tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56657704119322622842024-03-14T00:26:59.373-07:00International Women's Day 2018Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.comBlogger448125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-50217907925229577892018-02-12T13:58:00.001-08:002018-02-12T13:58:23.123-08:00International Women's Day 2018 campaign theme: #PressforProgressWith the World Economic Forum's 2017 Global Gender Gap Report findings telling us that gender parity is over 200 years away - there has never been a more important time to keep motivated and #PressforProgress. And with global activism for women's equality fuelled by movements like #MeToo, #TimesUp and more - there is a strong global momentum striving for gender parity.<br />
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And while we know that gender parity won't happen overnight, the good news is that across the world women are making positive gains day by day. Plus, there's indeed a very strong and growing global movement of advocacy, activism and support.<br />
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So we can't be complacent. Now, more than ever, there's a strong call-to-action to press forward and progress gender parity. A strong call to #PressforProgress. A strong call to motivate and unite friends, colleagues and whole communities to think, act and be gender inclusive.<br />
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International Women's Day is not country, group or organisation specific. The day belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. So together, let's all be tenacious in accelerating gender parity. Collectively, let's all Press for Progress.<br />
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Collectively we can all play a part<br />
Collective action and shared responsibility for driving gender parity is what makes International Women's Day successful. Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organisation but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights."<br />
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Started by the Suffragettes in the early 1900's, the first International Women's Day was celebrated in 1911. International Women's Day belongs to all communities everywhere - governments, companies, charities, educational institutions, networks, associations, the media and more. Whether through a global conference, community gathering, classroom lesson or dinner table conversation - everyone can play a purposeful part in pressing for gender parity.<br />
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So make International Women's Day YOUR day and do what you can to truly make a positive difference for women.<br />
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2018 IWD partnership opportunities open<br />
If your organisation is interested in learning more about IWD sponsorship, please make contact as soon as possible.<br />
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Send us your #PressforProgress pictures<br />
Want us to promote and amplify your support for accelerating gender parity? Send us your best #PressforProgress pictures showing your commitment to gender parity and we'll be sharing some of the most engaging images on the IWD website and via social media channels.<br />
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2017 IWD campaign theme was #BeBoldforChange<br />
For International Women's Day 2017 and beyond, individuals and organisations were encouraged to #BeBoldforChange by taking ground breaking action that truly drives the greatest change for women. Many influencers around the world committed to bold action to accelerate gender parity, acknowledging their responsibility to do what they can to forge a more gender inclusive world. Have you submitted your #BeBoldforChange action yet?<br />
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Back in 2016, organisations and individuals around the world were invited to support the #PledgeforParity campaign and commit to helping women and girls achieve their ambitions; challenge conscious and unconscious bias; call for gender-balanced leadership; value women and men's contributions equally; and create inclusive flexible cultures. From awareness raising to concrete action, organisations rallied their people to pledge support to help forge gender parity on International Women’s Day (IWD) and beyond.<br />
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Each one of us - with women, men and non-binary people joining forces - can be a leader within our own spheres of influence by taking bold pragmatic action to accelerate gender parity. Through purposeful collaboration, we can help women advance and unleash the limitless potential offered to economies the world over. We have urgent work to do - together!<br />
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Looking for International Women's Day resources and support?<br />
International Women's Day 2018 resources will soon be made available. However, in the meantime you can:<br />
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Submit your events or publish a page.<br />
Read International Women's Day news from across the world ... and more.<br />
Watch the International Women's Day videos or use them as an inspiring resource at events.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0United States37.09024 -95.712891000000013-36.4162205 99.052733999999987 90 69.521483999999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-37071767975542231592018-02-05T07:52:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:41:43.871-08:00Celebrating Federations and WIs 2018 anniversaries<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">2018 is a year marking significant anniversaries for the WI and for women’s history in Britain. Tomorrow marks 100 years since </span><a href="http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/electionsvoting/womenvote/case-study-the-right-to-vote/the-right-to-vote/birmingham-and-the-equal-franchise/1918-representation-of-the-people-act/"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">The Representation of the People Act</span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> received royal assent, which granted the vote to women over the age of 30 who met a property qualification.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Three years on from our centenary, 2018 is also 100 years since the WI’s first resolution was passed in October 1918.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">For many WIs and Federations around England, 2018 is also a special year for celebrating anniversaries. Several federations will be marking their centenary year, while many local WIs have also reached their 80th, 90th or 100th year since formation. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Steeple Aston WI in Oxfordshire Federation<o:p></o:p></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><br /></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Written by Merrill Bayley, President of Steeple Aston WI</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><br /></span></u></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyAZUfSN0D4/WnGsTLB16tI/AAAAAAAAA84/exNdhCCzoz4u8xpTjvOOoNHxYDFhHP9ugCLcBGAs/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1350" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyAZUfSN0D4/WnGsTLB16tI/AAAAAAAAA84/exNdhCCzoz4u8xpTjvOOoNHxYDFhHP9ugCLcBGAs/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">January 2018 meeting, Merrill stands aside whilst Julie H tells members more about the<i> </i>resolutions<i>. </i></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">In March 2018, Steeple Aston WI in Oxfordshire Federation will celebrate its centenary. Based in the small village of Steeple Aston, just north of Oxford, Steeple Aston WI is the oldest extant WI in Oxfordshire. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Towards the end of 1917, Mrs Vincent of Cedar Lodge Steeple Aston, called a meeting of the women in the village and told them of a new society called The Women’s Institute, which had just started in Anglesey North Wales in 1915. Miss L G Worrell took the minutes of the first documented meeting held on 21<sup>st</sup>March 1918 and she subsequently became the first President. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><br /></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o0PfxA2TgQ8/WnGsm0dTw2I/AAAAAAAAA88/gIZ5sABn8UMJYNSgF0S9NS0_OsOCX-uvACLcBGAs/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o0PfxA2TgQ8/WnGsm0dTw2I/AAAAAAAAA88/gIZ5sABn8UMJYNSgF0S9NS0_OsOCX-uvACLcBGAs/s400/6.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Members dressed up to re-enact Steeple Aston’s first WI meeting at Steeple Aston WI's 70<sup>th</sup> birthday<i> </i></span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Having kept minutes diligently over the past 100 years with just a few gaps during WWII, Steeple Aston WI have a large collection of minutes and memory books. Over many years, members have covered these memory books with beautifully embroidered work which inside hold souvenirs and photographs taken at WI events and meetings. </span><br /><div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GtZaGv4NSVQ/WnGtHWMlhtI/AAAAAAAAA9I/uRGYITWI9vEDnqVLKHqht_ySqyafyRHuwCLcBGAs/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1274" data-original-width="1600" height="317" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GtZaGv4NSVQ/WnGtHWMlhtI/AAAAAAAAA9I/uRGYITWI9vEDnqVLKHqht_ySqyafyRHuwCLcBGAs/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">Steeple Aston WI's banner uses the motif of a cockerel </span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Steeple Aston WI has always had the community at the centre of its efforts and achievements. During WWII, members organised the women of the village to make-do and mend and collect vegetables and fruit for picking and preserving. They also knitted scarves and socks for members of the armed forces overseas. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">Today Steeple Aston WI continues to undertake various projects within the village. The WI is 36 members strong, with 4 new members joining recently. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">A special programme of activities and speakers has been arranged for this milestone year, including a surprise outing for members in June. Its centenary dinner celebration will take place on 13<sup>th</sup> March 2018 at the Village Hall. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PfWcXtzaz-c/WnGtuc2t0VI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/f4jNAtNx_U0z_M0R2308oAQBEC0Hti1PgCLcBGAs/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="1600" height="321" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PfWcXtzaz-c/WnGtuc2t0VI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/f4jNAtNx_U0z_M0R2308oAQBEC0Hti1PgCLcBGAs/s640/7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoCaption"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">Birthday cards for Steeple Aston WI's 75<sup>th</sup> Birthday celebrated at Linda Needle’s (President) home</span></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">If your WI or federation is celebrating a significant birthday this year, email us with stories and photos at </span><a href="mailto:pr@nfwi.org.uk"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";">pr@nfwi.org.uk</span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"> as we would love to share your WI’s history and celebrations. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><b>Keep your eyes peeled this year as we will continue to celebrate women’s suffrage and the many important resolutions that the WI have campaigned on over the past 100 years.</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-29867918901519180042018-02-02T23:25:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:46:14.591-08:00Will South Yemen secessionists succeed in Yemen?<br />My co-commentary in <a href="https://twitter.com/trtworld">@trtworld</a>'s <a href="https://twitter.com/The_Newsmakers">@The_Newsmakers</a> yesterday: Will South Yemen secessionists succeed in Yemen?<br /><div><br /></div><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/778TnGl_qhg" width="650"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-41769683369821644242018-02-01T09:07:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:46:14.717-08:00Ten People to Follow in Aden<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rKQUPhRwt1c/WnNJIEpk__I/AAAAAAAAIIo/SNeDbh4iWuwrAMQFbizQDGRHTJ2A7huawCLcBGAs/s1600/adeeen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="960" height="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rKQUPhRwt1c/WnNJIEpk__I/AAAAAAAAIIo/SNeDbh4iWuwrAMQFbizQDGRHTJ2A7huawCLcBGAs/s640/adeeen.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) Amr Gamal, Aden.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Aden has been witnessing dramatic events over the past few days with the situation changing by the hour. Yemen has always been a complicated story. For me, Yemen is only a complicated story because to a large extent media outlets, regionally and internationally, exert no effort to include reliable and relevant Yemeni voices in their reports. Social media is to be thanked for opening a new channel and for providing the space for Yemeni voices to narrate what's happening on the ground from their own local perspective.<br /><br /><br />A few years ago, I developed a list of <a href="https://www.mashallahnews.com/yemen-on-twitter/">Top 20 people to follow in Yemen</a>. Things have since changed. Tweeps come and go. Some deactivate. Some change careers. Some remain active and constantly improve. But as all eyes are on Aden these days, we need a new special list on Aden coverage. The following accounts will bring Aden closer to you, as they have done for me.<br /><br /><br />There is no specific standard for coming up with this list - except that the people behind these accounts reside in Aden at the moment, bringing a meaningful take on events there.<br /><br />So, here we go!<br /><div><br /><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>1. Osan <a href="https://twitter.com/OsanBoairan">@OsanBoairan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser" style="background-color: white; color: #dddddd; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.5px;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdkwv7bk020/U1BuPHFBTRI/AAAAAAAAFIk/SnxlPSdEUQ4/s320/social-003_twitter.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.5px;"> </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VqVICnDI6PI/WnM8ijX_46I/AAAAAAAAIHA/N-HFhXYBtJQtTqxIoeSKL-pEaEU0LAlRQCLcBGAs/s1600/Osan-Aden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="825" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VqVICnDI6PI/WnM8ijX_46I/AAAAAAAAIHA/N-HFhXYBtJQtTqxIoeSKL-pEaEU0LAlRQCLcBGAs/s200/Osan-Aden.jpg" width="160" /></a></div></div>I've been following Osan since Yemen's 2011 uprising. He's my top source for anything happening in Aden. His tweets are mainly commentary on the political developments with a large dose of cynicism. Commentary on regional events, both political and cultural are not exempt from Osan's timeline. He could be tweeting on serious political topics and next day tweet on, say, Egyptian celebrities' news. He tweets often about his family and beautiful daughters. And that's what I love about following him - he mixes it up and never bores me.<br /><br />While working as an accountant, he <a href="https://t.co/l6G05L8Y8K">blogs</a> and tweets regularly during his free time. He only writes in Arabic and sometimes curses, which adds some color to his tweets.<br /><br />His political stance is pro-Hirak but he's never that extremist or aggressive in expressing his political opinions.</div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div><div><br /><br />2. Fathi Ben Lazrq <a href="https://twitter.com/fathibnlazrq">@fathibnlazrq</a> + <a href="https://twitter.com/adenalghad">@adenalghad</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser" style="background-color: white; color: #dddddd; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 13.5px;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdkwv7bk020/U1BuPHFBTRI/AAAAAAAAFIk/SnxlPSdEUQ4/s320/social-003_twitter.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a> </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qlAAfcXcTyU/WnM9eRNPLAI/AAAAAAAAIHI/ypWfAJb0Peod1wAczzkOCx8lARZOu-AMgCLcBGAs/s1600/Fathi%2B-%2Baden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1146" height="167" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qlAAfcXcTyU/WnM9eRNPLAI/AAAAAAAAIHI/ypWfAJb0Peod1wAczzkOCx8lARZOu-AMgCLcBGAs/s320/Fathi%2B-%2Baden.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div>Journalist and editor-in-chief of '<a href="http://adengd.net/">Aden Alghad</a>' (Aden Tomorrow) news website, Fathi never distances himself from any story happening in Aden. While his newspaper covers Aden news extensively, he also makes sure to use his own Twitter account to update his followers on his take on events in Aden.<br /><br />Fathi's political affiliation has not been clear or consistent over the years but that's totally understood given the great pressure and control he works under in Aden, as press freedom is almost zero. Fathi has received death threats several times, according to him unapologetically writing about them on twitter and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FathiBinLazrq/?hc_ref=ARR4D39f1uTvAHvFjBmjPkwnEdKwitbbsaVWqBvkagTS5XwZ0sLnl5SXEsH16eyTh7c&fref=nf">facebook</a>.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>3. Nisma Mansour <a href="https://twitter.com/NismaAlozebi">@NismaAlozebi </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser" style="background-color: white; color: #dddddd; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.5px;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdkwv7bk020/U1BuPHFBTRI/AAAAAAAAFIk/SnxlPSdEUQ4/s320/social-003_twitter.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.5px;"> </span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SqlcNMbazNs/WnNAXTLIRLI/AAAAAAAAIHU/z47BAsJOPtYwsF_Of0XihiKt3TcMGZK9gCLcBGAs/s1600/Nisama%2B-%2Baden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SqlcNMbazNs/WnNAXTLIRLI/AAAAAAAAIHU/z47BAsJOPtYwsF_Of0XihiKt3TcMGZK9gCLcBGAs/s320/Nisama%2B-%2Baden.