Training Peacebuilders in Yemen

Update on Program Activities

ICRD has been continuing its work to empower local Yemeni religious, tribal, and other community leaders to address conflicts and violent extremism in their communities. Last week, another training program was conducted by one of our trainees for 13 young people in Aden. These efforts have now engaged around 400 Yemeni men and women from Abyan, Aden, Taiz, Sana’a, and Ibb.

This program has also worked to support local community projects designed and led by trainees to address issues of conflict or violent extremism in their communities. One of these projects was recently completed in an area in Abyan that had previously been taken over by Al-Qaeda. A training program graduate worked with local leaders to build a piping system to provide water to local villages to prevent escalation of a water conflict.  These leaders engaged local youth deemed vulnerable to extremist recruitment in installing the pipes—providing job skills and a sense of civic responsibility—and subsequently trained these same youth on skills in peacebuilding and addressing violent extremism. 

As a result, these youth are now taking the initiative to resolve local conflicts and have formed their own local youth association to work on peacebuilding. The community now has a greater sense of security, does not have to send its children to walk for miles in dangerous conditions to draw water from wells, and expects that people who had left the area due to lack of water will now return. Further, the community has realized that they have the power to address their own needs and do not need to rely on militant groups like Al-Qaeda to address them. The following insights from community members are indicative:

We continue to seek your support to continue and expand this work—particularly to support our local partners in training religious preachers on peacebuilding, addressing violent extremism, and tolerance-building; and conducting outreach in schools and with at-risk youth on these topics. Please continue to help us implement this critical work.