% of women (according to Unicef), is everywhere in Yemen, with many consequences on health, work and allocation of family spending. It can be an ideological headache for us when the revenue generated by our projects is mainly used to buy qat, to the detriment of health or education expenses…

But the biggest challenge is the confusing status of women in Yemenite society. They could be seen as oppressed, denied of all freedom, yet, beneath their veils and black robes, women are sometimes skilled, educated and free. In this patriarchal society, men’s lives are not always more enviable than women’s. Keeping an open mind, taking care not to be judgemental and stereotypical is therefore primordial if we want to understand the complexity of Yemen’s culture.

There is also the issue of security: attacks, kidnappings, the spectrum of civil war… the situation is far from stable. Without dramatising things, risks exist and safety is a daily concern.
Finally, an ethical challenge impacts our work daily: Yemen is not spared by the corruption that plagues all developing countries. Our daily job is further complicated by the fact that we refuse to bend to corruption.
These challenges are known to almost all humanitarian missions. Isolation, insecurity, fighting corruption, cultural and climate-related shocks… are all part of the job when working for international solidarity.

As an international solidarity NGO, our ambition is not to give lessons on morals or “savoir-vivre”, nor to inject Arabia Felix (Yemen’s mythical name) with a European mindset. It is simply to make life a little easier for the people with whom we have the fortune to work.

… that is worth it!
Yemen is a poor country. Some regions live in utter poverty, seemingly forgotten by development, with no access to water or education. In such contexts, every project implemented by Triangle G H is a step (be it modest) towards improved living conditions for the men and women of this beautiful country.
The Yemenites are incredible people. Proud of their culture and their way of life, they are also curious, sociable and open-minded. The work we are achieving with them is so mutually enriching, it puts every challenge into perspective.
Our programmes have helped Somali and Ethiopian refugees create a place for themselves in Yemenite society. Our WatSan (water and hygiene) and agricultural projects have given women the roles and responsibilities they did not possess before.
Through our missions, we enable the Yemenites with whom we work to raise questions, to question themselves. They are then free to find their own answers…

Olivier LECONTE¹