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div>The engineering student, Nisam came to prominence on Yemen-Twitter-community during the battle for Aden in March 2015 when fighting in the city began as Houthi and Saleh forces captured Aden International Airport.<br /><br />Ever since I've been following Nisma's tweets that I find to be insightful and speak loads about the human side of political developments.<br /><br /><a href="http://nismaalozebi.blogspot.com.eg/">Her blog</a> also reveals aspects of Aden that we don't usually hear about in the mainstream media. Nisma blogs and tweets in English but, sadly, she's not as active as one would like her to be. But we can also find her on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EngNisma">Facebook</a>.<br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>4. Saleh al-Obaidi <a href="https://twitter.com/mrsaleh20001">@mrsaleh20001</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser" style="background-color: white; color: #dddddd; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.5px;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdkwv7bk020/U1BuPHFBTRI/AAAAAAAAFIk/SnxlPSdEUQ4/s320/social-003_twitter.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.5px;"> </span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DUnKR-Jf5ko/WnNA8MfAd0I/AAAAAAAAIHc/XZiXpEAdJVMPaJ33ZOnLac2Uwq9Nss2gACLcBGAs/s1600/1044680_943089579132246_5262790467694679293_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="684" height="319" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DUnKR-Jf5ko/WnNA8MfAd0I/AAAAAAAAIHc/XZiXpEAdJVMPaJ33ZOnLac2Uwq9Nss2gACLcBGAs/s320/1044680_943089579132246_5262790467694679293_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><br />Saleh is a photojournalist working with different media outlets. I have never conversed with him, so my comments here are only based on my observations. I've been following Saleh for a couple of years and I admire his passion for documenting how the Hirak's protests and events in Aden are developing.<br /><br /><br />His tweets and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ibn.aldar">facebook</a> posts are mainly visual; videos and photos - but it's clear he's deeply involved with the Hirak movement. He has been on the front lines of the battlefield taking telling photos which earned him serious injuries last year. After being hospitalized both in Aden and then in UAE, he recovered well and continues to work with his camera.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>5. Huda al-Sarari <a href="https://twitter.com/alsarare2013">@alsarare2013</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser" style="background-color: white; color: #dddddd; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.5px;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdkwv7bk020/U1BuPHFBTRI/AAAAAAAAFIk/SnxlPSdEUQ4/s320/social-003_twitter.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.5px;"> </span><br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6bu7RI320zI/WnNB82XUSRI/AAAAAAAAIHo/FekS1_XAZdwEhUbMiD_Lkja84wtmlCiqgCLcBGAs/s1600/Huda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1081" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6bu7RI320zI/WnNB82XUSRI/AAAAAAAAIHo/FekS1_XAZdwEhUbMiD_Lkja84wtmlCiqgCLcBGAs/s320/Huda.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />Huda is a hard-core human rights defender. I admire Huda so much that I wrote a long feature on her work, which you <a href="http://www.middleeasteye.net/in-depth/features/being-activist-yemeni-women-i-have-ignore-threats-and-get-again-1573334013">can read here</a> on Middle East Eye. Huda tweets in Arabic and she focuses mainly on human rights issues in the city. </div><div><br /></div><div>I admire her impartiality, despite the very polarized environment she works in. You can find her on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000929152593">Facebook here</a>.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>6. Nashwan Al-Othmani <a href="https://twitter.com/nalothmani">@nalothmani</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser" style="background-color: white; color: #dddddd; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.5px;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdkwv7bk020/U1BuPHFBTRI/AAAAAAAAFIk/SnxlPSdEUQ4/s320/social-003_twitter.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.5px;"> </span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-73nXRVWWTvA/WnNCdQuExaI/AAAAAAAAIHw/YdLwKTzSbpQzXQ9U21jqmgNKaFScpgqgwCLcBGAs/s1600/24068111_306145363123190_3116395931350479138_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="724" height="198" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-73nXRVWWTvA/WnNCdQuExaI/AAAAAAAAIHw/YdLwKTzSbpQzXQ9U21jqmgNKaFScpgqgwCLcBGAs/s200/24068111_306145363123190_3116395931350479138_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Working as Radio Monte Carlo's Yemen correspondent, Nashwan's tweets are mainly about Aden news. His timeline shows reliable updates on developments on the ground. He often publishes posts on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nashwanovsalem">Facebook</a>, reflecting on major events.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>7. Amr Gamal <a href="https://twitter.com/_AmrGamal">@_AmrGamal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser" style="background-color: white; color: #dddddd; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.5px;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdkwv7bk020/U1BuPHFBTRI/AAAAAAAAFIk/SnxlPSdEUQ4/s320/social-003_twitter.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.5px;"> </span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qfkt1b8Xwjs/WnNDSTW1QvI/AAAAAAAAIH8/A4WQrEUxsWcO46S79nGuM6lL2PVRsfckQCLcBGAs/s1600/10368916_10152065066296618_9198341455667141840_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qfkt1b8Xwjs/WnNDSTW1QvI/AAAAAAAAIH8/A4WQrEUxsWcO46S79nGuM6lL2PVRsfckQCLcBGAs/s320/10368916_10152065066296618_9198341455667141840_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><br />Playwright and photographer, Amr Gamal could tweet about anything outside of politics. Despite how Aden is saturated by politics, Amr has managed to keep himself focused on the Arts, Theater, Cinema and Photography. </div><div><br /></div><div>His work archive has few plays written and directed by him for both local and international audiences in Yemen and Germany. I am lucky to call him a friend. Make sure to check his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Amr.G.Director">Facebook</a> updates too.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>8. Ahmed Shihab al-Qadi <a href="https://twitter.com/ahmedalqadi001">@ahmedalqadi001</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser" style="background-color: white; color: #dddddd; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.5px;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdkwv7bk020/U1BuPHFBTRI/AAAAAAAAFIk/SnxlPSdEUQ4/s320/social-003_twitter.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.5px;"> </span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6ZYmRvaYNXg/WnNEBNyx-dI/AAAAAAAAIIE/r5VwdENQfbkLosVrRbaoz7fK8iGg9IGrwCLcBGAs/s1600/23826232_1754808957927224_5789546806327634780_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6ZYmRvaYNXg/WnNEBNyx-dI/AAAAAAAAIIE/r5VwdENQfbkLosVrRbaoz7fK8iGg9IGrwCLcBGAs/s320/23826232_1754808957927224_5789546806327634780_o.jpg" width="213" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div>An engineering student who finds photography a hobby and a means of expressing his political opinions. Ahmed's camera is always with him as he participates in every protest and political event for the Hirak movement in Aden. </div><div><br /></div><div>He captures beautiful photos and I've always used his photos on my blog ever since I discovered him through Amr Gamal's suggestions to me. He's not super active on Twitter but he is definitely so on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ahmed.alqadi.142">Facebook</a>.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>9. Vlogger <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCamqkn2dWQkyrXqmMzmy9sA/videos" target="_blank">Mazen al-Saqaf</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/afrahnasser" style="background-color: white; color: #dddddd; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.5px;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hjAWucBrfUE/U1BuPNxFSAI/AAAAAAAAFIo/JGAGBOUJ0KM/s320/social-018_youtube.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.5px;"> </span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.5px;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l6LvvJ3hHkY/WnNEukfOuNI/AAAAAAAAIIU/8BWxgnL4MVEvTyk7_ngz3mX8-_kSuVaDwCLcBGAs/s1600/Mazen%2B-%2Baden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l6LvvJ3hHkY/WnNEukfOuNI/AAAAAAAAIIU/8BWxgnL4MVEvTyk7_ngz3mX8-_kSuVaDwCLcBGAs/s1600/Mazen%2B-%2Baden.jpg" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><br /><br />Mazen vlogs from Aden. Yes, that's right. He vlogs on social and cultural topics. His videos are interesting, funny and super local - meaning he's so chilled and not changing his Yemeni accent so "the other" could understand him. </div><div><br /></div><div>I love his simplicity and non-pretentious writing. His channel is in Arabic and you can find it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCamqkn2dWQkyrXqmMzmy9sA/videos">here</a>.<br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>10. Ahmed Abdulaziz <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_ahmedaziz_/" target="_blank">@_ahmedaziz</a> <a href="http://web.stagram.com/n/afrahnasser" style="background-color: white; color: #dddddd; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.5px;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o0pEvKqeZuA/U1BuPoqbrGI/AAAAAAAAFI0/idA4eTkbN8s/s320/social-038_instagram.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.5px;"> </span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Cz2J1Y9jZU/WnNFHOPUJcI/AAAAAAAAIIY/pNklrQpdeU4EB5bDmohWrBOTT-mb_q30QCLcBGAs/s1600/22424418_521838924828351_9174807396844875655_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1455" data-original-width="1453" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Cz2J1Y9jZU/WnNFHOPUJcI/AAAAAAAAIIY/pNklrQpdeU4EB5bDmohWrBOTT-mb_q30QCLcBGAs/s320/22424418_521838924828351_9174807396844875655_o.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Ahmed is a poet, I assume, but he's definitely a photographer capturing moments in Aden that your TV or newspaper won't show you. He has a unique style and his photos are about small details in Aden. Sadly, he's not active on Facebook or Twitter but he is active on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_ahmedaziz_/">Instagram</a>.<br /><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-62912610155613122362018-01-25T04:06:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:41:43.979-08:00#ShowTheLove 2018<h3><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">WIs and Federations are crafting green hearts this February to protect the world we love from climate change.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #393939; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The NFWI is a founding member of The Climate Coalition, the UK’s largest group of people dedicated to action on climate change and </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">members have been crafting, baking and sharing green hearts to start important conversations about climate change since 2016. </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">If your WI has not yet planned any green heart activities, we hope that you will be inspired by these ideas to #ShowTheLove.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Isle of Wight Federation has asked its 35 WIs to make a green heart which they will display outside its federation office on Valentine’s Day. They will then walk into Newport to hand out these hearts and raise awareness of the campaign.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GUvg-gPbrUc/Wmm6H8yVlhI/AAAAAAAAA7s/wndZsNcPTtIocmGg1WzDPLBOqjDvpVOyQCLcBGAs/s1600/LH%2BWI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GUvg-gPbrUc/Wmm6H8yVlhI/AAAAAAAAA7s/wndZsNcPTtIocmGg1WzDPLBOqjDvpVOyQCLcBGAs/s400/LH%2BWI.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Photograph: High Littleton and Hallatrow WI</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">High Littleton and Hallatrow WI in Avon Federation held a community workshop in January and made paper hearts with messages to send to its local MP. If you would like to take part in a similar activity, why not make paper seeded hearts, </span><a href="https://www.thewi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/268777/STL-Paper-Seeded-Heart.pdf"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">following our step by step instructions</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">, attach it to the postcard insert in your February WI Life and send onto your MP. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oHBkFFMnHuI/Wmm8DxiSf5I/AAAAAAAAA74/dkM1KTkhE04BzmYgw89fnt2eNd5W69_6QCLcBGAs/s1600/paper%2Bhearts%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oHBkFFMnHuI/Wmm8DxiSf5I/AAAAAAAAA74/dkM1KTkhE04BzmYgw89fnt2eNd5W69_6QCLcBGAs/s400/paper%2Bhearts%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Photograph: High Littleton and Hallatrow WI </span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u5JLrlxYaKQ/Wmm8z647CrI/AAAAAAAAA8A/11-JS6jYV8YJl9bUy2c-aBu3AKds8FBowCLcBGAs/s1600/crafting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u5JLrlxYaKQ/Wmm8z647CrI/AAAAAAAAA8A/11-JS6jYV8YJl9bUy2c-aBu3AKds8FBowCLcBGAs/s400/crafting.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoCaption"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Godalming Meadrow WI members crafting green hearts </span><span style="color: #76923c; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Godalming Meadrow WI in Surrey federation has arranged several activities. Its members will be delivering an assembly to a local girl’s school on Valentine’s Day about the campaign and have engaged four other schools to display ‘places they love’ in shop windows. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dbpe9GNx7gs/WmnDYX48hDI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/Crgv40Fu04g6YF6ptjOB6RxiEfHiaDFQACLcBGAs/s1600/banner%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dbpe9GNx7gs/WmnDYX48hDI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/Crgv40Fu04g6YF6ptjOB6RxiEfHiaDFQACLcBGAs/s400/banner%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Photograph: Godalming Meadrow WI</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Godalming Meadrow WI will also been ‘bombing’ the high street with banners and crafting green hearts in its local café, inviting customers to join them. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bSqrTP7iyKk/WmnDtki1aMI/AAAAAAAAA8U/z9a__t8Myasv257Z-f9E_Zj2teJsKmDsQCLcBGAs/s1600/DSCN5769%2B%25282%2529%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bSqrTP7iyKk/WmnDtki1aMI/AAAAAAAAA8U/z9a__t8Myasv257Z-f9E_Zj2teJsKmDsQCLcBGAs/s400/DSCN5769%2B%25282%2529%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoCaption"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Ideas for the Reculver Beacon WI members</span><span style="color: #76923c; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-themecolor: accent3; mso-themeshade: 191;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;">Reculver Beacon WI in East Kent Federation has put together packs so that its members can make a heart themed brooch, pin cushion or lavender wardrobe bag. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;">Claire Hallett, Reculver Beacon WI Secretary, explained the idea behind the packs: “As a lot of our members are working, it is difficult to get together during the daytime so we have made packs which our ladies can take home and bring back to show off what they have made for Show The Love in February.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">If your WI or federation are holding an event or crafting green hearts, remember to share them using the #ShowTheLove and get in touch at </span><a href="mailto:pa@nfwi.org.uk"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">pa@nfwi.org.uk</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> for stickers and resources.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div></h3>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-28614221692544047722018-01-18T03:19:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:46:14.825-08:00Despite Yemen War Devastation Toll for Children, a Yemeni Man Organises First Ever TED Talk for Kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><i><a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/despite-yemen-war-devastation-toll-for-children-a_us_59a830a7e4b02498834a8f50" target="_blank">This piece</a> was published on Aug. 2017 on my HuffPost blog. And as I received an email today that HuffPost blogs seem to shut down soon, I am reposting the article here on my blog to archive it. </i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">___________________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eN84au6k70c/WmB-9KLqxwI/AAAAAAAAIFk/N9bWR21md-cvEtDr8jy6NSdD5rrsdsw_QCLcBGAs/s1600/yemen1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="590" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eN84au6k70c/WmB-9KLqxwI/AAAAAAAAIFk/N9bWR21md-cvEtDr8jy6NSdD5rrsdsw_QCLcBGAs/s640/yemen1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahmed Sayaghi, leader of coming TedxKids@Sanaa, “I hope we can learn from our children speakers’ <br />stories the lust for life and resilience.”</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is not like I am ignoring the devastation of the war but it’s exactly because of the war we had to organise Yemen’s first ever <a href="https://twitter.com/TEDxKidsSanaa">TEDxKids@Sanaa</a> conference. It’s important to amplify children’s stories and reflect on children’s innocence in the intense political polarisation in Yemen. In light of the war, I think children have a magical influence on grown-ups who are often with rigid points of views, boxing others in. These kids will voice out stronger messages for peace.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OKIAZlu_niw/WmCAr3000eI/AAAAAAAAIFw/5Ppm_VdjJlkdKZfnnytG2Hobd8mfkg4KgCLcBGAs/s1600/yemen2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="590" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OKIAZlu_niw/WmCAr3000eI/AAAAAAAAIFw/5Ppm_VdjJlkdKZfnnytG2Hobd8mfkg4KgCLcBGAs/s640/yemen2.