The holidays have come and gone and while I would've loved to have visited home at least for Christmas (this has been my second consecutive year away from home for the holidays), due to ticket prices it just wasn't an option. As a present to myself and an attempt to make up for being away from home, I decided to go to Syria instead. That's right folks, I made it to the motherland...well, one of them anyways. I was originally going to go to Lebanon as well, but quickly realized how much there is to see in Syria and wanted to do the country justice. In the end, I still didn't get to see all I wanted to and hope to go back in the near future.
It took me waiting ten hours at the airport and having to bribe the guards at the end of the ordeal to get a visa. For Americans, you can only get a visa at the Syrian Embassy in Washington DC. That clearly was not an option for me so after harassing the Syrian embassy in Yemen for over a week and still being denied a visa, I decided to take my chances. The wait was painful, but well worth the frustration.
I'll write more on my Syrian adventures in the next few posts as there were a few experiences that are worth more detail. For those who are curious, below is a rough itinerary of what I did and saw:
12/24/09
Arrived
Waited at the airport for ten hours and bribed the guard at 10pm
Drove to Jabal to get a get view of Damascus at night
12/25/09
Explored the Old City in Damascus
Visited Azem Palace
Met Dori and Fawzi (Jordanian friends) in Damascus
Attended a live Christmas concert that night in the Old City
12/26/09
Explored Busra (preserved stone castle and coliseum)
12/27/09
Hiked to Deir Mar Musa and spent the night and next afternoon there (old monastery in the mountains of Syria)
12/28/09
Returned from Deir Mar Musa in the afternoon
Explored Umayyad Mosque
Explored Rayqad Tomb and Mosque
Met a couchsurfer (Adnan) in the Old City and got a personal tour of the surrounding history
12/29/09
Visited Palmyra (amazing stone temples in the middle of the dessert)
12/30/09
Visited the Mosque of Cain and Able aka the 40 shakes mosque
Visited the Zaineb Mosque
Went to Hammam Ammounah
12/31/09
Took a bus to the airport in the morning, arrived in Sana’a in the evening
For those who having spent time in Yemen, weddings here are an important and frequent occurrence. I have been to a few since I've arrived and thought I'd give a brief synopsis of what it entails.
The ceremony starts with wedding invitations, although most of the time my invitations have been verbal. During the celebration, as with everything else in Yemen, women and men split into separate groups. For women, the celebration can last anywhere from one to seven days depending on the family and their status. For men, the time frame tends to be one to three days.
The early morning of the first day of the celebration is called the thebal or gassal, when the bride and her friends go together to the hammam or public bath. Upon their return there is a traditional lunch accompanied by Yemeni songs and following the lunch is an afternoon party where the bride wears a green dress and sits next to a shamadon (an ornate iron structure decorated with egg shells). During this time, the older women chew qat and the younger women dance.
On the second day, the party is called naghash, taking place in a spacious hall and lasting into the night. The family of the bride provides the guests with cookies and cakes at this time.
The biggest celebration is on the third day. The bride wears a modern dress (usually quite flamboyant) and the party welcomes the bride with applause. At the end of the party (usually late at night, around 11pm) the groom enters the hall where the bride is waiting and they sit together.
The althath, or the fourth day, the mother of the groom hosts a party that gives her family an opportunity to see the wife of her son. That night (or after the wedding reception), guests usually participate in giving al-tarh. This is where the male guests give money to the groom, each according to his ability (in place of gifts as is done in western culture). The bride and the female guests also get henna done on this day.
If the groom does not throw a banquet to cut the costs of the wedding, then instead of al-tarh, the groom and his guests go to the hammam, eat breakfast, and then drive around the city accompanied by drummers. Tribal dances are performed until lunch at which time an al-magyal or vocalist sings and chants with the guests until the evening when its time to prepare for the reception.
The reception usually begins with traditional dances followed by the azafah (the actual wedding reception) which lasts from an hour and a half to two hours. During this time, the al-magyal sings religious chants while the groom carries a sword and walks from one end of the street to the other. The street is usually lit up with special lights and decorations. After the azafah, the groom asks permission to leave for his bride while the guests continue to dance until dawn. Dances are performed the next morning and similar ceremonies take place the following afternoon.
One aspect of weddings that I find worth mentioning is that the women tend to dress very scandalously and put on lots of make up (neither of which are tolerated outside of this situation). Of course, they are only in the presence of other women when this happens, but I find it to be a unique tradition that doesn’t mesh with the rest of Yemeni culture.
Lecture for YCMES: “Yemen Human Development: Challenges & Opportunities”
Marta Colburn December 14th, 2009
I. Development Actors
Civil Society – local & international
Bi-Lateral Entities – Saudi, Kuwait
Multi-Lateral Entities – UN system, EU, World Bank, Arab Donors, AGFUND
Although, Yemen’s ranking is very low in the UN Human Development Index for 2008 (138 out of 179 countries), development assistance or ODA remains low. According to Yemeni government officials, the country receives on average $13 to $15 per capita in total foreign aid money—less per capita than many sub-Saharan Africa countries receive.
Saudi Arabia is the largest donor, with Arab donors investing more in infrastructure and Western donors more in software.
Summary of the history of donor assistance to Yemen:
Most significant watershed point was the dramatic drop following the August of 1990 (a little over two months after Yemeni unification) when Iraq invaded Kuwait. As the only Arab country on the UN Security Council in 1990-91, Yemen’s position of neutrality and advocacy of a non-military Arab diplomatic solution was seen as de facto support for Saddam Hussein by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, many other Arab countries and the United States. As a result, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Gulf states cut off their substantial financial assistance to Yemen, including a US$300 million aid package from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait alone. The US government reduced its assistance program from US$42 million a year to US$3million.
In fiscal 2009, total US aid for Yemen was $27.5 million, of which $21 million is development assistance. The remainder includes Foreign Military Financing, counter terrorism and related programs, and International Military and Education Training.
The Obama administration has requested that US aid to Yemen more than double for fiscal 2010 to more than $50 million, excluding military and security funding. U.S. military and security funding for fiscal 2010 will jump to more than $66 million for counter terrorism, anti-piracy, and border security assistance—more than double the amount for the two previous years combined.
It must be noted that the most significant contributor to development in Yemen has actually been citizens. Through remittances Yemenis built homes, bought and improved agriculture, but also contributed to community level investments such as schools and roads. In the 1970s and 80s when expatriate Yemen labor in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf was at its peak, such unskilled laborers (almost half were illiterate and only 18% had any formal education) sent remittances totalling nearly US$2 billion annually, dropping to $300 million in the early 1990s. With the 1990 expulsion of nearly a million Yemeni workers from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf this lifeline to rural communities ended.
II. Demographics
1. Rural Profile
73% of Yemenis reside in rural villages or clusters of homes - living in such mountainous terrain makes the provision of infrastructure and services a challenge (roads, health care, education, water and electricity).
Urban poverty has declined from 32% (1998) to 20.7% (2005), but more than 40% of rural residents are now poor.
According to UNDP (2008) 15.7% of Yemenis lived on less than $1 a day and 45.2% lived on less than $2 a day (the official poverty line).
While rural Yemenis have always faced isolation and poverty, the long tradition of male migration for work outside of the country has been limited in the last 15 years.
2. Youth bulge
Yemen is a country of youth with nearly 50% of the population under the age of 15 and 76% of the population under age 28.
Youth unemployment rate is double that of adults (18.7% as compared to 8.4% in 1999, and estimated at between 31.2% and 37.4% in 2008 ).
190,000 young people enter the labor market each year with little or no marketable skills, which is closely tied to poor education outcomes including no linkage to labor demand needs.
75% of the unemployed were first time job seekers.
In recent years traditional labor outlets in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf have shrunk significantly.
This demographic reality contributes to instability in Yemen from two sides of the equation, on the one hand the vulnerability of young people due to frustration and lack of economic, social and political opportunities and on the other hand their engagement in crime, violence, conflict and the active recruitment of young men to extremist causes.
3. Population explosion
The population of Yemen has doubled in size since 1990 and is projected to almost double again by 2025 (from 19.7m in 2004 to 38m in 2025).
Yemen has a 3.5% population growth rate (2006), one of the highest in the world.
Fertility rates have decreased dramatically since 1990 (when Yemeni women delivered 8.3 live births per lifetime) to the current estimated 6.5 births per woman. Although, according to the Ministry of Health (2007) at any given moment, nearly 16% of women in Yemen were pregnant.
III. Economic Issues
1. Poverty & Unemployment
Unemployment is conservatively estimated at present by the government at 16%
The country has high rates of poverty (35% of the population is below the poverty line).
Estimates vary, but between 2007-08 a 60% spike in food prices significantly impacted poor households throughout Yemen with an 120% increase in the cost of bulk flour.
Yemen has high rates of malnutrition (one in three Yemenis suffer from chronic hunger), illiteracy (45.7%), and infant, child and maternal mortality. According to UNICEF 370 women die per 100,000 live births; the under-five mortality rate was 73 per 1,000 live births; the infant mortality rate (under 12 months) was 55 per 1,000 live births; the neonatal mortality rate was 41 per 1,000 live births.
Yemen’s population explosion means that the country has to manage more efficiently and equitably its financial resources in order to meet the various Millennium Development Goals.
