A second chance for conflict-affected women in Yemen

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At just 25 years of age, Elham Ghaleb Mohammed has endured more than most people see in a lifetime. A mother of five, her infant son died of liver disease and her toddler daughter was killed by shrapnel from a mortar in Yemen's war. Elham had been displaced by conflict, indebted and exhausted, when she was offered a lifeline: training in sewing and business management, delivered by the Women’s Leadership, Empowerment Access and Protection (LEAP) in Crisis Response in Al Salam Camp in Yemen. 

“Prior to the training, I lacked the necessary skills in sewing and business management. I joined the training because I wanted to develop my skills. I learnt from the training how to manage my business, especially in financial terms. My life is much better now and I’m able to manage my business,” says Elham.

Funded by the Government of Japan, the programme gave Elham the technical skills to make leather goods, the financial training to run a business, and the confidence to believe in herself. Today, she is a successful small-scale businesswoman who proudly supports her own family. For Elham and her family, there is no erasing the past, but thanks to the LEAP programme, the future looks more hopeful than it has since Yemen's war began.