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>The idea came to my mind last year and I applied to get the license from TED Global and we had it. Then, I was so lucky to find a team of young men and ladies - who are as young as just newly-graduated from high school or just recently entered university - who are helping in organising the event. This team is doing marvellous work, despite all the hardships.</div><div><br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4jcAnOUJNE/WmCA2hihq1I/AAAAAAAAIF0/SCMLiKwKcwsK-NejkeL0It4yi2tYpZ0HACLcBGAs/s1600/yemen3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="590" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4jcAnOUJNE/WmCA2hihq1I/AAAAAAAAIF0/SCMLiKwKcwsK-NejkeL0It4yi2tYpZ0HACLcBGAs/s640/yemen3.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kcA9vMWG9wg/WmCA3AQyByI/AAAAAAAAIF4/fxcZSofamhgRCnXfnDQJ5nOBNULe_212QCLcBGAs/s1600/yemen4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="590" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kcA9vMWG9wg/WmCA3AQyByI/AAAAAAAAIF4/fxcZSofamhgRCnXfnDQJ5nOBNULe_212QCLcBGAs/s640/yemen4.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><br />We are in the process of preparation and organisation. Against all the odds, we aim to officially conduct the event in the Universal Children’s Day coming November. At the beginning, it was not easy to find sponsorship. We were covering expenses from our own pockets until we eventually found sponsors who believed in our cause and were willing to support us. However, I would say that the main challenge we faced was the widening political polarisation I mentioned earlier. Given the failed state we are in, any activist is at risk in doing his/her activism. We are often harassed and interrogated: who is funding you? What is your agenda? We are told, “this is time of war and not time for you to invade our kids’ minds with western values. Kids should learn Jihad and not to speak at Ted talks.” The team has gone through lots of intimidation because we don’t have any political and influential party to rely on, as we aim to be nonpartisan. Still, we are determined to hold the event.</div><div><br /><br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DC25yFaR_2k/WmCBH3QfGrI/AAAAAAAAIF8/WmyzhCACE6gxhkjaO3lLt5evKCEB8Y5AACLcBGAs/s1600/yemen5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="590" height="424" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DC25yFaR_2k/WmCBH3QfGrI/AAAAAAAAIF8/WmyzhCACE6gxhkjaO3lLt5evKCEB8Y5AACLcBGAs/s640/yemen5.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P3AX6sR2AJA/WmCBP9w7_rI/AAAAAAAAIGA/W0cWTXu-hJEJYRiJwXlnYKatT_264TApACLcBGAs/s1600/yemen6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="590" height="424" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P3AX6sR2AJA/WmCBP9w7_rI/AAAAAAAAIGA/W0cWTXu-hJEJYRiJwXlnYKatT_264TApACLcBGAs/s640/yemen6.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lMQW0O7_eoc/WmCBZ8gKmEI/AAAAAAAAIGM/Vh3Asp3YqGQHw7JN_oiNp9JvDVGAud7sgCLcBGAs/s1600/yemen7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="590" height="424" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lMQW0O7_eoc/WmCBZ8gKmEI/AAAAAAAAIGM/Vh3Asp3YqGQHw7JN_oiNp9JvDVGAud7sgCLcBGAs/s640/yemen7.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rat_FHC5Skw/WmCBZ8NHoTI/AAAAAAAAIGQ/8rGMlpXYqSIZKEOBj5CoBxbSJfeT912lwCLcBGAs/s1600/yemen8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="590" height="424" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rat_FHC5Skw/WmCBZ8NHoTI/AAAAAAAAIGQ/8rGMlpXYqSIZKEOBj5CoBxbSJfeT912lwCLcBGAs/s640/yemen8.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nky6FtxCneI/WmCBac8XivI/AAAAAAAAIGU/yJY6B8gMDB0eZe5VzyS-l5SegvB8RjsjQCLcBGAs/s1600/yemen9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="590" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nky6FtxCneI/WmCBac8XivI/AAAAAAAAIGU/yJY6B8gMDB0eZe5VzyS-l5SegvB8RjsjQCLcBGAs/s640/yemen9.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This is not my first participation in co-organising a Ted Talk in Yemen. I was also part of the team which organised TEDXSanaa in 2012, 2013 and 2014, as a volunteer or/and in charge of the fundraising and selection of speakers. Even though I work as a pharmacist, I’ve developed a great interest in social activism right after Yemen’s 2011 uprising. I was attracted to Ted Talks in Yemen because I wanted to establish events in Yemen with international standards.<br /><br /><br />For me, TedxKids is a continuation of the previous Ted Talks we had, but with a greater dose of resilience. The event goes with a theme and hashtag #صغار_كبار (Young but Mature) and we have three subcategories of the speakers’ presentations. A) Kids’ educational aspirations; like how they aspire to become pilots, doctors, etc. B) Kids’ untold talents; like singers, dancers, painters, etc, C) Kids’ stories of survival after being under the rubble - and this is the most heartbreaking but moving talks. The team is also keen to have inclusiveness in the type of children speakers. So; for instance, you will hear in TedxKids from kids from the internally displaced community in Yemen and from Yemen’s marginalized society (Muhamashin) too.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Te8wZPTRXQk/WmCBZbuKnFI/AAAAAAAAIGI/YFHjtsq8bE8OcgZRBYKbeqECfADipxmWgCLcBGAs/s1600/yemen10.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="590" height="424" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Te8wZPTRXQk/WmCBZbuKnFI/AAAAAAAAIGI/YFHjtsq8bE8OcgZRBYKbeqECfADipxmWgCLcBGAs/s640/yemen10.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Until the official event happens, last month, we had our inaugural event titled, “The Ambassadors” in which we wanted the attending children to understand how they were the ambassadors of Yemen’s future. It was the phase when our team met with more than 500 applicants children and we are in the process of selecting the final list of speakers. We were fascinated to have about 1,700 audience attending that day. I’ve been pondering on, given the despair, suffering and pain we are going through in Yemen, I hope we can learn from our children speakers’ stories the lust for life and resilience.<div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="aglfe-0-0" style="box-sizing: border-box !important; line-height: 27px !important; padding-bottom: 10px !important; padding-top: 10px !important;"><span data-offset-key="aglfe-0-0" style="box-sizing: border-box !important;"><span data-text="true" style="box-sizing: border-box !important;"></span></span></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-49984160868986754392018-01-17T05:44:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:46:14.934-08:00Hisham is free, but Yemen's 'disappeared' crisis continues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zEYcGQF07mU/Wl9PQjkt0II/AAAAAAAAIFM/l9GpufFcsp80acVy7VIMFUuGBvW2SX3DwCLcBGAs/s1600/yemen-hisham.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="850" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zEYcGQF07mU/Wl9PQjkt0II/AAAAAAAAIFM/l9GpufFcsp80acVy7VIMFUuGBvW2SX3DwCLcBGAs/s640/yemen-hisham.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Yemeni protester calls for the release of detainees held in a Sanaa prison [AFP].</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The words of Martin Luther King, "Free, at last," come into their own, as one Yemen's top social media activists, <a href="https://twitter.com/omeisy">Hisham al-Omeisy</a>, 38, <a href="https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2018/1/15/houthis-release-yemeni-journalist-hisham-al-omeisy-after-150-days">walks free</a> from a Houthi jail in Sanaa, after five month's detention. </div><br />The Houthis did not officially charge him, or allow him access to a lawyer or to his family. His arrest, however, was likely linked to his job at the US embassy in Sanaa. Hisham's case was so sensitive, that we - his friends - couldn't and still can't reveal much of our conversations with his family in Sanaa, without risking their safety.<br /><br />Hisham doesn't need an introduction.<br /><br />If you are on Twitter and following news on Yemen, you almost certainly <a href="https://twitter.com/omeisy">follow Hisham</a>.<br /><br />Hisham's case attracted widespread attention from <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/08/18/yemen-houthis-detain-prominent-activist">human rights groups</a>, and local and <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41053044">international media</a>, because of the significance of his online activism. He has been one of the few top English-speaking commentators inside the country providing almost daily updates on events in Sanaa for his followers and the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23yemen&src=typd">#Yemen</a> Twitter audience.<br /><br />As war-torn Yemen faces a dearth of happy news, the Yemen Twitter community celebrated photos this week of Hisham <a href="https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/952910484340133888">hugging his children</a> for the first time since his detention in August.<br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en">More photo of hisham <a href="https://twitter.com/omeisy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@omeisy</a> with his children in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sanaa?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sanaa</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Yemen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Yemen</a> . <a href="https://t.co/1JbcThphPz">pic.twitter.com/1JbcThphPz</a></div>— Ahmad Algohbary (@AhmadAlgohbary) <a href="https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/952917418577457152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2018</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br /><br />But as we celebrate Hisham's release, it must also serve as a reminder of Yemen's "disappeared crisis"; the thousands of forcibly disappeared young men across the country, who don't enjoy Hisham's high media profile, and whose names and faces we don't hear about.<br /><br />With some <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AW5jisy0OzzidT5kJYJxVx0gDIVch6It/view?usp=sharing">12,000 arrests and more than 3,000 men forcibly disappeared</a>, mothers, sisters and daughters of these abducted men began showing up in front of the central prison or police stations across major Yemeni cities, searching for their kidnapped sons, fathers, brothers and other male relatives. They started to organise and formed a collective named, "<a href="https://twitter.com/abducteesmother">Mothers of Abductees Association</a>".<br /><br />The Association works as a pressure-group, raising awareness of the missing men, and advocating for their release.<br /><br />The collective's spokesperson told me in a phone interview that many young men are forcibly disappeared for their political activities, and some for no reason at all.<br /><br />In many cases, the mothers have no information or access to their imprisoned relatives - only if they are lucky they might receive some information. The imprisoned young men are held in terrible conditions and exposed to severe torture.<br /><br />Dozens have been killed under torture, or have to endure a lasting disability from their wounds. Some parents even risk assault if they question Houthi authorities. In <a href="https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser/status/905873924558336000">this incident</a>, a young forcibly disappeared man's father was assaulted and beaten to death in front of the prison when he went searching for his son.<br /><br />Journalists face disappearance because of their work, as affirmed by the recently freed <a href="http://www.sanaareview.com/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A6%D9%8A%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A9/%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%8A-%D8%AE%D8%B7%D9%81%D9%88%D9%86%D9%8A-%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%AC%D9%86%D9%88%D9%86%D9%8A-%D9%88%D8%B9%D8%B0%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%86%D9%8A-%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%86%D9%8A-%D8%B5%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%81-%D8%B9%D8%AC%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86">Yousef Al-Ajlan</a> who was released from a Houthis prison in Sanaa after a year-long detention.<br /><br />The Committee to Protect Journalists <a href="https://cpj.org/blog/2017/12/in-houthi-controlled-yemen-silence-exile-or-detent.php">notes that</a>, "if the Houthis were considered a governing authority, Yemen would have the fifth highest number of journalists in jail in the world".<br /><br />As the Houthis took over the capital, Sanaa in September 2014, and started a crackdown the press, Yousef wanted to avoid trouble, so he quit journalism and took a taxi driver job instead.<br /><br />Still, in October 2016, armed men kidnapped Yousef as he was in his taxi in front of his house. During his detention, he was severely tortured and threatened with rape, and barred from seeing his family for months.<br /><br />During this time, Yousef was transferred to several prisons and saw dozens of other detained journalists, accused of the same charges; "working for the enemy (Saudi Arabia) as a journalist". After a year, Yousef was finally freed in November, thanks to a prisoners of war exchange deal between Houthi and anti-Houthi tribes.<br /><br />The death of Ali Abdullah Saleh and the semi-collapse of his political party, the General Public Congress (GPC) have allowed the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/a-climate-of-fear-and-silence-emerges-in-yemen-after-killing-of-former-dictator/2018/01/03/b792d4de-eb32-11e7-956e-baea358f9725_story.html?utm_term=.ae7bcf5e0b3e">Houthis to</a> target many of Saleh's supporters.<br /><br />My family and friends in Sanaa told me of men being dragged out of cars or public transport at checkpoints, and being interrogated about links to the GPC. Later, they are detained and then vanish. The <a href="http://www.alyamanalaraby.com/241660">local press</a> reports Houthi executions and the assassination of Saleh's loyalists.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN8Rs4zInpE&list=PLUEdUqm6Nm6Mt966bEOVSiVLLPGLWKlFG&index=977">In Aden, the disappearances crisis</a> is no different from in Sanaa. Mothers and daughters of kidnapped men regularly hold sit-in demonstrations calling for information about their relatives' whereabouts and release.<br /><br />Hisham's case typifies Yemen's disappearance crisis.<br /><br />But amid the unspeakable human suffering in Yemen, the disappearances crisis lacks attention, let alone an effective investigation. Locally, the climate of fear is on the rise and international human rights groups lack constant and full access to Yemen.<br /><br />Nonetheless, increased pressure and domestic and international condemnation are needed until all of Yemen's disappeared people are found, and freed.<br /><br />______________________________________________________<br />*This article was originally written for and published in <a href="https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/Comment/2018/1/17/Hisham-is-free-but-Yemens-disappeared-crisis-continues?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=sf" target="_blank">The New Arab</a>, today. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-85459151014417182792018-01-15T02:14:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:46:15.048-08:00My Turned Down Article by a Major American Newspaper, On Yemen's Civil Society<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WcVSnJhOaBE/Wlx3JZ3dbvI/AAAAAAAAIEs/v3HxGjyNItgwXLsit41E4HAi1XRl6fqBwCLcBGAs/s1600/11084101_1090065554340782_6740419296196340893_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1157" data-original-width="1600" height="462" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WcVSnJhOaBE/Wlx3JZ3dbvI/AAAAAAAAIEs/v3HxGjyNItgwXLsit41E4HAi1XRl6fqBwCLcBGAs/s640/11084101_1090065554340782_6740419296196340893_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Days after <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cnn/videos/10157580163121509/" target="_blank">my attendance</a> at the Committee to Protect Journalists' <a href="https://cpj.org/awards/" target="_blank">Awards Ceremony</a> in November, I received an email from a major American newspaper -whose name I prefer not to reveal-, asking me to write a column in which I would reflect on receiving my award, my trip and meetings in the US. I gladly accepted their request. So, we discussed the theme of the column in an email or two; then, we agreed to it. So, I would begin writing and I would finish and send the article to them right away. I waited for few days with no reply. So, I sent a reminder email. Then, I was told very politely that my piece wouldn't be published.<br /><br />I was very disappointed. I wanted to know why, but I was so busy in that week and the following weeks as I was in a transition, locating myself from Sweden to Egypt, and I never asked them why. Now that my days seem less hectic, I thought about the article last night and how it'd be useless to ask the newspaper for the reasons of why my article was turned down. However, I thought, "I could publish the article as it was, on my blog, anyhow, right?"<br /><br />So, voila!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">_____________________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br />My <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWeYE9-lMRU">award acceptance speech</a> in November at the International Free Press Award ceremony in New York was one of the most difficult writings I have ever done. I didn’t know how it was even possible to summarize the massive atrocities committed in my country, Yemen, in a three-minute-long speech.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vWeYE9-lMRU" width="650"></iframe><br /><br /><br />Understanding the gravity of these atrocities, the New York-based organization, Committee to Protect Journalists <a href="https://cpj.org/awards/2017/afrah-nasser-yemen.php">(CPJ) in fact decided to choose Yemen</a> of all the countries in the turbulent Arab region this year to put a spotlight on the forgotten war in the country and the risks Yemeni journalists bear while reporting. Because three-minute-long speech was obviously not enough, CPJ arranged for me a two-week advocacy tour, one week in D.C. and another week in New York.