2. Looming economic crisis
Yemen's economy depends mainly on its declining oil resources which account for 30-35% of GDP, providing 75% of government revenues and 90% of export receipts.
World Bank predicts that state revenues from oil and gas sales will plummet sharply during 2009–10 and fall to zero by 2017. The lack of state budget will further exacerbate the economic challenges facing the country and contribute to poverty and instability.
In 2009, inflation should decline to under 10% from its 2008 level of 19%.
Diesel subsidies - Yemen, where despite sharp price increases, the government still subsidies prices of USD 0.28 per liter (USD 1.08 per gallon) for diesel. Very small gap between oil revenues ($4.2 million annually) and subsidies (approximately $3.7 million0).
In recognition of the severe budgetary shortfalls, at the beginning of 2009 the Finance Ministry reportedly ordered budget cuts of 50% throughout the entire bureaucracy. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, however, cuts of only 4% have been implemented.
The investment climate in Yemen remains weak. In its 2010 Doing Business survey, the World Bank ranked Yemen 99 out of 183 countries for which the overall ease of doing business was assessed, moderately improving its score from 2009 by 4 points. Yemen’s weakest scores were in getting credit (150 out of 183), although the country’s ranking rose from 2009 of 174th to 150th in 2010. Other key issues according to the report were paying taxes and dropping from 141st in 2009 to 148th in 2010 and protecting investors, also dropping from 127th to 132nd.
IV. Governance
1. Corruption
Rampant corruption in all sectors of government has created a hemorrhaging economy, an inhospitable investment environment, and a government that lacks credibility. Corruption is a significant factor contributing to extremism and weak rule of law.
Patronage network: four factors for distribution and thus major corruption:
1.) National budget
2.) Procurement system
3.) Military-commercial complex
4.) General People’s Congress (GPC) party machine
Cronyism in the government is another big problem. The system and salaries are designed to attract crooks, the salaries are pathetic compared to private sector salaries, but opportunities to steal are prolific. That is why our civil servants are unqualified and often corrupt. This rots the system from the inside out by creating a civil servant corps that has low productivity. It promotes corruption on small and large scales, and it creates a hostile investment environment.
Nepotism.
Give example of payments for government job – 500,000 YR in Mareb, 300,000 YR in Hajja and Al-Jawf.
2. Weak rule of law
Context of traditional weak state and tensions between the state and tribes.
Political unrest – South
Tribal conflict - approximate 6 to 17 million small arms for a population of 23 million means that it is one of the most heavily armed countries in the world. In an NDI report (2007) it was found that 44% of the sheiks said that young men are becoming more difficult to control compared to five years ago. Of those who answered yes, 60% said that young people are becoming less controllable because of lack of awareness about the consequences of conflict, 20% because of poverty and unemployment, 7% because of political party-related issues and 4% because of the conflict itself.
Al-Huthis - Al-Huthi insurgency has festered since 2004 with the sixth encounter flaring up in November 2009. This conflict has primarily focused in Sa’adah governorate claiming thousands of lives and displacing an estimated 190,000 Yemenis over the last five years (UNHCR estimates November 2009).
There is a lack of infrastructure, services and security in much of rural Yemen.
3. Terrorism
Litany is long and I am sure you and your families are more familiar with it than you would care to be. Contextual factors that contribute include poverty, unemployment, corruption and a lack of positive activities for young people such as sports and youth clubs, particularly in rural areas where over 70% of the population resides.
The general context of radicalism, extremism and terrorism in Yemen includes a wide range of factors including:
1. Presence of returned mujahideen that have come home and gained varying levels of acceptance in broader Yemeni society
2. Recent increasing presence of Al-Qaeda particularly with the early 2009 announcement of the merger between the group’s Saudi Arabian and Yemeni forces. There is considerable evidence of the recruitment efforts of violent extremists in Yemen, particularly among young men, is of grave concern. The young Yemen suicide bomber involved in the March 2009 attack in the Hadramaut was recruited by such individuals indicating active recruitment for such terrorist activities.
3. Ongoing US military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the broadly perceived US support of Israel, also contribute to high levels of frustration with the global status quo.
4. Perceived anti-Islamic policies and attitudes in the West and the US fuel resentment and contribute to the appeal of violent extremism in Yemen. In January 2009, hundreds of thousands demonstrated in various Yemen cities in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Preachers in mosques across the country and a Fatwa issued by the Yemeni Scholars Association calling on Arab leaders to enable their people and armies to help people in Gaza defeat the Zionist enemy indicate the volatility of the situation and trigger events that can contribute to strengthening the appeal of radical perspectives.
5. Weak rule of law exists in many parts of the country and an erosion of national identity, particularly at the present time with the troubles in the North and South.
6. The continued incarceration of the Yemenis in Guantanamo Bay (nearly 100 Yemenis remain in detention, the largest national group of the remaining 239 as of June 2009) is an issue of concern.
Yemeni government efforts to eradicate terrorism and maintain security have left much to be desired. Unfortunately, many efforts in Yemen, and internationally, to address terrorism see the phenomenon through a security lens, which often sidelines the human dimension and enabling factors that are root causes.
V. Water Crisis
Historically Yemen has periodically suffered from drought and recent global weather patterns affected by climate change have exacerbated the country’s water crisis. Additionally, Yemen’s population is increasing rapidly, straining already stressed water sources.
Yemen’s per capita water consumption at 125 m3 annually is one of the lowest in the world.
Only 19.1% of citizens have access to adequate sanitation facilities, 31.5% to safe drinking water (the percentage of the rural population that has access to water from improved sources is actually declining from 68% of the population in 1990 to 65% in 2004 ).
While rainfall may vary from year to year, in recent years, the water table in Yemen has annually fallen an estimated 2 meters (or 6.6 feet), forcing wells to be dug deeper).
Total amount of water used annually is 3.5 billion m3, of which 93% is used in agriculture (approximately a third of which irrigates fields of qat - estimated 75% of Yemeni men), 6% in households and 1% by industry.
Gap between used water and renewed fresh water about 1 billion m3 a year. Additional the problem of a predicted doubling in the population by 2025 means that far higher amounts of water will be required to sustain the country (4.6 billion m3).
Lack of political will for a rational water policy is highly unlikely to improve.
16% of deaths in Yemeni children under the age of five are caused by diarrheal diseases. Additionally, diarrhea is the number two cause of death of Yemenis of all ages, causing 11% of deaths.
A study which is currently being compiled has found that of the 29,000 conflicts over the past 20 years 85% have involved water resources.
Land for agriculture only includes 13.6% of land, however only 1.2-1.6 million hectares is actually under cultivation. A recent report by the MAI noted that 85% of the agricultural lands are subject to deterioration from a variety of causes (including traditional pasturage methods have also contributed to soil erosion and deterioration). While a significant proportion of agriculture in Yemen is still rain fed, much of it is subsistence farming and largely the responsibility of women.
VI. Gender Equity
18% of girls aged 15-19 years and 60% of girls aged 20-24 years are married as opposed to 4% and 31% of boys in same age-groups, 14% had been married before 15. About 1.6 million girls are married before age 20, and 900,000 teenage mothers give birth every year. One third of maternal deaths can be directly linked to early marriage.
Female adult (over the age of 15) illiteracy rates are an astounding 68.6% (2004 census) and seven out of 21 governorates (1/3) are have over 80% female illiteracy rates (Sa’adah 86.8%, Raymah 86.3%, Hajja 85.4%, Dhamar 82.6%, Amran 81.9%, Al-Mahweet 81.4% and Al-Jawf 80.3%).
While the gender gap in education enrollment rates has decreased in recent years, it still remains high. Girls make up only one-third of primary school enrollments and only one in four girls go on to attend secondary school. Female secondary enrollment rates show dramatic disparity between governorates, ranging between 57% in Sana'a City to 2.6% in Shebwa Governorate.
There are three time consuming and often physically challenging tasks in rural Yemen that older female children (usually 10 and above) and women are responsible for – fetching water and gathering firewood and fodder for animals. The time spent on these female designated tasks varies considerably between diverse geographical areas and depending on the availability of such resources, as well as the affluence of families. All three tasks have a deep impact on girls’ enrollment in school, particularly for girls over 10 years of age and all three should be examined when building schools.
V. Conclusion
Dire situation, but there is room for hope
Youth programming including RAWFD
SFD efforts as a Yemeni-operated and directed institution
- Serving as a “university” for development professionals
Private sector initiatives such as Silver Filters
Human resources improvement from 1980s
Decentralization
Positive tribal traditions
- Conflict management, charity and generosity. Yemeni tribes have time-honored traditions in conflict prevention and resolution including using arbitration and mediation techniques, as well as highly-sophisticated systems of compensation when violence does erupt. Such traditions recognize the destructive nature of conflict and seek to prevent its outbreak and when it erupts to mitigate its damage. One astute informant during the assessment noted that the tribal model is designed to control the most contentious aspects of daily life to mitigate conflict. In other words, tribes behave in warlike ways and sometimes resort to war in order to make peace. Most tribal conflicts result in very little loss of life.
Yemen is blessed with indigenous democratic and entrepreneurial traditions that despite challenges continue to thrive.
Recently, I arranged a free class on development in Yemen for the students at YCMES to be taught by Marta Colburn, a woman who has a magnitude of experience across the board in issues of development. The class was more a discussion and the students really responded to Marta's humility, intelligence and humor.
I thought of summarizing all that was discussed, but there were so many topics and the conversation was often so sporadic that I thought it best to post Marta's notes on the following blog entry as they hold some very relevant and fascinating details about this country.
Topics included are as follows:
Development Actors
Demographics
Economic Issues
Governance
Water Crisis
Gender Equality
Women Journalists without Chains (WJWC) in an NGO which serves to protect the rights and freedoms of journalists unfairly prosecuted for releasing certain stories to the public. Well...they strive to help the journalists whom they agree with. The Zeytun students got to meet with the staff of this NGO and proceeded to ask questions regarding recent events and how the actions of WJWC coincided.
Recently, a man was prosecuted for publishing comics that portrayed Islam in a very unattractive and insulting way. While these comics may have held content that was offensive and uncalled for, the fact remains that he was prosecuted for exercising freedom of speech, a right this NGO says they strive to preserve. When questioned as to whether WJWC would have defended this individual or done what they could to help him, they replied, "no." They believe (along with the government and many other institutions in Yemen) that somehow these comics violated the rights of those who believe in Islam.
Another student asked if they would defend an individual who wrote on the topic of homosexuality in Yemen and again, they replied with, "no." According to their interpretation of the Qu’ran, homosexuality is forbidden and since homosexuality is not an issue in Yemen like it is in the west (according to this organization), it's best to neglect it altogether since doing otherwise would make the issue more relevant than it actually is.
For reference, many Yemenis and Arabs in other countries as well do not think homosexuality exists in their country or in the Middle East. I realize it is not necessary to add this next statement, but I have a few friends from Yemen and other Middle Eastern areas that are gay, though they would never reveal this to their families and Arab peers, just to clear up any discrepancies.
While I’m sure the Dutch students were taken aback by this meeting and perhaps didn’t think it was useful, I will respectfully disagree. This is how things work in Yemen and whether or not they are ideal, they are the reality. To me, trying to understand a culture, its system and its politics means viewing it from every angle, even if you don’t necessary like what you see.
There are times, doing the kind of work that I do and interacting with the people of the countries I'm in, that I just have to take a step back and breathe. I try to remind myself that rarely does one person ever change anything in any great magnitude by themselves. The small steps of many tend to be required for real change.
Yemen is such a beautiful country in so many ways. What they say about Arab hospitality is true; people in this region are generally very kind, warm, and helpful. However, Yemen is an extreme. People here will literally jump over fences to help you. Just yesterday morning I was walking and passed three Yemenis squatting in the streets sharing a plate of food that was really meant for one, and still they offered me a place to sit with them to share what they could.
That being said, the multitude and magnitude of the issues here overwhelm me at times. When I was interviewing Yemeni students for the Zeytun program I was distressed by the qualifications that the applicants brought to the table. All were well educated and students of politics or of the like, yet many couldn't answer the most basic of politically or culturally oriented questions. The educational system in Yemen fails on many levels.
The other day, during a meeting between the Zeytun students and an NGO that focuses on encouraging women's rights, the topic of polygamy in Islam was raised. The students and the organization talked back and forth about the legitimacy of polygamy in modern times and the double standard of men being allowed to take multiple wives, but not the other way around for women. During the discussion, one of the Yemeni women argued that it had been proven scientifically that a woman's body is more sensitive than a man's to disease and that women physically cannot handle multiple sex partners. She explained this was one reason why prostitutes have so many sexually transmitted diseases.
While I would expect something like this from one of the men in the group (and have heard statement's that boasted similar ignorance and discrimination towards the opposite sex), to hear that argument come from a supposedly educated women was hard for me to swallow on many levels. One of the students from Amsterdam responded stating that this was not the case, but at that point it was almost irrelevant.
The students involved in the Zeytun Exchange Program that I oversee have been attending various meetings from one day to the next to NGOs, ministries, and other political and cultural organizations of the like. I may post a few blog entries addressing some of the organizations we visited and what they had to say about their role in Yemeni culture.
One of the most interesting meetings took place with Nadia Esokaf, the Chief and Editor of the Yemen Times Newspaper. It’s rare to find a woman in Yemen (especially a Yemeni woman) with a position of this magnitude. Nadia was raised into the business and when her father was assassinated by the government, she and her brother and sister took over the paper’s endeavors.
When I asked her about the challenges she faced in this position as a woman, she said that she had to let get rid of almost half the male staff when she began because they weren’t receptive to authority coming from a woman. She has since learned how to talk to men in this region in ways that they are more receptive to. As her father left such a positive legacy, she didn’t have a problem proving her name, her problems were surrounding professional relationships within the press field.
I was extremely inspired by this woman whose intelligence and presence dominated the room in a manner that was assertive without being overbearing. She is fluent in English and posses a wealth of information of which we were only able to scratch the surface given the short time frame.
The Yemen Times is an English newspaper that has been in business for almost 20 years, despite three attempts by the government to close them down. Their main targets are educated Yemenis and foreigners living in Yemen or those interested in learning about or traveling to the country. Because the majority of the Yemeni population is not reading their newspaper, the Yemen Times has more immunity than most other sources of print since the government is not as concerned with what they have to say. However, they still tread with caution when publishing certain stories as there are many instances where government officials come into the office to intimidate or threaten.
Nadia’s wish is to someday be able to say something she knows is true without being scared she will offend someone. In Yemen, this is all you have to do to get prosecuted, thrown in jail, harassed, or killed. Nadia spoke of the frequent occurrence of rape in schools where older boys where sexually assaulting younger boys. They know this is happening and at some institutions on a very high scale, but they are unable to write about it because of the consequences they’d face from the school, the children’s parents, and the government. Sex in general is a very taboo subject in Yemen, but homosexuality is an even more sensitive issue.
Although free speech is clearly an obstacle, she feels the most significant problem the paper faces is access to information or lack there of. The majority of the time she can get in touch with opposition forces such as al-Qaeda, the Houthis, etc., before getting a response from Yemen’s own government.
She made the point that Yemen is an insecure country because the government cannot control it, especially with regards to terrorism. Nadia used a metaphor that shaped the Yemeni government as a very strict and old fashioned parent and the country of Yemen as its child. The parent wants things done in a very specific way, but the child is growing, expanding and learning and now as a teenager, is rebelling against the government in ways that are smart, where they remain unseen.
Speaking to the matter of terrorism and the lack of government control, the conversation began to address more specific political issues in Yemen, such as the war in the North and South. Nadia explained that the Houthis are successful at the war in Sada because they are living in the mountains where there are no roads and the rough terrain doesn’t allow for any government, including Yemen or Saudi Arabia, to control it. People easily disappear here and only the native people and Bedouins know how to navigate it. The government tries to maintain the security situation through the use of violence (hard security), but you can’t physically fight faith or belief which is why soft security is needed if control is to be established and maintained.
The idea behind soft security is to make the Yemeni people love their country by providing good health care, education, trained security, an honest police force, and so on. If Yemen becomes more appreciative of its people, the people will be more supportive of the government.
According to Nadia, there needs to be a change of authority and the old powers need to be replaced by educated individuals who are qualified to govern a country. While in 2006 Yemen held fair elections, this was threatening to the current regime that feared eventually a change in leadership would ensue. Perhaps this threat was a motivation for the government’s cancelation of the last elections. The opposition parties in Yemen have no real power and don’t have the people’s interest in mind. As a result of the inability of the system to satisfy the people, parties are turning into movements from the ground level and are neither registered nor organized.
Yemen’s problems are vast, but Nadia believes that its future rests in the hands of educated and loyal youth who have the desire to change things. Sadly many who fit into this category go abroad to study or work and generally don’t return.
To find out more on the Yemen Times, refer to their website at: http://www.yementimes.com/
As I've previously mentioned, one of my jobs at the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies is Special Programs Officer. I am currently in charge of an academic exchange program between students from Amsterdam and students from Yemen, called Zeytun, as a part of this position. This past week and this coming week will be crazier than normal as the Amsterdam students have arrived and I am responsible for overseeing their trips to NGOs, Ministries, and other cultural and political meetings and field trips with the accompaniment of the Yemeni students as well. In addition, I'm still needed at the college to continue my other job as Student Affairs Coordinator for the foreign students here, so balancing these two sets of responsibilities has been challenging.
While all the Dutch students are very enthusiastic and welcoming, I'm a little surprised at the lack of Arabic skills they possess. They are all political science students that have an interest in the Middle East, and many have traveled to countries like Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, yet none of them know a word of Arabic. This has been a bit of a hindrance. The Yemeni students and the Amsterdam students communicate through English, and the Yemenis will often accompany them to dinner or other activities after the ones I've scheduled, so they have no problem navigating the city. However, when the Dutch students are by themselves, things become more complicated. Hardly anyone in Yemen speaks more than two words of English, so the first few days I was with them constantly to help order food, take taxis, exchange money, or whatever else until the Yemeni's were able to step in.
I guess I was just a little shocked no one even knew the basics: shukran (thank you), afwan (you're welcome), salam al-ekum (hello)....you get the idea. Regardless, it’s been a wonderful experience for the Yemenis and for the Dutch, but especially for the Yemeni women in the program. There are so few opportunities for women here so I'm pleased by the idea that they will get a chance to travel to Amsterdam and get a first hand perspective of another culture as many have never left the country. I hope it to be an empowering experience for everyone. In addition, both the Yemeni and Dutch students (as well as myself) are meeting some very intelligent and inspiring people which I will write about as the program progresses.