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gQJGwwBPRuc" width="650"></iframe><br /><br /><br />As I had meetings with policy advisor Christine Lawson at the Department of State, Senator Chris Murphy, other Senate staff, media and human rights organizations, I was thinking of how the Travel Ban (which I managed to defeat after being <a href="https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/comment/2017/10/20/death-threats-and-travel-bans-a-yemeni-journalist-speaks">rejected for the US visa entry twice</a>) could have barred me from actualizing this opportunity. If it wasn’t for the relentless support I had from CPJ, I would not have been able to have one-on-one meetings with these influential people and discuss the U.S. disastrous foreign policies in Yemen.<br /><br /><br />During our meeting, going beyond the Saudi-Iran-proxy-war-in-Yemen questions, Sen. Murphy’s first question to me was, “how is life like for your family in Yemen, Afrah?” For a moment I forgot that I was in the presence of a politician, but rather a friend. “Every time I call my mother in Sana’a, she’s busy going to a funeral or coming back from a funeral of relatives and friends,” I replied, “in fact, yesterday, she messaged me, ‘all entries to Yemen are closed. We will die, we will die.’”<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yeuYhvPCyE0/Wlx65DQGoYI/AAAAAAAAIE4/NJ60sFfLZQkJ4YZsDpWaNhccGh0kGgzdQCLcBGAs/s1600/yemen-chris-murphy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="850" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yeuYhvPCyE0/Wlx65DQGoYI/AAAAAAAAIE4/NJ60sFfLZQkJ4YZsDpWaNhccGh0kGgzdQCLcBGAs/s640/yemen-chris-murphy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nov. - 2017 - Meeting Sen. Murphy at his office in DC, with CPJ's team. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en">I woke up, reading a message from my family in Sana'a, "All entries to Yemen are closed. We will die, we will die." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OpenAccessToYemen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OpenAccessToYemen</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%A7_%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B0_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#افتحوا_منافذ_اليمن</a></div>— Afrah Nasser (@Afrahnasser) <a href="https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser/status/927560300651532288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2017</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br /><br />A couple of days before I met Sen. Murphy, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/08/world/middleeast/yemen-saudi-blockade.html?smid=tw-share">Saudi-led coalition announced closing all entry points to Yemen</a>, in retaliation to a Houthi-fired missile hitting close to Riyadh airport –what Riyadh claims to be an Iranian-made missile and; thus, with the total blockade it aimed to stop arms transfers from Iran to the Houthis. Not long after my meeting with Sen. Murphy, I found out that he had made <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcdzEPaLyWk&t=45s">a strong testimony</a>, condemning the Saudi-led coalition’s total blockade. I hope that my meeting with him and the Yemen suffering he heard about had something to do with his testimony.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YcdzEPaLyWk" width="650"></iframe><br /><br /><br /><br />Even though I am an independent Yemeni voice, I consider myself part of the collective Yemeni civil society that emerged in the wake of Yemen’s 2011 uprising – not the traditional organizationed civil society, but rather the space in which young people met, interacted, and voiced their grievances and demands. We are perhaps an extension of Yemen’s historic civil society, but we are certainly an untitled Yemeni political component which was tired of an old, undemocratic and corrupt regime whose energy sparked an uprising against the 30-year old rule of Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2011.<br /><br /><br />As heartbreaking photos of skeletal malnutritioned Yemeni kids and child soldiers fill news media outlets, it’s a reminder that about <a href="http://countrymeters.info/en/Yemen">half of Yemen’s 28 million population</a> are children, teenagers and young adults. That also means that 2011’s protesters who impressed the world with their peaceful movement and who first had taken to the streets, (including myself,) from Sana’a, to Taiz, to Hudaydah and other cities were mostly of young men and women.<br /><br /><br />While my generation was trying to make the impossible possible, the U.S. administration, along with the United Nations and Gulf Cooperation Council rushed to contain the youth uprising and disrupted what was naturally occurring on the ground replacing it with a <a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40499#.Wh3V87Q-fOS">power transfer deal</a>. The U.S., in particular, failed to recognize Yemeni youth’s political aspirations and became trapped in what regional powers dictated and wanted to see in Yemen. During the ensuing years, the U.S. continued to approach Yemen through the eyes of Saudi-Iran rivalry geopolitics and dismissed the potential in the emerging alternative Yemeni civil society leadership.<br /><br /><br />Nonetheless, Yemen’s civil society of individuals and groups continued to be engaged. While I have always been passionate about documenting <a href="http://www.sanaareview.com/">Yemeni stories</a>, my fellows at Sana’a Center care about policy-analysis, <a href="http://resonateyemen.org/en/about-us.html#growing">Resonate Yemen</a> focuses on youth’s civic empowerment, the <a href="http://www.mwatana.org/en">Mwatana</a> organization sets issues of human rights and justice as its priority, <a href="http://www.basementye.org/index.php/en/">Basement organization</a> promotes cultural empowerment and the list goes on.<br /><br /><br />Even though CPJ chose me as a face representing the struggle facing independent Yemeni journalists, I believe I am one drop in the ocean of the many stories of my Yemeni generation’s struggle and thirst for democracy, social justice and freedom of expression –which in many ways echo American values.<br /><br /><br />The value of Yemen’s civil society affirms itself as it was one of the key spaces in which people organized and mobilised each other to express Yemen’s 2011 uprising. Had I not joined this platform in 2011 and taken the action which I couldn’t find in Yemen’s political and tribal system, I wouldn’t have had the guts to find my voice. While I appreciate CPJ’s recognition, it’s crucial the U.S. recognizes the political agency among Yemen’s civil society and the constructive role they can play, importantly, in any potential peace process and post-war Yemen.<br /><br /><br />Current policies; such as, imposing a Travel Ban preventing voices from addressing the American political leadership and offering a blank cheque to the Saudi-led coalition in its war in Yemen would not get us anywhere except towards more destruction and instability in the region, which derails the war on terror. Yemen’s vibrant civil society, still persisting against all the odds. It’s never too late for the U.S. to support the rainbow in the midst of a storm, the Yemeni civil society.<br /><br /><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-45902864905674356602018-01-09T06:48:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:46:15.160-08:00Yemen: 2017 in Review<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sE32Pi8AQsI/WlTU0tJpSkI/AAAAAAAAID4/q6lEUxRZPMYhtCRFA14VdxIlr8Frx_yQACLcBGAs/s1600/yemen%2B-%2Bwar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sE32Pi8AQsI/WlTU0tJpSkI/AAAAAAAAID4/q6lEUxRZPMYhtCRFA14VdxIlr8Frx_yQACLcBGAs/s640/yemen%2B-%2Bwar.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A displaced woman (Malkah Ahmed Saleh) with her daughters sitting at their <br />temporary home (camp). (Photo: UNICEF/Moohi Al-Zikri)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />*A U.N. official <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/yemen-worst-humanitarian-crisis-50-years-180105190332474.html">warned</a> days ago that, “Yemen could be the worst humanitarian crisis in 50 years.” As 2018 begins, these words reflect the increasingly deteriorating unspeakable human suffering in Yemen, after the UN had been calling Yemen throughout last year as the <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/usgerc-stephen-o-brien-statement-security-council-missions-yemen-south-sudan-somalia">largest humanitarian crisis in the world</a>.<br /><br />The poorest Arab nation with a population of around 25 million has been sent into destitution after nearly four years of war. 2017 has been a year of utter despair in light of countless human rights atrocities committed on multi-fronts; from the Saudi-led coalition to Saleh-Houthis’ forces and the U.S. counter-terrorism military operation, all sharing responsibility for creating unspeakable human suffering in Yemen. However, the killing of Saleh at the end of 2017 marks a historical transition that’s going to drastically change Yemen’s political map for years to come.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Human Suffering</span> <br /><br /><br />Saleh’s violent death gives a glimpse into the gruesomeness of this war. Both combatants and noncombatant innocent civilians are caught up in the violence. While Houthis’ (and Saleh’s for a certain time, until his death) forces in Taiz continued their <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/08/09/yemen-artillery-attacks-kill-civilians-taizz">indiscriminate shelling</a> or, as <a href="http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22025&LangID=E">described</a> by the UN Human Rights Office, the “unrelenting shelling,” against civilian inhabited areas for about three years, resulting in a terrible death toll, the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes since 2015 did not cease to hit non-military populated areas across many parts of Yemen. In 2017, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-latest-saudi-airstrike-kills-21-dead-houthis-saadah-market-sahar-a8030876.html">markets</a>, a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/26/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-yemen-somalia-united-nations-migrants-boat.html">migrant boat</a>, a <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-yemen-security-air-strike/saudi-led-air-strike-kills-26-people-in-yemen-medics-idUKKBN1D13Y9">local inhabited hotel</a>, among many other non-military targets were hit. The glaring example last year, however, was the story of the five-year-old <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-airstrike/after-yemeni-air-strike-little-girl-is-familys-only-survivor-idUSKCN1B60J7">Bouthina who survived </a>an attack in August by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes hitting an apartment building in Sana’a, killing all her family. <br /><br />The Yemen Data Project <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/12/29/airstrikes-in-yemen-kill-dozens-of-civilians-in-one-day-but-thats-just-part-of-the-countrys-misery/?utm_term=.84f5b0778d81">reveals</a> that since 2015 nearly one-third of Saudi air raids hit non-military sites in Yemen. To rub salt into the wound, 2017, in particular, was when more <a href="https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2017-12-19/counterrorism-strikes-double-trump-first-year">US strikes hit Yemen</a> than the past four years combined, with 125 strikes, under the U.S. war-on-terror military operations. Another glaring example of that was the U.S. Special forces’ first <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/29/world/middleeast/american-commando-killed-in-yemen-in-trumps-first-counterterror-operation.html">raid in Yemen’s al-Baydah province</a> under U.S. president, Donald Trump, end of January 2017, killing dozens of <a href="https://theintercept.com/2017/03/09/women-and-children-in-yemeni-village-recall-horror-of-trumps-highly-successful-seal-raid/">women and children</a>.<br /><br />In parallel, Yemenis face a humanitarian catastrophe as the country's infrastructure is almost totally destroyed and humanitarian operations don’t have full access to some of the hardest hit communities in Yemen, following the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/08/world/middleeast/yemen-saudi-blockade.html?smid=tw-share">Saudi-led coalition imposing a siege</a>, in retaliation to a Houthi-fired missile hitting close to Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh airport in November. Despite progress in Saudis promising to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-aid/saudi-led-coalition-to-reopen-yemens-hodeidah-port-sanaa-airport-for-aid-idUSKBN1DM224">open Houdaidah port</a> and letting <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/saudi-coalition-lets-yemens-aden-port-reopen-idUSKBN1D82LO">Aden port open</a>, the humanitarian situation seems to be only worsening, proven by the UN’s recent announcement of the largest-ever emergency relief allocation - $50 million for UN aid-operations to come forward in 2018. This doesn’t reflect a success but rather an indication of how desperate the humanitarian situation is.<br /><br />The current number of reported civilian casualties seems illogical given the conflicting reports from the U.N. that are not matching the scale of human suffering on the ground. More than a year ago, a UN official<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-toll/u-n-says-10000-killed-in-yemen-war-far-more-than-other-estimates-idUSKCN11516W"> revealed</a> that 10,000 civilians have been killed in Yemen but another recent UN report<a href="http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/2017/09/news-in-brief-5-september-2017-geneva-am/#.WbqPWhOCzOR"> claimed</a> that only 5,000 civilians have been killed since March 2015. As <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/21/world/middleeast/yemen-famine-saudi.html">widespread famine </a>threatens millions of lives, there is a new outbreak of disease, <a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58369#.WlDSOVT1XOQ">diphtheria</a>, in addition to <a href="http://aa.com.tr/en/health/cholera-cases-in-yemen-surpass-1-million-who/1012386">cholera</a>; that’s probably the worst outbreak the world has ever seen, ripping more than 2,000 lives and reaching <a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58344#.Wky4TFT1XOQ">one million suspect cases</a>. Also, <a href="http://files.unicef.org/yemen/Yemen2Years-children_falling_through_the_cracks.pdf">UNICEF has been reporting</a> since the beginning of 2017 that every 10 minutes a child dies in Yemen. In a situation like this, looking like the apocalypse, reports failed to match the real death toll throughout 2017.<br /><br />While Yemenis are still counting the dead, the only slight of progress ever made in September 2017 was the establishment of an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/29/yemen-un-investigation-human-rights-abuses">independent investigation committee</a> by the UN Human Rights Council into the war crimes, thanks to great pressure and advocacy work <a href="http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/yemen-needs-united-nations-not-united-nations-536219821">done by international and local Yemeni Human Rights organizations</a> since 2015. This is significant because campaigning clearly pays off and local and international civil society efforts in Yemen do matter. Nonetheless, the committee is due to begin its work later this year.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Yemen without Saleh</span><br /><br /><br />By December 2017, a political earthquake was to hit Yemen. Saleh’s death at the hands of the Houthis marked a violent end for an era and a defining point in Yemen’s political map. As ensuing days warring parties’ <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-blast/saudi-arabia-intercepts-houthi-missile-fired-toward-riyadh-no-reported-casualties-idUSKBN1ED17Y">military operations </a>intensified, Saleh’s death posed two critical aspects. One is that, whether Saleh genuinely desired <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42208360">to initiate negotiations</a> away from Houthis or him forseeing the deadly path of his alliance with the Houthis, it’s confirmed today that Houthis’ politics are driven by violence.<br /><br />The other aspect is, in spite of Houthis’ violent politics, Saleh’s absence has created for the first time in the course of Yemen’s nearly four years of war, one single centralized power in the north part of Yemen; that’s in the hands of the Houthis. Now more than ever, there has to be a regional and international political will to face this centralized power, <a href="http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/is-a-political-solution-still-possible-in-yemen?utm_content=buffer6572a&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer">reinvent a political solution</a> and resolve the conflict.<br /><br />Unfortunately, this is unlikely to happen as in 2017 alone, both key international allies to Saudi Arabia; the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2017/06/us-approves-14-billion-sale-to-saudi-arabia/529257/">US</a> and the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/24/uk-sales-of-arms-and-military-equipment-to-saudi-arabia-2017">UK </a>have found Yemen's war to be a lucrative business, profiting massively from the financial rewards of their arms sales to Saudi Arabia. With a tragic optimism, let us hope 2018 would bring the political will to end the Yemen war.<div><br /></div><div>__________________________________________________________</div><div>*<a href="https://www.opendemocracy.net/north-africa-west-asia/afrah-nasser/yemen-2017-in-review" target="_blank">This article</a> was first written for and published in Open Democracy, January 8, 2018. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-73163802959240158972018-01-09T06:30:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:46:15.270-08:00Is a Political Solution Still Possible in Yemen?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QfoP--Fl2dg/WlTQt-qcpjI/AAAAAAAAIDs/tfPrDwNxAf4jWurCheWlGuG8QtlsE8tjQCLcBGAs/s1600/Houthis%2B-%2Byemen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="528" height="425" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QfoP--Fl2dg/WlTQt-qcpjI/AAAAAAAAIDs/tfPrDwNxAf4jWurCheWlGuG8QtlsE8tjQCLcBGAs/s640/Houthis%2B-%2Byemen.