A little about the program itself:
Zeytun, which means "olive" in many Arabic dialects, has many symbolic senses that are cherished in this initiative. The olive has a reputation for being a strong and rooted tree able to survive for centuries and is at the same time a symbol of the richness and glory of ancient European and Middle Eastern cultures, as well as of peace and goodwill. Zeytun is a grassroots initiative for durable academic exchange between the Netherlands and the Middle East for students of political science, international relations and diplomacy.
Many have recognized the importance of European-Middle Eastern relations and have tried to bring the two regions closer to each other. Despite these attempts, significant gaps still exist, especially amongst higher education. If two countries desire to establish durable, stable and beneficial relations, they should first tune it the young minds in both regions to actively engage with each other. An effective way to facilitate this interaction is through academic exchanges. Exchanges not only diminish prejudices and stereotypes, but lead participants to common values.
Zeytun envisions greater academic mobility and increased cooperation between higher education institutions in Europe and the Middle East. Mobility and cooperation are considered important assets that contribute to the broader aims of modernization and innovation in higher education in both Europe and the Middle East, and to a healthy and constructive foundation for dialogue between the two regions.
You can find more in depth information about the program at: http://www.zeytun.org/
Here is some general information on Socotra, compliments of Wikipedia:
Socotra is a small archipelago of four islands in the Indian Ocean and is part of the republic of Yemen. It lies off some 80 kilometers (50 mi) east of the Horn of Africa and 380 kilometers (240 mi) south of the Arabian peninsula. A third of its plant life is found nowhere else on the planet and it has been described by many visitors as the most alien-looking place on Earth.
Socotra is one of the most isolated landforms on Earth of continental origin (i.e., not of volcanic origin). The archipelago was once part of the super continent of Gondwana and detached during the Miocene, in the same set of rifting events that opened the Gulf of Aden to its northwest.
Not later then 1.4 million years ago, there was an Oldoway (or Oldowan) culture in Socotra. Oldoway stone tools were found in the area around Hadibo by V.A. Zhukov, a member of the Russian Complex Expedition in 2008.
Socotra appears as Dioskouridou ("of the Dioscurides") in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a 1st century A.D. Greek navigation aid. In the notes to his translation of the Periplus, G.W.B. Huntingford remarks that the name Socotra is not Greek in origin, but derives from the Sanskrit dvipa sukhadhara ("island of bliss").
A local tradition holds that the inhabitants were converted to Christianity by Thomas in AD 52. In the 10th century, the Arab geographer Abu Mohammed Al-Hassan Al-Hamdani stated that in his time most of the inhabitants were Christians. Socotra is also mentioned in The Travels of Marco Polo according to which "the inhabitants are baptized Christians and have an archbishop" who, it is further explained, "has nothing to do with the Pope at Rome, but is subject to an archbishop who lives at Baghdad". They were Nestorians but they also practiced ancient magic rituals despite the warnings of their archbishop.
In 1507, the fleet of Tristão da Cunha with Afonso de Albuquerque landed an occupying force at the then capital of Suq, searching a Portuguese base to stop the Red Sea commerce to the Indian sea, and to liberate the assumed friendly Christians from Arab Islamic rule. Here they started to build a fortress. However, they were not welcomed as enthusiastically as they had expected and abandoned the island four years later.
The islands passed under the control of the Mahra sultans in 1511. Later, in 1886 it became a British protectorate, along with the remainder of the Mahra State of Qishn and Socotra. For the British it was an important strategic stop-over.
In October 1967, the Mahra sultanate was abolished. On November 30, 1967, Socotra became part of the People's Republic of South Yemen (later to become the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen). Today it is part of the Republic of Yemen.
The archipelago consists of the main island of Socotra (3,625 km2 (1,400 sq mi)), the three smaller islands of Abd al Kuri, Samhah, and Darsa, and small rock outcrops like Ka’l Fir’awn and Sābūnīyah that are uninhabitable by humans but important for seabirds.
The main island has three geographical terrains: the narrow coastal plains, a limestone plateau permeated with karstic caves, and the Haghier Mountains. The mountains rise to 5,000 feet (1,500 m). The island is a little over 80 miles (130 km) long east to west and typically 18–22 miles (29–35 km) north to south.
The climate for Socotra is classified as a dry desert. Yearly rainfall is light, and tends to occur during the Northern Hemisphere winter. Generally the higher inland areas receive more rain than the coastal lowlands, due to orthographic lift provided by the interior mountains. The monsoon season brings strong winds and high seas.
Socotra is considered the "jewel" of biodiversity in the Arabian sea. The long geological isolation of the Socotra archipelago and its fierce heat and drought have combined to create a unique and spectacular endemic flora (which may, therefore, be vulnerable to introduced species such as goats). Surveys have revealed that more than a third of the 800 or so plant species of Socotra are found nowhere else. Botanists rank the flora of Socotra among the ten most endangered island flora in the world. The archipelago is a site of global importance for biodiversity conservation and a possible center for ecotourism.
One of the most striking of Socotra's plants is the dragon's blood tree (Dracaena cinnabari), which is a strange-looking, umbrella-shaped tree. Its red sap was sought after as a medicine and a dye and today, used as paint and varnish. Also important in ancient times were Socotra's various endemic aloes, used medicinally, and for cosmetics. Other endemic plants include the giant succulent tree Dorstenia gigas, the cucumber tree Dendrosicyos, and the rare Socotran pomegranate, Punica protopunica.
The island group also has a rich bird fauna, including a few types of endemic birds, such as the Socotra Starling Onychognathus frater, the Socotra Sunbird Nectarinia balfouri, Socotra Sparrow Passer insularis, and Socotra Grosbeak Rhynchostruthus socotranus, many endangered by non-native feral cats. There is even an endemic monotypic genus of birds, the Socotra Warbler Incana incana.
As with many isolated island systems, bats are the only mammals native to Socotra. In contrast, the coral reefs of Socotra are diverse, with many endemic species.
The island was recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a world natural heritage site in July 2008. The European Union has supported such a move, calling on both UNESCO and International Organization of Protecting Environment to classify the island archipelago among the environmental heritages.
The inhabitants are of Arab, Somali, and South Asian origins. They follow the Islamic faith, and speak Soqotri, a Semitic language. Their primary occupation has been fishing, livestock rearing and date cultivation. Almost all inhabitants of Socotra, numbered at 50,000, live on the main island. The principal city is Hadiboh (population 8,545 at the census of 2004). The second largest town is Qulansiyah, with a population of 3,862, followed by Qād̨ub, population 929. Those three main towns are all located on the north coast. 'Abd-al-Kūrī and Samha have a population of a few hundred people between them; Darsa and the remaining islands are uninhabited.
Traditionally, the archipelago has been inaccessible from June to September due to monsoon weather. However, in July 1999 a new airport opened Socotra to the outside year round, with Yemenia providing flights once a week to Aden and Sanaa. Socotra Island Airport is located about 12 km west of the main city, H̨adībū, and close to the third largest city, Qād̨ub. Electricity is widely available in Socotra with installations of diesel generators, but in Hadiboh there is no electricity from 5am until 9am daily. There are two excellent paved roads: one along the north shore from Quelensiyah to Hadiboh and then to DiHamri area, and another from the north coast to the south coast through the Dixsam plateau. There is neither public transport nor taxis available on Socotra island, but rent-a-car service is available. The former capital is located to the east of Hadiboh. On the western end of Hadiboh lies a small Yemeni army barracks. The President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has a residence there as well.
The Semitic language Soqotri spoken originally only in Socotra, is related to other Modern South Arabian languages on the Arabian mainland such as Mehri, Harsusi, Bathari, Shehri, and Hobyot. It is also spoken by the Soqotri minorities in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states.
Some residents raise cattle and goats. The chief export products of the island are dates, ghee, tobacco, and fish.
At the end of the 1990s, a United Nations Development Program was launched with the aim of providing a close survey of the island of Socotra.
As of late I've been beyond busy. I'm sure you're tired of hearing the same old song and dance, but I just posted some pictures of Socotra Island and wanted to let everyone know I just spent a beautiful week there. I led a group of the students from YCMES to the Island where we were met by two Yemeni guides who drove us from one place to another and provided general information and tips about the Island.
The week was full of camping, hiking, and swimming and presented everyone with a much needed break from the city of Sana'a. Socotra is hardly populated and the most you'll find of a city are a few very simple stone or wood buildings in close proximity to each other. Although the capital itself had a few larger and more modern buildings, using the word modern is stretching it. I tried to take pictures of the women here, whose vibrantly colored dress reminded me of how close we were to Africa. Unfortunately, women usually do not want their pictures taken due to their religious beliefs, so I was only able to take limited shots.
While on the Island we wanted to respect the locals which meant covering up, even when swimming, although we could get away with shorts and t-shirts when in the water (this is directed at the females on the trip of course). There were too many highlights to name, but seeing dolphins within arms distance on one of the boat rides was probably one of my favorite experiences. I also swam in water so clear and blue and with sand so white that I was under the impression such things only existed in pirate movies. Bathing in the fresh water pools by our camp sites each night under a sky exploding with stars was also a wonder. The camaraderie of the group that came made things all the more enjoyable with their laid back and ready for adventure attitudes.
Below was the schedule we followed if you're interested in exactly where we went:
Socotra Island: Dec.1-6, 2009
December 1
Arrive in Socotra at 11:25am
Drive to the capital of Hadibu (pick up supplies here)
Drive to Qalansiya and explore the beach
Camp in a valley about 15 minutes from the Qalansiya Beach
December 2
Take a boat ride (2 boats) to Ras Shu’ab
Drive to Diksan Plateau and Wadi Dirur
Camp at Negda (in the gorge of the plateau)
December 3
Picnic at Mafeef Cave
Go to Adhar/Arar Beach
Camp near Adhar/Arar Beach alongside a river
December 4
Drove across the Island and saw the mountainous region of the Island, stopping at a river in a town and to look at the trees from which frankincense is collected to make incense; we ended up near Hoq
Swim at the Dellashea Beach
Camp at Dellashea Beach
December 5
Hike to and explore Hoq Cave (2-3 hours and needed a guide)
Drive to Wadi Deferho and go to Dihamri from here
December 6
Catch a 9:55am flight from Socotra to Sana’a
Socotra Island is said to be the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean due to the unique plant and animals species that are exclusive only to Socotra. I'll post some general information for those interested following this post.
Below is the article I wrote for the Yemen Times on women's health care in Yemen:
Women’s Health Care in Yemen: An Incomplete Prognosis
In the words of Dr. Fidaa Kayali, when it comes to improving women’s health care in Yemen, “we do not have enough to change. Change implies that you have something complete and that is not the case. Here, we need improvement, and not just improvement, but a lot of hard work. Often, there are lots of plans made, but people don’t do what they should to achieve them.” Of all the themes that could’ve been deduced from my interview with Dr. Fidaa Kayali concerning women’s health care, this statement sums up the situation most substantially.
Everything about Dr. Kayali was inviting, from her warm presence to the extreme display of Arab hospitality that greeted my presence, and my plate, for that matter. While I sensed her to be a warm and genuine individual, I was convinced when she received a phone call from a patient after the interview. The individual who called was being treated outside of the gynecological field and was seeking emotional support. When I inquired about the nature of the patient’s complaint she replied that she sometimes treats her patients in general medicine since they often feel uncomfortable seeking care elsewhere.
That same care and dedication appears to be an active part in all of Dr. Kayali undertakings, as she “tries hard to be a good wife, good mother and good doctor,” despite the strain it may put on her own health. She graduated as a General Practitioner at Aleppo University in Syria in 1987 and after specializing in gynecology, she began practicing in Yemen in 1995. Dr. Kayali has always enjoyed helping others, but with medicine she thought, “Maybe I can help people in a more complete sense.”
While the attitude and actions on the part of Dr. Kayali are inspiring, the statistics surrounding women’s health care in Yemen are frail in comparison. In the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap report of 2008, which examined four major areas of inequality between men and women (health care being one of the four), Yemen received the lowest ranking out of the 130 countries examined. According to a young, educated Yemeni woman whom I will refer to as Aicha, “there is a lack of faith in the health care profession itself here in Yemen. Everyone has either had a bad experience personally or knows multiple people who have.” Several of her family members have had negative encounters with hospitals and health care professionals, finding them to be unprepared for the problems presented to them.
I addressed this issue with Dr. Kayali, explaining my impression that Yemenis don’t trust the health care system and claim mistakes are frequently made. “Is there any legitimacy to this statement?” I asked. “Well…yes,” she answered, quite matter of fact. “There are different components to a system that hold everything together and keep it in check. When you break certain laws there is a system that monitors and punishes when necessary. When you don’t have all the pieces to the puzzle, things don’t work the way they should and certain things are sacrificed. For example, when you teach a child to draw an apple, what do you do? You make points in the shape of an apple and show the child how to trace a line from one point to another. If you forget to include one of the points, then the child ends up making a shape that isn’t an apple. It’s the same here. If you don’t have all the necessary pieces, things don’t come together the way they’re supposed to.” Greatly emphasized by Dr. Kayali was the need for simplification in women’s health care. “There are many centers, but they don’t speak or act in ways that are appropriate for all backgrounds.” According to Dr. Kayali, medical facilities in Yemen function in the same technical fashion which is not conducive to the lifestyle or level of understanding that most Yemenis posses. Also, she feels many Yemeni women don’t value themselves as highly as they should and because of this, they don’t consider entertaining basic things that would be beneficial, such as regular health care. They need someone else to confront them with the idea of their own self-worth and what it means to preserve it. In Dr. Kayali’s opinion, “this is very important and while things are better now than they used to be, people that work in the medical centers need to simplify their language and understand how to tell very simple women how to take care of themselves and how to love themselves.” She states that as a doctor, “it is my job is to deal with patients as they are, not only as I want them to be.”
As an example, Dr. Kayali referred to the use of brochures. “Brochures are given to direct patients on how to care for themselves, but they don’t always understand how or what the brochures are telling them. However, if I show a woman personally, at a level that she can relate to, how to conduct the given procedure, then she understands.”
Medical access or lack thereof, appears to be another major obstacle in women’s health care. Dr. Kayali stressed that a large portion of the population lives outside city limits and have minimal access to health care and hospitals. Often, the few hospitals that are within reasonable proximity from the villages have facilities that are severely lacking in resources including blood banks, machinery, and specialists. Additionally, women most frequently visit the doctor due to concerns surrounding pregnancy. While there are some midwives available in the villages for this purpose, these women usually do not have sufficient training in their field and fall short on the treatment they provide.
Yet another component to this struggling system is the nonexistence of preventative care. Aicha recognizes that, “people who live in Yemen are accustomed to treating whatever symptoms they have on their own, whether it’s a cold or something more serious. When Yemenis do visit the doctor, it is because they are already sick; there is no real preventative care. This is the mentality surrounding health care in Yemen.”
Dr. Kayali herself lists preventive health care as one of the more significant challenges in her field, citing pregnancy follow-up, especially for women in the third trimester, as a major issue. “Problems can develop quickly with pregnancy and if women aren’t getting regular check ups, they don’t catch problems that could be serious, such as hypertension and diabetes. There are also many issues that present themselves with home births.” In fact, the NWC report produced by the United Nations states that 40 out of 100 live births occur in health facilities in urban areas and the numbers drop to 17 out of 100 in rural areas. “We receive many cases of women facing problems during pregnancy and we are late in the diagnoses because they wait so long to be seen. If they think things aren’t urgent, women postpone seeing a doctor and the costs are greater.” She also made mention of the importance of communicating any potential problems to the husband as it is not always the choice of the woman where and under what circumstances she will give birth.
Médecins Du Monde maintains that Yemeni women have an average of 6.7 children and 360 women per 100,000 die each year due to complications with childbirth. Furthermore, 75 children per 10,000 die before they reach one year of age. In the poorest country in the Arabian Peninsula where 80% of the inhabitants reside in rural areas, poverty is a constant threat to the population. Regardless of legislation promising relief to the poor citizens of Yemen, patients are still held responsible for 75% of costs. As a result, medical attention is out of reach for the majority of the population. Both Aicha and Dr. Kayali introduced the population’s financial situation as a relevant barrier. Most people simply do not possess the monetary means to visit to the doctor on a regular basis.
Despite this, many that can afford to see the doctor have not been educated on the importance of doing so. Dr. Kayali mentioned that many educated women do come to the doctor on a regular basis, but uneducated women only come when they have a complaint. She feels it is the doctor’s duty to explain the importance of regular check ups on the rare occasion that this sector of the population does come to be seen. However, in an environment that does not encourage nor is conducive to women’s health care, one has to wonder how effective these efforts actually are.
Other factors limiting health care include ongoing problems concerning lack of electricity, a deficiency in clean water, proper sanitation and the limited amount of qualified specialists. These problems can at least partially be attributed to recent cuts in the budget for the Ministry of Health, decreasing from 5.1% in 1998 to 3.5% in 2002. During the interview, Aicha mentioned that “there are a lack of clean facilities at hospitals and clinics in Yemen.” She felt the issue to be of such significance, that when asked what she would change in regards to women’s health care, she suggested, “to create and maintain a system of health standards and regulations for all hospitals and medical facilities,” in order to ensure a clean medical environment and to guarantee that doctors follow accurate protocol for procedures.
When it comes to improving the current system, Dr. Kayali highlights the need to develop a solid plan. “We need to have medical centers readily available to all people in all areas then we should instill the idea of a proper health care mentality through education starting with youth. It is essential that this is done in this order because we can’t teach everyone about health care then not have the means to give it to them.”
In terms of health education, Dr. Kayali recommends that this be implemented simply, in a way that the Yemeni people can identify with. “We should start in schools and with women at home and provide education in the mosques. I don’t care where it’s done, I just care that this information reaches the people, be it through television, radio, newspaper or some other means.”
She also suggests that Yemen enforce one to two years of mandatory work in the villages which doctors would be required to fulfill during their residency period before being given permission to work in the cities. Since the majority of doctors prefer to work in the city, rural areas where there is a much higher demand for medical personnel, are neglected.