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Tribesmen loyal to the Houthi movement hold their weapons as they attend a gathering to mark 1000 days of the Saudi-led military intervention in the Yemeni conflict, in Sanaa, Yemen December 21, 2017. <br />REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>*The end of Saleh-Houthi alliance marks a new chapter in Yemen’s intractable conflict. Two weeks after Saleh’s death, warring parties <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-blast/saudi-arabia-intercepts-houthi-missile-fired-toward-riyadh-no-reported-casualties-idUSKBN1ED17Y">intensified</a> their military escalation, increasing an already abominable <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-un/saudi-led-air-strikes-kill-136-civilians-in-yemen-u-n-idUSKBN1ED12C">human cost</a>. Despite Saleh’s legacy of subversive tactics and coercion, his death undermines efforts to resolve the conflict. The Houthis, an irrational movement lacking in political experience, make for a highly emotional and unreliable party at the negotiating table. With the passing of Saleh, the ultimate pragmatist with longstanding political and diplomatic ties both locally and internationally, an opportunity has passed with him. In a post-Saleh Yemen, the question remains: is a political solution still feasible?<br /><br />The most serious issue with the negotiation effort is its absence for more than a year. Days before his death, Saleh presented himself as a negotiator, expressing his <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/yemens-saleh-says-ready-for-new-page-with-saudi-led-coalition-idUSKBN1DW08P">readiness for talks</a> with Saudi Arabia. Had he survived, those talks would have materialized through the UN framework, <a href="http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%257B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%257D/s_res_2216.pdf">UNSC resolution 2216</a>, which called on Saleh to change his destabilizing action, facilitate disarmament of the Houthis, and return to the National Dialogue Conference’s outcomes. Since his death, the UN Security Council has not passed an amended resolution in line with the recent developments; it instead had a closed-door meeting on the situation and simply called for <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5148917/UN-Security-Council-calls-sides-Yemen-escalate.html">de-escalation</a>.<br /><br />With the apparent lack of urgency in reinventing the political solution, on-the-ground fighting has only <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/05/world/middleeast/yemen-ali-saleh-revenge.html">escalated</a> and new emerging alliances appear to herald further military escalation. Despite its necessity, discussion about a new political solution to the conflict seems premature. Not only has the increased appetite for military competition undermined the prospects for a negotiated solution, but so does the Saudi-led coalition’s flawed tactical approach that aims to unify Yemen’s local factions against the Houthis.<br /><br />While neither Saudi nor the Houthi camps can claim military superiority, the Houthis have gained <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-29380668">significant military strength</a> over the course of the war. After overtaking Sana’a in September 2014 with Saleh’s support, the Houthis captured valuable material from the disoriented national army. Emboldened by their initial victories, Iranian support, and lust for total control, the Houthis met any dissent with violence. Saleh’s betrayal in their eyes justified his undignified execution—and the subsequent crackdown on anyone allied with him. Local press reports also describe Houthi <a href="https://www.alaraby.co.uk/investigations/2017/12/5/%25D8%25B1%25D9%2587%25D8%25A7%25D9%2586-%25D8%25B9%25D9%2584%25D9%258A-%25D8%25B9%25D8%25A8%25D8%25AF%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D9%2584%25D9%2587-%25D8%25B5%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D8%25AD-%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D8%25A3%25D8%25AE%25D9%258A%25D8%25B1-%25D9%2584%25D9%2585%25D8%25A7%25D8%25B0%25D8%25A7-%25D8%25AE%25D8%25B0%25D9%2584%25D8%25AA%25D9%2587-%25D9%2582%25D8%25A8%25D8%25A7%25D8%25A6%25D9%2584-%25D8%25B7%25D9%2588%25D9%2582-%25D8%25B5%25D9%2586%25D8%25B9%25D8%25A7%25D8%25A1-">threats</a> and <a href="http://www.yemenmonitor.com/Details/ArtMID/908/ArticleID/21793">shelling</a> of dissident and pro-Saleh tribes. <br /><br />Operating on a winner-take-all mentality, the Houthis’ lack of sophistication and nuance has consequently undermined local tribal diplomacy in resolving domestic conflicts. With little regard for even local negotiations, the chances they might engage with international negotiators in good faith appear unlikely.<br /><br />On the opposing side, a key member in the Saudi-led coalition has taken advantage of the new normal. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has <a href="https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2017/12/14/Saudi-and-UAE-leaders-meet-Yemen-Islah-party-chairman-.html#.WjGSjoNsyuE.twitter">taken steps </a>to <a href="https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2017/12/14/Saudi-and-UAE-leaders-meet-Yemen-Islah-party-chairman-.html#.WjGSjoNsyuE.twitter">realign</a> itself with an old enemy, the Islah political party (a Yemeni version of the Muslim Brotherhood), in the fight against Houthis. This marriage of convenience comes as a sequel to Saleh’s short-lived marriage of convenience with his old enemy, the Houthis. This latest shift suggests that the Saudi-led coalition aims to unify Saleh’s General People’s Conference (GPC) forces, Yemen President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi’s forces, the Southern Hirak’s forces, and Islah to counter the Houthis. All these factions, however, hold deep historical animosities towards each other, which threatens the effectiveness of such mobilization.<br /><br />Such marriages of convenience between Yemen’s different factions have allowed each to survive in a highly volatile political climate. Each party reorders its own interest, depending on the political and military dynamics. If any lesson is to be learned from Saleh’s death, however, it should be the eventual collapse of these loose alliances and their potential to backfire.<br /><br />Given the current configuration, the conflict in Yemen will not likely end in a formal negotiated settlement through the same existing UN framework born out of the National Dialogue and previous UN resolutions. The nearly four years of civil war and Saudi-led military intervention have exacerbated unresolved animosities between Yemen’s different factions. Saleh had killed the godfather of the Houthi movement, Hussein Bader al-Din al-Houthi, which partly motivated his assassination. Islah is asked today to come to good terms with the remaining GPC forces, despite a desire to retaliate for GPC hostility against the party during Saleh’s alliance with Houthis. Southern forces are asked to be the backbone of the anti-Houthi fighting force but still harbour a separatist streak. Any peace effort that dismisses the <a href="http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/yemen-s-unity-does-it-still-matter-512834212">growing divisions</a> and historical grievances is doomed to fail. A political solution must prevail eventually, but only if it seriously considers these old and newly born challenges.<br /><br />While warring parties are reluctant to lay down their weapons, people in Yemen face <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-being-pushed-ever-closer-famine-1000-days-war-and-crippling-blockade-starving-its">widespread famine</a> and an unprecedented <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2017/06/yemen-world-worst-cholera-outbreak-mapped-170627110239483.html">cholera outbreak</a>. A tougher international approach to finding a political solution in Yemen could nevertheless still help avert even greater tragedy in Yemen. There is both a moral and strategic interest in stabilizing Yemen.<div><br /></div><div>__________________________________________________________________</div><div>*<a href="http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/is-a-political-solution-still-possible-in-yemen?utm_content=buffer6572a&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer" target="_blank">This article</a> was first written for and published in The Atlantic Council, January 3, 2018. </div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-58855275237126963912017-12-20T07:37:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:41:44.093-08:00Support our campaigns this festive season<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The festive season is a time for fun, sharing gifts with friends and family, and of course enjoying delicious food. But it’s also a chance to make a difference in support of WI campaigns. This post gives you some top tips - from tackling unnecessary plastic waste to reaching out to combat loneliness. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Stay updated with the latest resolution news and campaign actions by subscribing to the <span style="line-height: 115%;">NFWI’s Public Affairs Digest, an e-newsletter sent to your inbox once a month. You can sign up via the </span><a href="https://www.thewi.org.uk/campaigns/public-affairs-digest-newsletter"><span style="line-height: 115%;">website.</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">End Plastic Soup<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our End Plastic Soup campaign seeks to raise awareness of the problem of marine pollution from microplastic fibres released from clothing when it is washed. Here are some ways you can help reduce your impact over the Christmas season.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9L7k7Xlc3Fs/WjqCbuVySII/AAAAAAAAA68/nGRqsn4a8M0Qdd6tLwn-ZzQX2Cx2M86TACLcBGAs/s1600/infographic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1600" height="227" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9L7k7Xlc3Fs/WjqCbuVySII/AAAAAAAAA68/nGRqsn4a8M0Qdd6tLwn-ZzQX2Cx2M86TACLcBGAs/s640/infographic.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tackle clothing waste</span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/a-new-textiles-economy-redesigning-fashions-future">One rubbish truck</a> full of textiles is landfilled or burnt every second. Instead of buying new clothes for your loved one that may not fit or suit them why not swap a clothing gift for a ticket to an event or activity, or a gift voucher that allows them to choose something they really love? </span></div></li></ul><ul><li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you are given clothing that doesn’t quite fit or you don’t like, hold a clothes swap at your WI in the New Year or try <a href="https://www.loveyourclothes.org.uk/refashion-upcycle">upcycling</a> the item to your taste or turn it into something else altogether! </span></div></li></ul><ul><li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.hubbub.org.uk/Event/its-time-to-giveaknit-about-christmas-jumpers">New research from charity Hubbub</a> found that one in four Christmas jumpers bought last year were thrown away or were unlikely to be worn again. Instead of buying a new jumper every year, dig out your old Christmas jumpers, swap with a friend or even refashion <a href="https://www.hubbub.org.uk/how-to-make-a-diy-christmas-jumper">something you already own</a> into a festive jumper. <o:p></o:p></span></div></li></ul><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Wash well</span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With lots of events and visitors over the Christmas period you may be washing clothes more often – ensure you are filling up your washing machine to the max, washing at a low temperature (30<b><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">°</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">) </span>and using washing liquid instead of powder. These measures will help <a href="https://www.thewi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/233843/PLASTIC_SOUP_WEB_V2.pdf">to reduce the amount of microplastic fibres released</a> when washing your clothes. </span></li></ul><div></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Avoid plastic waste</span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Single-use plastics, or disposable plastics, are used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. Tackle disposable and single-use plastics by avoiding serving people with plastic plates, cups and straws and use paper or china if you are entertaining guests. </span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Single-use plastics include coffee cups and plastic bottles. Only 1% of disposable coffee cups are recycled, with the UK throwing away 2.5 billion of them a year. <span style="background: white;">38.5million plastic bottles are used every day in the UK – just over half make it to recycling, while more than 16m are put into landfill, burnt or released into the oceans. Once in the ocean they break down further into microplastics which fish can mistake for food. <span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;">Re-usable alternatives are available </span></span>- <span style="background: white;">why not </span>consider a re-usable aluminium water bottle or re-usable coffee cup as a gift and use it as a way to tell your friend or family member about the WI’s campaigns to tackle plastic waste. </span></li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Take inspiration from the NFWI Craft Committee’s <a href="https://www.thewi.org.uk/s/motm/">creative, fun projects</a> that use resources which would otherwise be thrown away. Why not use old milk bottles to make our festive fir tree or turn jam and baby food jars into a hot chocolate kit?</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The WI successfully campaigned to get a charge introduced for plastic bags in order to tackle waste. You can avoid using plastic bags for your Christmas shopping by using a bag for life or the <a href="https://wishop.thewi.org.uk/products/wi-tea-towel">WI’s cotton bag</a>. </span></li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Link Together<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our Link Together campaign recognises that loneliness can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender and life stage. The festive season is a great opportunity to reach out to others in your community.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7iNK7wmNzdE/WjqCsR2yBkI/AAAAAAAAA7A/rfyp-vgV4oskeOz4DmFVzz5DfJMSMEyDwCLcBGAs/s1600/Info-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1600" height="326" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7iNK7wmNzdE/WjqCsR2yBkI/AAAAAAAAA7A/rfyp-vgV4oskeOz4DmFVzz5DfJMSMEyDwCLcBGAs/s640/Info-01.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A small act of kindness could make a real difference to someone’s day over the festive period, such as calling a fellow member you haven’t spoken to in a while or <span style="background: white;">taking the time to speak to neighbours who may be lonely. For more ways to get involved with the campaign, download our </span><span style="background: white;"><a href="https://www.thewi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/233830/Link-Together-Campaign-Action-Pack-Final.pdf">action pack.</a></span></span></li></ul><div></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Food Matters<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Christmas is a time to enjoy good food and good company, but this can often mean more waste too. We can all play our part in reducing the waste that often comes with the festive season. Our Food Matters campaign focuses on reducing food waste so that good food isn’t wasted at all levels of the food chain.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YcOd_bvKOSU/WjqICPf-SOI/AAAAAAAAA7c/d9IGk1sa0HMOEwrvNcEFKcIahpMh8F60ACLcBGAs/s1600/food%2Bmatters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="667" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YcOd_bvKOSU/WjqICPf-SOI/AAAAAAAAA7c/d9IGk1sa0HMOEwrvNcEFKcIahpMh8F60ACLcBGAs/s640/food%2Bmatters.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Credit: iStock.com/Eivaisl</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">According to Wildlife and Countryside Link, 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging will end up in the bin - and not recycled - over the festive period. To avoid unnecessary wasteful packaging, b<span style="background: white;">uy your fruit and vegetables loose and be aware of </span><span style="background: white;"><a href="https://www.recyclenow.com/recycling-knowledge/packaging-symbols-explained">what types of plastic can be recycled.</a></span></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">No matter how hard you try there is bound to be some leftover food at the end of the festivities – you could use the leftover turkey to turn it into a completely different meal like this WI recipe for <a href="https://www.thewi.org.uk/what-we-do/recipes/meat/turkey-in-a-leek-and-mustard-sauce">turkey in a leek and mustard sauce</a>. <a href="https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/">Love Food Hate Waste</a> also has lots of ideas about how to use up all your Christmas leftovers.</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Recycle your Christmas tree – if your tree has roots it will be possible to plant it in your garden or in a large pot with fresh compost, you can then bring it back into your house for next year. If your tree cannot be re-planted, check whether your council collects Christmas trees (which they usually turn into compost). If they don’t, then take it to the garden waste area of your local tip. Find your local council <a href="https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council">here</a>. </span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;"><u>SOS for honey bees</u></b></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While our honey bees will be tucked up in their hives for the cold weather, now is the time to start thinking about how you can support these precious pollinators once spring arrives. Our SOS for Honey Bees campaign calls for more research into the causes of bee decline, and for communities to create habitats to support pollinators.