Below are some of the goals to I wish to accomplish while I'm abroad:
1.) Experience as much of the culture and conflict from as many angles as possible
2.) Drastically improve my Arabic (inshallah! as they say here or "by God's will")
3.) Gain experience working in the field of human rights through research, publication, and direct contact
I'm trying my best to achieve these goals and others in the time given to me. I'm busier than I've been since college, and older, so I'm starting to feel it. But since I've developed a pattern of pushing myself to the max then adding something else to my plate, I figure, why diverge now? Thus, this week I will be starting an internship with Sister's Arab Forum, a non governmental organization that focuses on promoting intellectual, cultural, social, political and legal rights with the full participation of women with the aim of establishing gender equality. They seem to have a strong hand in various areas of human rights. For instance, two projects I will be working on will include researching and investigating involuntary disappearances (where citizens simply go missing without explanation as a result of being taken by the Yemeni government) and refugee profile documentation, especially for children, as a result of the war in Sada, Yemen.
In addition to being a strong organization with a reputable name, hardly anyone there speaks any English so I'm hoping this will also be an opportunity to improve both my spoken and written Arabic language skills. I will provide more information on the experience after I officially begin.
Below is the interview I conducted with Dr. Kayali on women's health care in Yemen. As with before, it's minimally edited for clarification. I've also added an astrix followed by writing in parentheses to express any personal thoughts or clarifications. A good deal of this will be put into the article I'm writing for Yemen Today. Here it is:
Can you spell your name?
Fidaa Kayali
What is your title?
Doctor of Gynecology
Personal Questions:
Where did you receive your education?
"I Graduated as a General Practitioner (Doctor of Medicine) in Aleppo, Syria at Aleppo University in 1987."
"After becoming a doctor I worked as a General Practitioner in Yemen, then came back to Syria to specialize in gynecology and returned to Yemen in 1995 and have been practicing gynecology here ever since."
She says she enjoys having a stable practice and lifestyle here in Yemen.
What motivated you to choose this career path?
"I’ve liked helping people since I was a child. With medicine I thought “maybe I can help people in a more complete sense” *(meaning healing with the whole person in mind including the emotional, physical, and spiritual). I’m a good listener and people feel they can trust me. Without trust from the patient, the patient will not improve. For example, when I prescribe a medication, regardless of the patient’s level of education, I describe as accurately as I can for that individual how to take the given medication and why, as well as side effects or anything else they might experience so that they are educated enough to take the prescription correctly. By making sure they understand what I’m telling them and by being thorough in my details they trust that I’m giving them accurate information."
What do you like and dislike about your job?
"It’s sometimes difficult to have a balance between my work life and my family so while this isn’t something I dislike about my career, it also isn’t an easy challenge. I try hard to be a good wife, good mother and good doctor. While my family thinks I do a good job with this, it’s hard on me and sometimes on my own health because I’m trying my best with everything."
Health Related Questions:
1.) How do you feel about women’s health care in Yemen in general?
"Health care in Yemen needs to be more simplified for people. There are many centers, but they don’t give the good way and good language to help women from all backgrounds (highly educated to no education) so there should be the good language for every level." * (When Dr. Kayali says “the good way” or the “good language,” what she means is that every medical facility functions in the same technical way and it is not conducive to the lifestyle or level of understanding that most Yemenis possess).
"Also, many Yemeni women don’t value themselves in the way that they should and because of this, they don’t consider entertaining basic things that would benefit them, such as regular health care. They need someone else to confront them with the idea of their own self worth and what it means to preserve it. This is very, very important and while it’s better now than how it use to be, people that work in the medical centers should use more simplistic language and know how to tell very simple women how to take care of themselves and how to love themselves. Many ladies her do not feel that they are important so they do not take care of themselves. Many pregnant women deliver at home and many women do not go regularly to the doctor during pregnancy. I should tell them (as a doctor) when to come back and why it’s important…as a doctor, my job is to deal with patients as they are, not only as I want them to be because they are not educated, and this is not their fault. I want to help Yemen, many people here are uneducated therefore, while I should do something to benefit these people, it should be in my own way, through a great deal of simple advice and communication.”
"For example: Brochures are given to direct patients on how to care for themselves *(under various subjects, such as self breast exams for example), but they don’t always understand. However, if I show a woman personally, at a level that she can relate to, how to conduct one of the procedures given in the brochure, then they understand."
"In the Quran in Islam there are many places that talk about proper hygiene and health care. Essentially, it says you should take good care of yourself. Therefore, sometimes using this mentality helps get the point across. In Islam it is your duty to take care of yourself (health care, etc.) - even in health care, we use the expression “tewaqal,” which means “do all you can first, then ask for God’s help.” “I try to remind them (her patients) of this: when I ask God to help me, I should first do what God wants.”
2.) What do you feel the biggest challenges facing women’s health care are currently?
"We receive many cases of women facing problems during pregnancy and we are late in the diagnoses because they wait so long to be seen. If they think things aren’t urgent, women postpone seeing a doctor and the costs are greater."
"Another issue is that if a women’s husband travels, she will often wait for her husband to return home as she needs someone to take her to the hospital; another problem that postpones diagnosis."
Dr. Kayali sees this as a big problem. "Not everyone lives in the cities and those outside of city limits have minimal access to health care and hospitals. They have some midwifes in the villages for pregnancy cases, but these women usually do not have sufficient training in their field. Often, with hospitals near the villages, what facilities they do have are severely lacking in resources (blood banks, technology, specialists, etc). Not everything is the fault of education *(she uses the word “facilities” as oppose to “government”) and sometimes indirect messages are better."
3.) How do you think the challenges you mentioned can be addressed?
"We need to start to make a plan. We need to have medical centers readily available to all people in all areas then we should instill the idea of a proper health care mentality through education starting with youth. We must do it in this order because we can’t teach everyone about health care then not have the means to give it to them."
4.) Do you think that the lack of thorough health care can be, at least partially, blamed on regulations mandated by Islam; can Islam and quality health care for women co-exist?
"No, if regulations are placed on health care through Islam, it is because those enforcing the regulations are interpreting Islam incorrectly." According to Dr. Kayali Islam says:
A.) We are responsible for ourselves, our health, what we eat, and how we clean ourselves. Allah always says he loves every human being and has given us the ability to work with our minds. We should use this gift to our highest advantage.
B.) In the Quran, scientists are given the highest place in paradise because they make the best use of their mind, so why would God ask us to make sure we use of our minds to the highest ability and then punish us for it?
C.) Also, it is written that for every disease there is a medicine, as was said by the prophet Mohammad, therefore people must work to find the treatment for whatever disease exists.
5.) How do normal women feel about coming to the doctor, especially the gynecologist?
"Educated people come regularly, but uneducated women only come when they have a complaint so it is the duty of doctors to explain the importance of regular check ups. Poor people do not have the money to come regularly, though they are more likely to come during pregnancy, if they come at all."
"When it comes to their bodies, women can be very shy, especially for their first visit, but this is not a big reason for women not to come. This is not “haram” in Islam. *(In Islam, “haram” means not good or against religious beliefs) Some women do think that showing their whole body is not “allowed” in Islam, but when I am gentle and patient with them and when I explain to them that this isn’t the case, they have no problem continuing with the exam."
6.) What is something you would change about the health care system for women in Yemen if you could?
"We do not have enough to change, change implies that you have something complete and that is not the case. Here we need improvement and not just improvement, but a lot of hard work. Often, there are lots of plans made, but people don’t do what they should to achieve them; this very important to note."
"We should improve all emergency centers (for women, children, everyone and everything), this is very important. Anyone, you, me, and anyone reading this, if they have emergency and they’re in Yemen, they should go around and look at the actual facilities available. There are enough ERs, but not enough facilities in these ERs. There are many new hospitals, but ERs are still not working efficiently, sometimes they lack the appropriate number of beds, staff, facilities, etc. Emergency Centers are needed by everyone everywhere, so this is a very critical development that needs to occur."
"I also hope they start to enforce (in Yemen) one or two years of mandatory work in the villages (like a residency) as a doctor before they can work in the cities because all doctors want to work in the city. This is a requirement in Syria and it would be beneficial to have it applied here."
"Additionally, if we could successfully mix science and Islam we could do a lot of good for society because I believe when you want to communicate with people you communicate with someone in a way that’s suitable for them. When we have the correct Islamic mentality, there’s room for a lot of improvement. I believe that everything that comes from God is here to help us."
7.) What role do you think education plays in this struggle?
"Start education (regarding health care) simply. Start in schools and with women at home. Give education in the mosques. I don’t care where, I care that this information reaches the people (through television, radio, newspaper, etc., the best method depends on the area where the people you’re targeting live)."
8.) Do you think women are properly educated about health care, their bodies and the options available to them?
"No. Education should be started in schools in a way that’s suitable for the country (sex education in US for example could be used as a guideline, but it must be applied differently so that it's tailored for Yemen).
It’s important to mix Islam with science, because currently we only have Islam."
9.) Every year, more and more women are becoming doctors in Yemen, why do you think this is? What do you think this will mean for health care in Yemen?
"This will ultimately improve health care because these women understand both Yemen and health care and know how to communicate with the local population and the women here (their mothers, sisters, etc.)."
10.) Many Yemenis don’t trust the health care system and say many mistakes are frequently made. Is there legitimacy to this in your opinion?