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now is the time to plan your spring planting, ensuring there’s plenty of pollen and nectar for bees to forage on throughout the seasons. Make your garden bee friendly using our gardening guide by <a href="https://www.thewi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/94646/FINAL_Bee_Garden.pdf">planting these flowers</a>. </span></li></ul><div></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">SOS for High Streets <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our high streets campaign encourages members to celebrate their local high streets and urges decision makers to support high streets that are fit for the future. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Over the last ten years changes in shopping habits have hit the high street hard. When combined with a slowdown in consumer spending and increasingly high rental and business rates, many high street businesses are struggling. By shopping local to buy your gifts and food you are supporting the high street as a hub of social and community life. You can read more about the campaign <a href="https://www.thewi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/68061/SOS-for-High-Streets-and-Town-Centres-Action-Pack-August-2013.pdf" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="background: white;">online</span></a><span style="background: white; text-indent: -18pt;">. </span></span></li></ul><br /><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><br /></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><br /></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><br /></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-10039121004318964402017-12-18T04:01:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:41:44.200-08:00Didcot Sewage Treatment Works Visit <b>Guest blog by <span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Catherine Blaxhall Chair of Oxfordshire Public Affairs Committee</span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br /></span></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZeYGc0tketQ/WjeZz7qilyI/AAAAAAAAA6g/utgo4TdDxjspdCt5vtG2gjYrvJDBpjVygCLcBGAs/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZeYGc0tketQ/WjeZz7qilyI/AAAAAAAAA6g/utgo4TdDxjspdCt5vtG2gjYrvJDBpjVygCLcBGAs/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;">Following a discussion with our Public Affairs team in Oxfordshire around the ‘End Plastic Soup’ resolution we decided to contact our local water supplier, Thames Water to ask if they were aware of the enormity and seriousness of the contamination of microplastic fibres and what, if anything, they were doing to help alleviate the problem. Waste water treatment centres play a vital role in the issue; tiny microplastic fibres are too small to be caught by their filters and are flowing into rivers and the sea where fish and other sea creatures are mistaking them for food. Waste water treatment centres also produce sludge from the process, which contain microplastic fibres that is then applied to farmland across the UK.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We decided to ‘go to the top’ and emailed their CEO and were very pleased to receive a reply the next day from their Senior Public Affairs Advisor who had been delegated to respond. His response was so enthusiastic and positive. He had researched the WI and our previous campaigns before we spoke and clearly realised how beneficial working together could to both organisations – we had so much in common! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Henry suggested OFWI members meet himself and his colleague from the Thames Water Education Team at our local sewage treatment works in Didcot on 18 September to learn more about how waste water treatment centres work.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The day was designed to encourage us to think more about how we can change our own washing habits to play their part in tackling the problem, the impact of plastic and non-flushable objects, such as wet wipes, entering the sewage system and to learn more about how waste water treatment centres operate.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2kXjZV_Mkng/WjeaE9r_p1I/AAAAAAAAA6k/ARH1Z3gFsgIQqFLU8m8dooB3U3pBwXK0gCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2kXjZV_Mkng/WjeaE9r_p1I/AAAAAAAAA6k/ARH1Z3gFsgIQqFLU8m8dooB3U3pBwXK0gCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_2569.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We were given a fascinating and insightful tour of the site and a presentation in the education centre explaining the process of filtering sewage from its arrival at the plant to clean water finally returning to the water course less than 24 hours later. On the tour we saw a whole skip load of congealed wet wipes and other objects inappropriate for flushing that had been caught in the process. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Filtering out the tiny microplastic fibres at sewage treatment works is not currently happening, but research is ongoing and it is hoped that, with pressure, sampling for microplastic fibres could become mandatory at waste water treatment centres to better understand the scale of the issue. The onus is on all of us to address the problem by washing our clothes at lower temperatures, washing full loads only, using liquid detergent and being more conscious of the amount of clothing we purchase and then dispose of. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tGg8M_1ptIQ/WjeaZREnhbI/AAAAAAAAA6s/rRkUjbmPtbg8RRYqgwLHNkxJgqVDDfnPQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tGg8M_1ptIQ/WjeaZREnhbI/AAAAAAAAA6s/rRkUjbmPtbg8RRYqgwLHNkxJgqVDDfnPQCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_2541.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Everyone agreed that the visit had been fascinating and informative and not quite as aromatic as we had anticipated! It really helped us understand so much more clearly our own responsibilities in contributing to the problem and how by just making one minor change we can make a difference and influence change. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-25727970654720113572017-12-15T07:29:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:41:44.303-08:00NFWI Loneliness Survey <div class="MsoNormal">Over the summer, the NFWI launched a short survey on loneliness. In total, more than 500 responses were received, amounting to over 2,500 individual thoughts, opinions and personal experiences shared across all of the questions! Thank you to everyone who took part! <o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">The results have revealed a huge variety of measures and strategies that could be adopted more widely by local communities, including WIs and Federations, to help alleviate loneliness amongst different demographics. Valuable suggestions were also made around how local and national government could take further action. Here we set out some of our main findings. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>The role of government</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Respondents were divided as to whether it should fall to government to tackle loneliness. We heard from several respondents that as a hyper-local issue experienced by many of us, loneliness is best tackled through community action and by simply taking responsibility for those around you. Of those that believed government should play a bigger role, there was support for an awareness raising campaign to remove the stigma associated with loneliness and a dedicated national strategy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Gnb4st_GBQ/WjPobLxf6hI/AAAAAAAAA58/YtgEVemQX8kCBIk6pQFLRbwh5LY9FSZYACLcBGAs/s1600/Infographic%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="787" height="351" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Gnb4st_GBQ/WjPobLxf6hI/AAAAAAAAA58/YtgEVemQX8kCBIk6pQFLRbwh5LY9FSZYACLcBGAs/s640/Infographic%2B1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b> <o:p></o:p></b><b>The role of local communities </b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">As expected, respondents were almost unanimous in recognising the importance of local communities in tackling loneliness. A few key themes emerged from the range of ideas that were shared. First, the value in organising regular local events that are free or low cost and accessible to people of all ages. Several respondents highlighted the need to ensure the availability of evening as well as day time opportunities to accommodate people who work full-time. It was recognised that community spaces, including churches and community centres, could be used more to host activities.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Second, the importance of being aware of neighbours who might be lonely and taking the time to speak to them and simply say hello. Third, respondents believed that local events and support services could be signposted better through, for example, a community newsletter and leaflets in GP surgeries, chemists, libraries and supermarkets. Finally, several felt that local communities could do more to help raise awareness of the causes and impacts of loneliness as well as the barriers to accessing activities and support.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>How WIs and Federations are already combatting loneliness <o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">By its very nature, we know that the WI can help to alleviate loneliness. As part of the survey we asked members to describe any activities they undertake to reach out to people who are lonely. What we found was that many members, since the launch of the campaign and before, have identified their own ways of tackling loneliness which they have embedded into their everyday procedure. If your WI or Federation would like to take action and is looking for more inspiration, download our <a href="https://www.thewi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/233830/Link-Together-Campaign-Action-Pack-Final.pdf">campaign action pack</a> to read our Basic Guide. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cr4acPEoI_k/WjPwipHqzlI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/GX3guysco4gGA5jTR9Wz6LRyPmhx7uPWQCLcBGAs/s1600/Loneliness%2Binfographic%2B3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="1022" height="340" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cr4acPEoI_k/WjPwipHqzlI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/GX3guysco4gGA5jTR9Wz6LRyPmhx7uPWQCLcBGAs/s640/Loneliness%2Binfographic%2B3.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Next steps <o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The survey results will be used to help us shape the direction of the Link Together campaign in the New Year when we will be looking at ways to progress the NFWI’s resolution to ‘alleviate loneliness’ during 2018. We also plan to share the results of the survey more widely to spread best practice and influence the development of local and national policy around loneliness. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Please contact <a href="mailto:publicaffairs@nfwi.org.uk">publicaffairs@nfwi.org.uk</a>for further information about the survey and the Link Together campaign. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-50424746441299418202017-12-14T04:35:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:41:44.405-08:00Healthwatch and the WI: Together we can help people get the best care<div class="MsoNormal"><b>Kaf from Old Trafford Wonder Women writes about how you can work with your local Healthwatch to feed back about your experiences of local health services.</b><i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-phyQB-L6PFQ/WjJs6mOJJXI/AAAAAAAAA5s/P76hr7WZEgIknLxl1yBK-GZDhC-jwgReQCLcBGAs/s1600/_KWP0027%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-phyQB-L6PFQ/WjJs6mOJJXI/AAAAAAAAA5s/P76hr7WZEgIknLxl1yBK-GZDhC-jwgReQCLcBGAs/s400/_KWP0027%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Altrincham hospital </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">When you or somebody you care about is ill or needs support, nothing matters more than good quality local health and social care services. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">One of the reasons I love the WI is the way it enables members to get more involved in every area of the community. We’re doers – we don’t sit back, we speak up for ourselves, our families, and for all local people. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As an organisation, we’ve done lots to help people get the best health and social care. Our campaigns have stimulated more people to donate their organs and discuss their organ donation wishes, to call for more midwives, to help reduce social isolation and encourage carers to feel welcome in hospitals. I’m the President of a relatively new branch - the Old Trafford Wonder Women WI, all of 2.5 years old - and one of our most interesting challenges has been to find ways to take action locally on the national resolutions passed at the Annual Meeting. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In addition to my role with the WI, I’m the Volunteer Co-ordinator for Healthwatch Trafford. Healthwatch is here to listen to what people think of health and social care, to call for changes where they’re needed, and to help people find information about local care. I’ve worked in the public sector since 1999 and I believe strongly that people should have a say about local services. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">My team of volunteers speak to people across Trafford, finding out what works and what they’d like to change about local care. They travel to all areas of the community, making sure that everybody can have their say. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">No matter how big or small the issue, speaking up about it can make a real difference, as the odds are that if it matters to you, it matters to somebody else too. There’s a Healthwatch for every local authority area in England, so there’ll be one local to you – you can type your postcode into the search box on the <a href="http://www.healthwatch.co.uk/">www.healthwatch.co.uk</a> homepage and it’ll show you where your local Healthwatch is based and how to get in touch. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">During the last few months, Healthwatch has been running its ‘It Starts With You’ campaign, to demonstrate the power people’s voices can have. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As advocates for our local community, there’s a huge opportunity for Healthwatch and our WI to work together more effectively. I would love to see us encouraging more people in our community to speak up about what they think of services. Healthwatch has already supported parts of our work too, such as our Time to Talk about organ donation campaign, and I’m looking forward to finding more opportunities for us to collaborate.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I'm sure your local Healthwatch will be keen to hear members' experiences of being a carer supporting a patient in hospital - how was their care? Were you enabled to stay / did you have extended visiting hours? You can work with your local Healthwatch to ensure change happens in your area.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So please do spread the ‘It Starts With You’ message. You can find out more about the campaign <a href="https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/itstartswithyou" target="_blank">here. </a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And if you’d like to become a Healthwatch volunteer in the Trafford area, or you have an experience of local care to share – good or bad – <a href="https://healthwatchtrafford.co.uk/" target="_blank">please get in touch. </a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">You can find details of your local Healthwatch branch <a href="https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/find-local-healthwatch">here.</a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-142082893957310562017-12-13T12:58:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:46:15.380-08:00The Atlantic Council: Nabeel Khoury in conversation with Afrah NasserI had the pleasure of having a conversation with prolific writer, dr. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nabeel.a.khoury?fref=mentions">Nabeel A. Khoury</a> at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AtlanticCouncil/?fref=mentions">Atlantic Council</a> in DC last month, during my trip with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/committeetoprotectjournalists/?fref=mentions">Committee to Protect Journalists</a> in the U.S. on Yemen, activism and social media. I'd like to stress on my last point; Despite how the internet is a neutral tool, never underestimate the equalization effect it has if you have something meaningful to add to the table.<br /><div><br /></div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="360" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FACmideast%2Fvideos%2F1779494172092897%2F&show_text=1&width=560" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="660"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-69965463760647776412017-12-12T13:49:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:46:15.486-08:00'From tree to cup': A Yemeni entrepreneur's coffee dream is brewing<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tiuUIaBIZ34/WjAccBsCJkI/AAAAAAAAIAw/06xqNliBSTA49H1Lj2m2xMizbWmRr6W5wCLcBGAs/s1600/Yemen-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="620" height="504" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tiuUIaBIZ34/WjAccBsCJkI/AAAAAAAAIAw/06xqNliBSTA49H1Lj2m2xMizbWmRr6W5wCLcBGAs/s640/Yemen-1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hussein Ahmed , CEO of Mocha Hunters, aims to make high-quality Yemeni coffee <br />and export it to overseas markets (Photo courtesy of Mocha Hunters).</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Hussein Ahmed has been CEO of <a href="https://www.mochahunters.com/">Mocha Hunters</a> in war-ravaged Yemen for over a year. His goal is to make high-quality Yemeni coffee and export it to overseas markets. This sounds like an impossible task considering the Saudi-led coalition's <a href="http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-led-coalition-reopen-yemen-seaports-airport-614435736">blockade</a>, but Ahmed has already started to sow the seeds of his endeavours.