"Well, yes. There are different components to a system that hold everything together and keep it in check. When you break certain laws there is a system that monitors and punishes when necessary. When you don’t have all the pieces to the puzzle, things don’t work the way they should and certain things are sacrificed. For example, when you teach a child to draw an apple, what do you do? You make points in the shape of an apple and you show the child how to trace a line from one point to another. If you forget to include one of the points, then the child ends up making a shape that isn’t an apple. It’s the same here. If you don’t have all the necessary pieces, things don’t come together the way they should."
If you've been keeping up with my posts, then you know I'm writing an article on women's health care in Yemen and that I recently conducted an interview with a female gynecologist in Sana'a. For those of you who haven't been on the edge of your seat awaiting my next entry, consider yourselves officially informed.
Dr. Kayali, originally from Syria, has been practicing and living in Yemen with her husband and children for around fifteen years now. She was kind enough to invite me over to her home in Sana'a last week to be interviewed. Despite my very distant relationship with Arab culture growing up, I see similarities in random places. I always connected the extreme warmth my mother (born and raised in Louisiana, but of Syrian descent) showed guests was a southern trait and from what I know from my experiences down south, it is. However, Arab hospitality surpasses even that of the south and I have to wonder if for my mother, her influence wasn't a combination of the two.
I probably gained fifteen pounds during the three hours I spent at Dr. Kayali's home for an interview that could have been wrapped up in one third of the time; though I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Between the tea with mint, coffee, juice, and grand assortment of Syrian baklava, candied almonds, and chocolates that were consistently being refurbished on my plate, I had enough sugar to last me the rest of the month. Dr. Kayali seems to be a warm and genuine individual. I was particularly convinced of this when she received a phone call from one of her patients after the interview on her personal phone. Apparently, the woman who called is being treated for an ailment outside of gynecology, but Dr.Kayali says she sometimes treats her patients in general medicine since they often feel uncomfortable going elsewhere. As it turns out, the woman on the phone was calling for moral support in anticipation of a possible surgery.
On a professional level, Dr. Kayali shared some insightful comments on women's health care. While her English is very good and while she is a very intelligent women, there were times where she had difficulty expressing her precise thoughts. This posed little problem as I only needed to ask her to clarify what she meant, and though it may not have been presented in the most graceful language, she was always able to clearly get her point across. I've edited the interview (minimally, just for more clarity) and will post it next for those interested in hearing her thoughts.
At the end of the interview Dr. Kayali and I continued to talk for almost an hour further. She expressed some additional insights in regards to health care in Yemen that I wish I had been more prepared to take down (since they came after the interview had ended) so I had to rush home and jot them down later.
I ended up meeting her husband and daughter and received an invitation to join for a traditional Syrian dinner during January when her son will be home which I eagerly accepted. She was especially pleased when I told her at the end of the interview that my mother is of Syrian descent. After which she told me that she would love to have me to her home in Syria as they still have most of their family there. She urged that if I end up going to let her know so she could have her family assist me if she, herself, would not be there. When I finally left, she was insistent that I be driven home instead of having to pay for a taxi.
Dr. Kayali and her family were incredibly kind to me while I was in their home, but people in Yemen and in the Middle East in general tend to be this way. I didn't experience any kind of culture shock when I came to the Middle East, but I can't help but wonder if I might not experience one when I return home, where people tend to look at you like you have a problem when you say hello for no reason in particular.
I'm not sure how in depth I've talked about the students and employees here at the Yemen College for Middle Eastern Studies, but I assure you, we are an eclectic bunch. The students range from ages 18 to 78, though most are in their mid to late 20s and come from various locations around the world. Canada, England, America, Germany, Australia, Tanzania, China, and Sudan are some of the locations we represent as a whole.
I have made some wonderful friends in my short time here and I've noticed that when people travel together they tend to get closer to each other at a faster pace than if they were interacting in their own country. The specific kind of closeness developed between people is somehow different as well, though I'm at a loss for adjectives. This group especially has gotten close, fast. We live, study, work, eat and travel together so it's almost unavoidable.
We come from different countries, backgrounds and belief systems. Character wise we all have similar interests and there are commonalities, but on most levels we couldn't be more different from each other. Some of these people I love, most I enjoy, and some I have to remind myself to have patience with, but regardless, we are family.
That is the attitude and feeling I have being with everyone here. If we all attended the same school in our country of origin, I doubt more that a few of us would have been friends with the other, not that there's anything wrong anyone of us, we're just so different in so many ways. Being together in this kind of a situation forces you to see the person for who they are, realize that they are both exceptional and flawed in their own ways, and except them for whatever those may be.
It seems that everyone here takes care of each other. The closest scenario to this that I can recall was playing premier soccer when I was younger. It sounds silly, but hear me out. It was a highly competitive team so there were girls coming from all over the state, sometimes driving over an hour just to get to practice, not to mention hours on end traveling to games and tournaments every weekend. These girls came from different towns, schools, and income levels and all of us where more different than we were alike. We didn't always get along, but no matter what happened we supported each other. We were a team, a family if you will, brought together over this one common interest.
I never thought I would have that feeling with a group of people again as it's a rare thing to come by. I only hope that it can be maintained as people here are constantly coming and going from one term to the next. It will be interesting to see how relationships evolve over the next 5 months. Either way, it's nice to have this place as an escape from the intensities that decorate daily life here in Yemen.
Here's the interview I spoke of in the post "Yemen Today" with Aicha, a twenty-three year old educated Yemeni woman, on the topic of women's health care. The information written that has an Astrix before it just means that its information I added after interview that I thought might be relevant to address in the article itself:
Interview on Women's Health Care
Date: November 8, 2009
Interviewee: Anonymous (will refer to her as Aicha)
Interviewer: Danielle Giacchetti
Occupation: Accountant
Age: 23, Gender: Female, Nationality: Yemeni
1.) How do you feel about women’s health care in Yemen generally speaking?
-"It could use improvement."
Both her mother and sister have had bad experiences with hospitals and health care professionals, finding them unprepared for the situations in which their expertise was needed.
Example: Aicha told the story of her sister who became pregnant, but when the baby died unexpectedly, she had to have a surgical procedure to remove the stillborn. This is a basic and not uncommon medical procedure requiring the use of an anesthetic. Aicha’s sister was given a form of anesthesia without it being tested on her prior to her exposure at the hospital and ended up having an allergic reaction which put her in a coma for almost 24 hours.
*In the US, both diagnostic testing and a pre-anesthesia interview must often be completed before a person enters surgery
2.) What do you feel are currently the biggest challenges facing women’s health care?
-"There are a lack of clean facilities at hospitals and clinics in Yemen."
-"The environment in Yemen does not encourage nor is it conducive to women’s health care."
-"People’s financial situation."
-"Lack of time due to devotion to family and other duties."
-"Lack of faith in the health care profession itself: everyone has had a bad experience themselves or knows multiple people who have."
3.) How do people in Yemen cope with health care problems if citizens rarely visit the doctor?
- "People who live in Yemen are accustomed to treating whatever symptoms they have on their own, whether it’s a cold or something more serious. In addition, when Yemenis do visit the doctor, it is because they are already sick, there is no real preventative care. This is the mentality surrounding health care in Yemen."
Example: Aicha is a twenty-three year old woman who has never seen a gynecologist.
*In the US, when a girl turns 18 or before then if she is sexually active, it is highly recommended she go the gynecologist to get a pap smear. It is required to see a gynecologist if she wants to be put on birth control. This practice is the norm amongst the majority of women in the States (I need to look up exact statistics for US and Europe).
4.) How do most Yemeni women feel about going to the doctor, especially the gynecologist?
-"Women (and the population in general) do not believe in going to the doctor here."
Aicha believes is one of the biggest reasons why people don’t go.
-"Body image and comfort around doctors may at times be a factor in women neglecting their health, but this is not a significant issue. Most women who are shy about being examined and treated by a doctor also become much more comfortable with the process after pregnancy and childbirth."
-"The reasons that most women don’t seek health care when they should are more frequently rooted in social and cultural influences or mentalities."
Additionally, Aicha notes that women become careless about themselves in Yemeni society due to their overwhelming responsibilities to their home and family and because of their financial circumstances. A lack of money and time, therefore, are also significant obstacles for women’s health. However, Aicha feels the mentality of the people towards health care and their lack of trust in the medical field comes before factors of time and money.
-"Health care in Yemen is not a priority. It is not a part of the culture and preventative health care is not recognized here."
5.) Do you think that the lack of thorough health care can be, at least partially, blamed on regulations mandated by Islam? Can Islam and quality health care for women co-exist?
Aicha doesn’t feel that the practice of Islam is the problem as Islam and proper medical care don’t conflict. The reasons stated above (question #4) are the contributing factors to the lack of health care for women.
6.) What role do you think education plays in this struggle and do you think women are properly educated about health care, their bodies and the options available to them?
-"Education plays a big role as Yemeni’s are not taught about the importance of regular health care."
As Aicha has stated previously, it is simply not a part of the culture here.
*Children are not given sex education as in the US, for instance, where most boys and girls are taught about their bodies and how they will be changing over the coming years. Also, the importance of yearly doctor visits or preventive health care is not addressed.
-"As far as women are concerned, they are aware of the options available to them only in regards to pregnancy."
7.) What is something you would change about the health care system for women in Yemen if you could?
-"I would make two main changes. I would enforce the idea of a proper health care system in schools, (such as) things like yearly check-ups, etc."