<div><br /><div>“I don’t find my passion unusual. Yemeni coffee is Yemen’s national treasure and that should be any Yemeni’s concern: to pursue fostering this plant no matter what it takes.”<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VFJwK08UjBg/WjAcxbALzrI/AAAAAAAAIA0/R5HtslLM86QzmQK7-gIkwRy5OFr6KXUGgCLcBGAs/s1600/Yemen-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="620" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VFJwK08UjBg/WjAcxbALzrI/AAAAAAAAIA0/R5HtslLM86QzmQK7-gIkwRy5OFr6KXUGgCLcBGAs/s640/Yemen-2.jpg" width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hussein Ahmed fell in love with coffee as a child, when he would visit coffee <br />farmers with his father (Photo courtesy of Mocha Hunters).</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Yemeni beans are regaining popularity as some of the best in the world. The <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22190802">earliest cultivation</a> of coffee was in Yemen, where it was given the Arabic name qahwa, from which the English words coffee and cafe both derive.<br /><br />In the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-27/the-best-coffee-in-the-world-now-comes-from-yemen">1400s,</a> the first coffee shipments began from Mocha port on Yemen’s Red sea coast, which was named after the tasty variety of coffee bean. The port became the centre of the world’s coffee trade. Coffee was especially favoured by the Sufis in Yemen who drank it to help them concentrate and stay alert, even during their rituals.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y_qW4jdmhok/WjAezYELrrI/AAAAAAAAIA4/_cJMyJ5guCUig09pFy1Isp3uOSjv7WYwgCLcBGAs/s1600/Yemen-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="620" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y_qW4jdmhok/WjAezYELrrI/AAAAAAAAIA4/_cJMyJ5guCUig09pFy1Isp3uOSjv7WYwgCLcBGAs/s640/Yemen-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yemeni beans are regaining popularity as some of the best in the world (Photo courtesy of Mocha Hunters).</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>According to Ahmed, the chocolatey bean includes four varieties - udaini, burai, tofahi and dawairi - which grow at a high altitude in a dry climate, tended to by farmers with vast experience who have been cultivating the beans for centuries. <br /><br />The 37-year-old's journey in developing Yemeni coffee stems from having been immersed in coffee farming since childhood. Ahmed, who was born and brought up in Sanaa, had many relatives and family friends who owned coffee farms around the capital. As a child, his father would usually take him to visit them and that’s when he started to fall in love with coffee.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jWMEN_1bqFQ/WjAfHZjEmwI/AAAAAAAAIA8/MraH2REcotMDfEWBc4lAtuTPOuV-98d0wCLcBGAs/s1600/Yemen-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="620" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jWMEN_1bqFQ/WjAfHZjEmwI/AAAAAAAAIA8/MraH2REcotMDfEWBc4lAtuTPOuV-98d0wCLcBGAs/s640/Yemen-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yemeni farmers have vast experience in coffee cultivation as they have been doing it for <br />centuries (Photo courtesy of Mocha Hunters)</td></tr></tbody></table><a name='more'></a></div><div>In September, Ahmed succeeded in shipping the first season's harvest through Aden airport to Saudi Arabia, and then to the US. At the time, the blockade was partially imposed on entry points in Yemen, while Aden airport was open. In the first shipment, Mocha Hunters sent about two tonnes of coffee to Oakland, California, with one kilo costing about $150. It is unclear if the blockade on Yemen will still be in place when the next shipment is due in March 2018. In the meantime, Ahmed is busy taking care of this season's planting, while preparing for the opening of his first cafe in Sanaa. He has not set a fixed date yet but is hoping things will soon calm down in the city.<br /><br />On 4 December, former president Ali Abdullah Saleh was <a href="http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/ali-abdullah-saleh-reported-killed-fighting-ranges-yemeni-capital-994266105">killed</a> in a roadside gunfight in the capital Sanaa, after switching sides in the civil war. Ahmed says that this has not affected his business. He explains that the state of war and not the death of one political leader is what is affecting most Yemenis, including him. <br /><br />Earlier last month, the Saudi-led coalition completely blocked ports and airports after Saudi Arabia intercepted a missile fired from Yemen towards its capital Riyadh. The blockade was eased after three weeks, but this had little affect as Yemenis continue to suffer from food, fuel and medicine shortages amid a cholera outbreak, in a country which depends mostly on imports. A de facto blockade has been imposed around Yemeni waters since 2015 by forces belonging to the Saudi led-coalition. <br /><br />“The blockade did not only make it difficult for us to ship our products abroad, but it has also made production expenses extremely costly,” Ahmed tells Middle East Eye. “With extreme shortages, the fuel we need for farming, watering and transporting is very costly, but we are determined to forge on.” <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tHoEn2o1n7w/WjAfZ--kSNI/AAAAAAAAIBA/9B5uemUQceATlTuwqN5FSFumBLEnslPWQCLcBGAs/s1600/Yemen-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="620" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tHoEn2o1n7w/WjAfZ--kSNI/AAAAAAAAIBA/9B5uemUQceATlTuwqN5FSFumBLEnslPWQCLcBGAs/s640/Yemen-5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Saudi-led blockade on Yemen made shipping products abroad difficult and <br />made production expenses very costly (Photo courtesy of Mocha Hunters)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />As a result of the naval blockade, the country is still struggling with <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-blockade-exclusive/exclusive-saudi-led-blockade-cuts-fuel-lifeline-to-yemen-idUSKBN1E02FP">fuel shortages</a>, causing prices to almost double. "The main hurdle we faced was the aerial and naval blockade imposed on Yemen which leads to having high costs to run the farms, and extremely difficult and costly ways to export our products abroad,” Ahmed explains.</div><div><br /><br />A <a href="http://www.yemen.gov.ye/portal/mpic/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B5%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA/tabid/2574/Default.aspx">2016 report</a> from Yemen’s Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation shows that the war has led to the closure of 95 percent of private companies across Yemen because of a loss of clients, lack of fuel, state insecurity, destruction and increasingly high costs.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-So0CFuhImnE/WjAfwem9tZI/AAAAAAAAIBE/e0est6fc2f00DRXaTJXGgPZiM17bzf_-gCLcBGAs/s1600/Yemen-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="620" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-So0CFuhImnE/WjAfwem9tZI/AAAAAAAAIBE/e0est6fc2f00DRXaTJXGgPZiM17bzf_-gCLcBGAs/s640/Yemen-6.jpg" width="558" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mocha Hunters works closely with about 20 Yemeni farmers (Photo courtesy of Mocha Hunters)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Yet Mocha Hunters was still determined to work closely with about 20 farmers, planting, processing, harvesting, and roasting coffee, or as Ahmed describes it, “from tree to cup”. "It was important for me to have the names of each farmer we worked with printed on the packets of the sold coffee goods." </div><div><br />In 1997, Ahmed went to the UK as a foreign exchange high school student. He attended English language courses and a vocational training school where he learned software development. While there, Ahmed's interest in coffee grew. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oxW75GPyVq8/WjBL-fYgdGI/AAAAAAAAICA/nVxP2Fj3OE4w9xzPmaYk4tq58IbCZMXNQCLcBGAs/s1600/Yemen-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="620" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oxW75GPyVq8/WjBL-fYgdGI/AAAAAAAAICA/nVxP2Fj3OE4w9xzPmaYk4tq58IbCZMXNQCLcBGAs/s640/Yemen-7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One kilo of Mocha Hunters coffee costs about $150 dollars (Photo courtesy of Mocha Hunters)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />“In the UK, my friends and I used to have our favourite cafe which we never called a cafe but rather 'our temple'," he recalls, laughing. "The cafe [was] our daily meeting point, having Yemeni, Brazilian and other types of coffee every day. We didn’t let any day go by without coffee.” <br /><br /><br />In 2001, Ahmed met his now ex-wife who is of Japanese descent in the UK. She encouraged him to visit Japan and opened his eyes to how the country was one of the world’s <a href="https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/35591/1/sp05fe01.pdf">top importers of green coffee</a>. This inspired him to act as a bridge between Japan and Yemen.<br /><br />While living between Japan and Yemen, he began meeting Yemeni coffee farmers regularly and learning all about pure Yemeni coffee. In 2009, he became an independent coffee wholesaler and opened a coffee shop in Yemen, eyeing Japan as his main market.<br /><br />In 2009, Ahmed and his wife moved to Japan. By 2011, Ahmed opened his first cafe in Tokyo called <a href="http://www.mochacoffee.jp/index.html">Mocha Coffee</a>, serving only Yemeni coffee. It was full of customers and attracted <a href="https://ameblo.jp/coconut2ocean/entry-12157998539.html">media attention</a>. <br /><br />Ahmed attributes the success of his cafe to the appreciation that the Japanese have for quality and the personal touch. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VIiAIzTZNQ4/WjBMMmVfPvI/AAAAAAAAICE/LNKIiW4sve8hx1ciEBjUEaMAqgoET7BwwCLcBGAs/s1600/Yemen-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="620" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VIiAIzTZNQ4/WjBMMmVfPvI/AAAAAAAAICE/LNKIiW4sve8hx1ciEBjUEaMAqgoET7BwwCLcBGAs/s640/Yemen-8.jpg" width="638" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For Hussein Ahmed, it is important to have the names of each farmer he worked with <br />printed on the packets of the sold coffee goods (Photo courtesy of Mocha Hunters)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />“I worked hard in bringing quality coffee from Yemen to my cafe and it was important for me to have the names of each farmer we worked with printed on the packets of the sold coffee goods or even mentioned in the menu. For example, one could get ‘Ismaili coffee’ or an ‘Alghayoul coffee'." <br /><br />While his business was booming, his marriage ended in divorce. In 2012, he left the Japanese cafe behind and went back to Yemen to pursue his dream of establishing a coffee business.<br /><br />When he arrived back in Yemen, the country was in the midst of political upheaval. Ahmed was not worried, however, because the coffee trade had survived past conflicts and economic hardships. Despite the deteriorating economy and an unemployment rate of around <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2012/09/26/yemen-talking-points">60 percent</a> among youth, Ahmed was determined to pursue his dream. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vpfTTbWtabs/WjBMlOcIkmI/AAAAAAAAICI/ASy-Y1SX_B0MlZbELMkFHOqOgezK2iegQCLcBGAs/s1600/Yemen-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="620" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vpfTTbWtabs/WjBMlOcIkmI/AAAAAAAAICI/ASy-Y1SX_B0MlZbELMkFHOqOgezK2iegQCLcBGAs/s640/Yemen-9.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hussein Ahmed believes Yemen's coffee is its 'hidden oil' and he has faith in its quality and <br />durability (Photo courtesy of Mocha Hunters)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />“I knew for sure that while Yemen’s economy was crumbling, Yemeni coffee was [the country's] hidden oil,” he says.<br /><br />In 2014, Ahmed went to Washington to attend an annual coffee conference run by the <a href="https://www.google.se/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwiC74SU3vfXAhVhD5oKHWgOCmsQFggpMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsca.coffee%2F&usg=AOvVaw2RzG66ItbN6HIVJCPge7RY">Specialty Coffee Association of America</a>. As he was about to return to Yemen, the civil war broke out and airports were shut down. With no place to go, Ahmed stayed in the US. Expecting the war to end soon, Ahmed did odd jobs to pay the bills like working as an Uber driver and selling mobile phones in a shop.<br /><br />“I had a rough experience living in the US over two years, and all that time I couldn’t get coffee out of my mind,” recalls Ahmed.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FtARgk4Yuws/WjBMr2JY_9I/AAAAAAAAICQ/LRAOXbYovawysoKnOG9BI0wY6Lnw0JpHgCLcBGAs/s1600/Yemen-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="620" height="424" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FtARgk4Yuws/WjBMr2JY_9I/AAAAAAAAICQ/LRAOXbYovawysoKnOG9BI0wY6Lnw0JpHgCLcBGAs/s640/Yemen-10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hussein Ahmed believes that quality is more important than quantity and uses traditional <br />methods to bring this out (Photo courtesy of Mocha Hunters)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>In 2016, he decided to return to Yemen in the heat of the civil war. “People I know in the US thought I was crazy to leave the US and go back to a war, but I was absolutely not afraid to go back to Yemen during the war. I had faith in Yemeni coffee’s durability [in] midst of crises. Our national history shows us how conflicts in Yemen come and go, and people in Yemen stand resilient, no matter what,” says Ahmed.<br /><br />He succeeded in securing a seed fund of $150,000 from a Silicon Valley programme and officially registered Mocha Hunters in the US, before returning to Yemen, where he faced a bleak economic reality.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZH-h3GsmiRw/WjBMrz4XUCI/AAAAAAAAICU/hvAOO-5AfYAIPERiQlyvbM7jDKKlQKPWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Yemen-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="620" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZH-h3GsmiRw/WjBMrz4XUCI/AAAAAAAAICU/hvAOO-5AfYAIPERiQlyvbM7jDKKlQKPWgCLcBGAs/s640/Yemen-11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hussein Ahmed has taught coffee farmers new skills such as cupping and coffee grading (Photo courtesy of Mocha Hunters)</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />The hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YemencoffeeBreak?src=hash">#YemenCoffeeBreak</a> circulated through a social media campaign in 2015 led by the Small and Micro Enterprise Promotion Service, a national body. Wesam Qaid, its executive director, was impressed by Ahmed and his work.<br /><br />“He has given farmers reasons to be optimistic,” says Qaid. “Ahmed didn’t only introduce farmers to speciality markets which have made their incomes double, but he has also taught them new skills such as cupping - a method to measure the quality of the coffee - and coffee grading.” <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OyAiPi8_zUI/WjBMrDDT5rI/AAAAAAAAICM/i54WOSLYUj4s8S9HdXeDIQ2Fs_g3z6_qQCLcBGAs/s1600/Yemen-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="620" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OyAiPi8_zUI/WjBMrDDT5rI/AAAAAAAAICM/i54WOSLYUj4s8S9HdXeDIQ2Fs_g3z6_qQCLcBGAs/s640/Yemen-12.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hussein Ahmed believes that coffee brings people happiness and he will 'pursue fostering this plant <br />no matter what it takes' (Photo courtesy of Mocha Hunters)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />“It was important for me to work closely with the farmers and enhance their practices,” Ahmed says, “because I wanted them to pay more attention to producing quality over quantity. I introduced more traditional techniques, using dry bed methods at night and utilising ‘moisture-level measurement’ machines which I brought from the US to measure the level of sugar and moist[ure] in the beans.”<br /><br />“Despite the misery around us, I believe coffee is a source of happiness for many,” concludes Ahmed. “This plant has survived for centuries and it will survive this conflict.”</div></div><div><br /></div><div>___________________________________________________________</div><div>*This feature was <a href="http://www.middleeasteye.net/in-depth/features/coffee-pursuit-happiness-1527513534" target="_blank">originally wrote for and published on Middle East Eye</a>, 11th Dec. 2017. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-83092405619408287042017-12-12T10:12:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:46:15.597-08:00Covering Yemen: Saleh, Saudi and the media - The Listening PostDec. 9th - I co-commented last Saturday on "media coverage and Yemen war" segment on The Listening Post program of Al Jazeera English.<br /><br /><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3wE38Idt-Xg" width="650"></iframe><br /><br /><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-42383809174600125932017-12-12T09:07:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:46:15.705-08:00Between Despair and Hope: a Yemeni Entrepreneur’s Story in Sana’a<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mj5WejRV6DQ/WjAKZWvmTHI/AAAAAAAAIAQ/Usrrjh9S1esMk46FOc1YCZfbhP9r4tZLgCLcBGAs/s1600/Yemen-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="800" height="539" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mj5WejRV6DQ/WjAKZWvmTHI/AAAAAAAAIAQ/Usrrjh9S1esMk46FOc1YCZfbhP9r4tZLgCLcBGAs/s640/Yemen-1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">Saeed Alfagieh, 27, founded “<a href="https://www.anamehani.com/">Ana Mehani</a>” in Sana’a end 2015,<br />after winning the first place at a 2014 <a href="http://www.blockone.org/">entrepreneurship contest</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><i><span style="color: #666666;">*While the surrealistic and tragic events in Yemen spin us all around, I need to take a moment to tell one story, just one personal story, from Sana’a, about defiance-pain-and-more-pain-despair-and-resilience (yes, just like that, in that order, all linked in a row, because that’s how my family and friends I talk to in Sana’a feel).