*In order to start institutionalizing the idea of health care to change the mentality of the people
-"Second, I would create and maintain a system of health standards and regulations for all hospitals and medical facilities."
*To ensure a clean medical environment and to guarantee that doctors follow accurate protocol for procedures.
8.) Is there anything else you would like to say in regards to this topic that you think is worth mentioning?
-"Women in Yemen are very patient so they endure pain, especially with the financial situation being what it is."
Buker, a historical village not far from Zakatin and Kowkaban, is nestled within the rocky cliffs of the hills that constitute the area. While the hike to Buker from the roadside is only a little over a mile in distance, the trek itself may pose quite the challenge, though the pay off is well worth the effort. The trail is rugged and switches from a steep uphill climb to a sharp descent while the shifting rocks beneath your feet force you to keep your balance and attention focused on each individual step. However, the children belonging to the village just before Buker have no problem gliding up and down each crevasse at a speed that is nothing less than impressive.
You’ll find the site located a little less than 50 kilometers west of Sana’a with an altitude well over 3000 meters. According to the Yemeni’s at the site, many Imams lived out there lives here, making the area historically significant to the Yemeni population. Unfortunately, much of Buker was destroyed in the midst of civil war in the 1970s. Due to Buker’s remote location, if you intend to visit, be sure to find lodging in one of the neighboring villages, Kowkaban being one of the more popular choices for accommodation.
A unique feature of this location is the buildings constructed into the sides of the mountain. Once you reach your destination, which also protrudes from the mountainside, other surrounding structures become more visible. While I personally enjoyed the ambiance and architecture of these ruins, what I found truly impressive was the view and scenery. Weaving through the old homes to the left of Buker, there is a cliff that overlooks every direction for miles on end. Neighboring homes below, surrounding mountainsides, and green valleys jumped out from the landscape as I greedily struggled to take it all in at once.
I recommend eating a late breakfast, packing a lunch and beginning the hike around 1pm. By the time you get there, eat lunch and explore, it will be approaching late afternoon, giving you enough time to get back before it gets too dark, but enabling you to view the clouds moving in over the area. This was my favorite part of the trip. As I stood over the edge, overwhelmed by what my eyes were taking in, the nearby cloud cover swiftly moved over me. I was literally standing in a cloud, getting glimpses of the region as the midst drifted in and out.
For those interested in history, architecture, and nature and for those who don’t mind roughing it up a little in the process, this is a mystical experience I would not let pass by.
When planning a vacation filled with outdoor adventures, ancient architecture, and beautiful beaches, Yemen is rarely a country that comes to mind for the average traveler. Truth be told, Yemen is thriving with unknown history and unique locations, so much so that it’s easy to pass right through a worthy tourist site without even recognizing it. This is exactly the scenario that would have unfolded on my way to Zakatin had I not been in the company of the local population.
My van crept its way around the winding mountain roads that decorate this region of Yemen (Zakatin is around 50 kilometers west of Sana’a) and came to a halt at the side of the freeway without any indication that we had arrived. I followed my guide across the freeway we had just veered from as a line of children, who seemed to emerge from the rocky landscape itself, trailed behind. Approaching the opposite side of the road, it became obvious what the mountain side had been hiding. To my left, an ancient town rising from the inside of the bluff stared back at me and I was embarrassed for not noticing the heftiness of village fortress beforehand. To the right, I found a trial leading down, up and through various ancient buildings, providing a brilliant view of Zakatin itself, not to mention to countryside below.
This architecture was not lacking in its size or design, but due to the color and texture of the stone, wood and dirt used to construct the village, it seemed to blend in with the rest of the surroundings. Making my way from left to right, I climbed up a lengthy staircase in order to reach the inside of Zakatin. I was taken aback by the simple beauty of the old doors, brick rooms, and darkened crevasses that composed the homes and buildings of this once flourishing town. Currently, it is only inhabited by a handful of families.
I continued further upward and the more I climbed, the more aware I became of Zakatin’s position, resting 3000 meters above sea level. The altitude was prevalent, but proved to be a fair exchange for the view at the top. Mountains, valleys, and distant towns were some of the spectacles to be observed and all the while, children scattered the rooftops playing games of chase with metal rods and wheels. When I visited there were no other tourists and the isolated atmosphere added to the authenticity of the experience.
While this location is worth a visit, the town won’t take too long to explore once you’re there; maybe an hour or so. You may want to check out Buker, Kowkaban, Shebam, Hababah, Tawila, Chuba, or Jebel Honum, as all are close by. Zakatin is somewhat isolated and if you plan on spending the night in the area, it’s recommended to head off to one of the neighboring locations just mentioned in order to find adequate accommodation.
I think I've mentioned before that I've started writing articles for Yemen Today magazine. It's not the most prestigious publication, but one of the best I've seen in Yemen. This month I've written articles on Zakatin and Buker, two tourist sites, for the a section they've decided to dedicate strictly to destinations worth visiting in Yemen. Unfortunately, there is little to no information available on either of these places online or in the few tourist books I own, so my articles really focused more on my experience than on factual information. I've included both in the following posts in case you wanted to read about them. I'll also post some of the pictures I took at the cites so keep a look out.
In addition to tourism I also decided to write about women's health care or lack there of, in Yemen. I've had to delay the publishing date because both female gynecologists I set up appointments with bailed on me at the last second or in the interview itself. Who'd have thought health care would be such a touchy subject? However, I've scheduled an interview this week with yet another female gynecologist so hopefully this one will pull through.
As soon as I finish the article on health care I'll post it online. In the mean time, I've interviewed a local Yemeni woman about her views in this area to get a feel for how Yemeni women feel towards this subject. The woman I interviewed is 23, well educated, fluent in English and wished to be left anonymous, so I'll refer to her as Aicha. Some of her testimony will be included in the article, but if you'd like to see what she had to say on a grander scale, I'm also posting her interview after the two tourism articles.
Every weekend I plan a day trip to a tourist destination in Yemen for the students to visit. It’s always nice to get away from the city for the day and the drive is usually entertaining since we’re all piled into the same bus. Where ever we go we’re generally a spectacle, but for whatever reason (probably because my hair refuses to stay brown, it keeps fading back to blond even though I’ve died it twice), I seem to draw the most attention. One of the students commented on this unfortunate phenomenon and asked if anyone had offered a price for me. I'd like to say he was joking, but unfortunately, that's a reality here. I told him only in Egypt, where a man had offered my male friend 300 camels in exchange for me.
The students, of course, loved this despite the obvious element of insult behind it. When we arrived at the town we were visiting that day, low and behold, what would happen, but for the local population to start a bidding war over yours truly. Impeccable timing. One man offered 700 camels, then the next went to 900, until reaching the final bid of 1500 camels. Apparently, I should be flattered by the grandeur of this bid, but please forgive me for not fainting with excitement. The male students thought this was hysterical and at one point I told Nate, a friend of mine, that if I saw him accept any camels from any one of the men here, they'd all be up shits creek without a paddle.
The incident has now become a running joke amongst everyone here. Whenever we're short on cash it never fails that someone will suggest offering my had in marriage. The boys especially love telling the story to the local Yemeni's here who, thankfully, don't equate my self worth with camels and therefore, can see the humor in the situation.
I’ve written before about how difficult it is to exercise in Yemen, especially for women. A gym membership typically costs around $50 a month which is very expensive for both Yemenis and students, and if they allow women, they often may only attend outside of restricted hours of the day due to the separation of men and women. Many of the students have expressed a desire to stay fit while they are here, especially since most will be here for more than six months.
With this in mind, I started teaching ab (core strength) and kickboxing classes and simultaneously consulted the director of the college to inquire about the possibility of establishing a gym. I was told that there were too many other projects going on right now, but that hopefully in the future this could be materialized. I pushed a little harder and asked if there was any way we could acquire a few pieces of equipment for the time being. He responded saying he would possibility be willing to make a personal donation depending on how much we were able to get from the students and based on how much the equipment would cost in total.
The next step was emailing the students, collecting donations, visiting multiple sports shops and getting estimates on equipment while practicing my bartering skills. In the end, we ended up getting just under $700 in student donations with the total for the equipment itself at $1600. That included a bike, treadmill, women’s dumbbells, men’s dumbbells, four mats, and a weight bench with bench press and 68 kilos of weight. The director was so impressed by the efforts made that he supplied the rest of the donations and a room to put the equipment in.
I was telling some of the students about the details of the gym and one of the German students, Eva, made a comment to me that took me aback a bit. Eva, in general, is very quiet, intelligent, and collected; the kind of person who usually doesn’t say anything unless it’s worthwhile and simultaneously possess a very clever and discrete sense of humor. She told me with a slight grin, after seeing all this come to fruition, “that’s so American. You decide you want to accomplish something so you go out and you do it.”
That statement, coming not only from a foreigner, but an individual such as Eva, really made my day. One of the better compliments I’ve gotten in a long time. Every country has traits that are endearing and those that are worth changing, but with the current political situation created by the former G.W. Bush administration still fervently impacting the lives and relationships of those abroad, as much as I value the U.S. and what it represents, I often feel embarrassed of what has recently transpired as a result of my country's ignorance. I also find it a challenge to break the stereotype that other countries (Middle Eastern, Western, or elsewhere) may hold in light of those recent activities. The fact that some people still view America in the way that Eva expressed, as a country with initiative and inspiration, gives me a little peace of mind.