</span></i><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">* * * *</div><br /><br />When <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/elizabethmacbride/2017/06/30/for-a-yemeni-entrepreneur-facebook-is-a-tool-and-a-lifeline-of-hope/amp/">Forbes did a few months ago a feature</a> on this inspiring young Yemeni man, Saeed Alfagieh, I believed I had my new hero. Despite a great deal of obstacles, Saeed developed his company “<a href="https://www.anamehani.com/">Ana Mehani</a>” midst of the raging war in Sana’a, earning a name among the 100 best Arab startups for 2017 by<a href="http://widgets.weforum.org/mena-startups-2017/"> </a><a href="http://widgets.weforum.org/mena-startups-2017/">World Economic Forum</a>.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yHTWf8cau1c" width="650"></iframe><br /><br /><br />Saeed Alfagieh, 27, founded “<a href="https://www.anamehani.com/">Ana Mehani</a>” in Sana’a end 2015, after winning the first place at a 2014 <a href="http://www.blockone.org/">entrepreneurship contest</a> and obtaining a financial support. Ana Mehani is an off-and-online social labor and marketplace platform that aims to generate jobs opportunities while the country is suffering from about 80% unemployment rate. So far, it covers 6 Yemeni governorates, including Sana’a - it receives daily more than 300 applications and has created more than 40,000 job opportunities.<br /><br /><br />One of Ana Mehani’s old videos interviewing workers benefiting from their services:<br /><br /><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZW0juSt2smU" width="650"></iframe><br /><br />I contacted Saeed once the Forbes feature was published to tell him how he was a hero to me. He told me about the horrific environment he and his team operate in. He had lost many friends under the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in Sana’a and yet he refused to give in to despair.<br /><br />Saeed explained to me how Ana Mehani had to shift its focus and meet the war-related jobs demands; for example, whenever some people’s homes were partially damaged by the shelling, airstrikes and other war-related violence, or whenever some displaced people needed transportation and delivery for their belongings - his team stepped in and linked them with vetted community-based workers. Schools, houses and organizations buildings impacted by the air-strikes all found his services to be a necessity.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lPaHdgQLyHk/WjALovOtHbI/AAAAAAAAIAU/277l-WdVMTMzHDw6WezcMVcE198-gylRwCLcBGAs/s1600/Yemen-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="820" height="504" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lPaHdgQLyHk/WjALovOtHbI/AAAAAAAAIAU/277l-WdVMTMzHDw6WezcMVcE198-gylRwCLcBGAs/s640/Yemen-2.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">With about 10 members, Ana Mehani team aims to find job opportunities midst of the raging war in Yemen.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />I wanted to write about Saeed from my own perspective, other than Forbes’ one, so I pitched to my editors. I had an initial green light from my editor at Al Jazeera English. So I wrote the piece. I sent it. My editor kept me waiting for about a month with no feedback. Then, I received a reply of an apology about not publishing the piece. The reply also included a note of how they prefer stories only from “the ground.”<br /><br /><br />I swallowed my frustration. And I tried to vent and tweet about it:<br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en">One of my editors just told me she wants my story to be from the ground. I wondered if she knew that Houthis in Yemen are the second abductor of journalists in the world after ISIS! 🤔</div>— Afrah Nasser 🇾🇪 (@Afrahnasser) <a href="https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser/status/917067242948513792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2017</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br /><br />Months passed by. Saleh was killed on Monday and the capital, Sana’a continues to be engulfed in flames. The fierce fighting between Houthi forces and pro-Saleh forces is destroying all aspect of life in Sana’a. After calling my mother, relatives and friends in Sana’a to check on them, I was thinking last night of Saeed. So I called.<br /><br /><br />Saeed greeted me with a tired voice.<br /><br /><br />“We are hanging on. We are working from home now as our office is right at where the clashes happen and I assume it became destroyed,” tells me Saeed, “no doubt, the current situation is not a reasonable working environment, although there are still high demands for jobs and services.”<br /><br /><br />Saeed voice becomes more tired when he tells me how he lost many international opportunities, in attending conferences and networks abroad. The blockade imposed on entry points to Yemen has crushed his dreams of enhancing his network and skills. “It kills my soul not being able to realize my dreams,” says Saeed.<br /><br /><br />We pose for seconds as if we mourn. In a helpless attempt to fill the silence, I ask Saeed, “which period was more difficult to deal with, business-wise? During the Saleh/Houthi vs. Hadi/Saudi fronts or during today’s events?”<br /><br /><br />“My team and I have a strong will to cope with whatever happens. We can see that there are increasing demands for our work, as the war rages on. However, today, the skyrocketing fuel prices are killing us and the Yemeni money exchange rate to dollars has jumped to 442 YR. This is leading us to … I don’t even have a word for it.”<br /><br /><br />“Are you still hopeful about the future,” I ask Saeed. “I have to be hopeful because I am alive - and I can’t wait for things to stabilize a little bit so we could scale up our work,” he replies.<br /><br />_________________________________________________<br />*This piece was originally <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/between-despair-and-hope-a-yemeni-entrepreneurs-story_us_5a2a34a0e4b022ec613b80f0" target="_blank">published on the Huffingtonpost</a> on the 8th of Dec. 2017.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-69931253707143083652017-12-11T01:54:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:46:15.810-08:00Chasing Yemen-StoriesHello from Cairo!<br /><br /><br />As I mentioned in my commentary on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it3brQ9cvAU&t=612s" target="_blank">Listening Post show</a>, if Yemen story used to be a complicated one, today, it’s absolutely way, way more complicated than ever before. No question that the aftermath of Saleh’s death has a lot to do with that complexity.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/it3brQ9cvAU" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><br />While living in Sweden over the past 6 years and a half, the dream of going back to Yemen never ceased to haunt me. <a href="http://afrahnasser.blogspot.com.eg/2017/10/us-travel-ban-could-deny-me-attend-my.html" target="_blank">I went to Sweden for a two-weeks-long study trip</a> mid-2011, believing that I’d be back to Sana’a, my hometown right away. I didn’t even know where was Sweden located on the map. My only connection to Sweden when I was a kid in Yemen was when my mother used to say whenever she would find good woodish stuff and say, “this is great furniture, it must have come from Sweden.” Now, I know, she must have meant IKEA stuff.<br /><br />Anyhow.<br /><br />Sweden was a coincidence for me. During my first week in Stockholm in 2011, violence erupted in Sana’a. Airports were shut down. Already, I have been receiving death threats against me and my family for my anti-regime writings with the start of the Uprising. I wanted to go back but my family, out of love and protection, asked me to stop writing if I’d ever go back. And I thought; “to stop writing would be like to stop breathing.” Hence, Sweden was my shelter.<br /><br /><br />In the following four years, I’d live as a political refugee in Sweden. All this time I was only thinking of the day I’d have the Swedish passport and be able to go back to Yemen or at least visit. But as the country has been in an endless violent rollercoaster, I had to wait, wait and wait. Despite the distance, I managed to continue reporting with a gradually increasing focus on international actors’ role in political events in Yemen. Then, in March 2015, the Saudi-led airstrikes military operation began and I was about to have two major events in my personal life: I was writing <a href="http://afrahnasser.blogspot.com.eg/2015/08/calculation.html" target="_blank">my MA dissertation</a> to graduate during summer and I was applying for the Swedish passport.<br /><br /><br />Seeing Yemen from afar being bombard was so painful that I was so slow in writing my dissertation and I only managed to graduate by August that year. Ironically, my application for the Swedish passport went very quickly. In June 2015, I became a Swedish citizen and I realized I could travel anywhere I want but not Yemen - because of the war and the fact that having a foreign passport will make it impossible to enter the country. I was extremely depressed for awhile.<br /><br /><br />As I started experiencing living in Sweden by a choice, I no longer saw Sweden from eyes tainted by displacemnt, trauma and pain. I was in the healing process. Nothing I regret living in Sweden - except the horrible dates I had with some Swedish guys and living my first one year without taking vitamine d. Overall, Sweden has been so good to me … but now it’s time to fly away - maybe - for awhile or for good.<br /><br /><br />When the Committee to Protect Journalists called me end of May this year, announcing that I was <a href="https://cpj.org/awards/2017/afrah-nasser-yemen.php" target="_blank">awarded the International Press Freedom Award</a>, I made the decision to move from Sweden to somewhere in the Middle East. Why? CPJ has put me in a beautiful trouble. CPJ told me that this year of all the countries in the MENA region, they picked Yemen to bring more attention to it. And I take that so seriously. And I want to bring world’s attention on events in Yemen as much as I could.<br /><br /><br />Having said that:<br /><br /><br />I am today in Cairo for sometime, weeks, months, years - can’t confirm. It depends on many things which I’ll save explaining in other blog posts.<br /><br /><br />For now, I am in Cairo to be closer to Yemen and be part of the growing, forced-to-be-so, Yemeni diaspora community in Egypt - many of them are Yemeni activists, journalists and politicians. Despite the new political reality in Egypt, Cairo has been for many decades a crucial hub for events influencing Yemen.<br /><br /><br />My plan is to report from here as much as possible whether through <a href="http://www.sanaareview.com/" target="_blank">Sana’a Review</a> or/and the different media outlets I work with as a freelancer. My aim is to understand, analyze and write as Yemen’s new modern history is unfolding dramatically before our eyes.<br /><br /><br />As atrocities are committed across Yemen by all warring sides, instead of weeping, I will use my peaceful resistance tool and fight through writing.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-71272690256503524232017-12-10T05:14:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:46:15.919-08:00My Interview with Mada Masr: On Saleh’s death and the worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R3DHUdHn4v4/Wi0xj_6VD5I/AAAAAAAAH_o/FAJntr2jq4cMm4jKAVaL9lpp1Iw3hJTzQCLcBGAs/s1600/Sana%2527a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R3DHUdHn4v4/Wi0xj_6VD5I/AAAAAAAAH_o/FAJntr2jq4cMm4jKAVaL9lpp1Iw3hJTzQCLcBGAs/s640/Sana%2527a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sana'a, Yemen - Courtesy: Abdulwahab al-Ameri</td></tr></tbody></table><br />*Events have unfolded rapidly in Yemen over the last few days. Former President Ali Abdullah Saleh was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/04/former-yemen-president-saleh-killed-in-fresh-fighting">killed</a> by Houthi forces on Monday, following news he was moving away from his previous alliance with the Houthis toward new ties with the Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting them, and spurring an increase in violence in the Yemeni capital Sanaa.<br /><br />Mada Masr spoke to Yemeni journalist Afrah Nasser about Saleh’s death, the deteriorating humanitarian situation, and the dynamics of living outside Yemen and speaking and writing about what is happening there.<br /><br />Laura Bird: Were you surprised by the news of Saleh’s death? It must have been strange to see graphic images of the leader you grew up under and opposed in 2011 posted online. How did you feel when the news broke?<br /><br />Afrah Nasser: I was shocked. I always believed Saleh’s alliance with the Houthis was very temporary. He was not only an influential man, he waged about six wars against the Houthis over the past decade and he always won — he even killed the leader of the Houthis. So I expected that he was going to win, but I underestimated the military power the Houthis had, thanks to Saleh. He also miscalculated this temporary alliance and I don’t think he ever thought they would turn the tables against him.<br /><br />When I <a href="https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/Comment/2017/12/5/Salehs-death-checkmate?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=sf">met Saleh in 2011</a>, I understood how much this man was clinched to power. He thought he was irreplaceable, unmovable, untoppleable. His death must have even been a shock to him. He never thought that a youth movement on the ground, nor the Houthis, nor the Saudis, would take him away from power. So in that sense, as someone who was affiliated with the revolution, yes, the Houthis did what we couldn’t. But at the same time, they are another face of evil, another face of dictatorship — actually, one that is more brutal and based on sectarian ideology and extreme religious views.<br /><br />LB: Why do you think Saleh made the decision to switch his allegiance at this point in the conflict? Was this a strategic political move, or one made out of “concern for the worsening humanitarian situation,” as Saleh claimed?<br /><br />AN: It did look like Saleh was more concerned about the humanitarian situation than the Houthis, especially the looting and corruption within Houthi circles, but I think he felt they were after him and wanted to obtain a victory over them before this happened. They were never on the same page though; the only alliance they had was a temporary one against the Saudis. We’re dealing with two gangs, basically. Neither of them have any ethics or follow any political principles. They only want to survive and are thirsty for power and will crush anyone in their way until they get power. So Saleh realised that these guys were going to take him out so they could have an absolute grip over power and tried to make his move first.<br /><br />LB: What do you think the ramifications of Saleh’s death are likely to be?<br /><br />AN: I’m very worried about how the Saudis will scale up their military operation. Right now the Houthis are targeting every presidential building Saleh used to have, because they want to take control of all institutions. I am expecting a major military operation to hit the whole of the north of Yemen, not just Sanaa. This is a new chapter, more bloody than what has already come. I mean, if the war has killed 10,000 people already, this will multiply that number in the coming, not only weeks, but days, hours.<br /><br />Maybe the Saudis will try to invest in Saleh’s son, Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh. I mean, even the name will garner sympathy on the ground in Yemen. The Houthis have force, but they don’t have popularity among many people in Yemen. And this will be the defining clash, if they win through military force. We will see, nobody knows.<br /><br />The next round totally depends on how Yemenis react — the politicians, President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, it’s really up to all of these actors in the south, whether state or non-state, and how they respond. The Saudis, the Emiratis, they can only give them the tools, but it’s up to them how they orchestrate a response against the Houthis. It will be a darker scenario. Who will lead the country? Now Saleh is gone, the state is gone, nobody is ruling.<br /><a name='more'></a><br />LB: Have you been able to reach friends and relatives in Yemen? What is daily life like for them, and what have some of their reactions been to events of the last week?<br /><br />AN: Interestingly enough, the internet is working fine. People are terrified. They are not only in shock, they are scared, and many of them are censoring themselves. They don’t want to talk on the phone, they know that phones are tapped. The Houthis are storming into houses affiliated with Saleh and taking young men. Prisons are full, we don’t know the numbers, but I am estimating that thousands of young men have been arrested by Houthi forces.<br /><br />I can’t reveal a lot of what my family is telling me on the ground, because that would risk their lives. People are being stopped on the streets in Sanaa and their phones searched and their last calls and social media checked. I can’t even use my privilege of being outside the country to talk explicitly about it anymore.<br /><br />LB: Can you give us some context on the various players, coalitions and factions in Yemen?<br /><br />AN: It’s very important to explain that Yemen was under three different authorities. In the north, there was the Saleh and Houthi coalition, which had been ruling the north since the start of the conflict. And then, in the south, for two or more years, there was a coalition between the Southern secession movement, the Saudi-led coalition, with the upper hand given to the Emiratis in the south, and forces of Hadi, the “legitimate government,” though he doesn’t have much power. Most of the power was held by the coalition between the secessionist movement, or leaders, and the Emiratis.<br /><br />And then there are a number of flourishing armed groups — Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, you name it. In fact, the conflict produced more armed groups than existed before because there are growing divisions and different interests between the Saudis and the Emiratis, so each is funding different militant groups. I know this even though I’m not there, because some of my colleagues and journalists have been abducted by armed groups, and tortured while being interrogated about their social media activities. A close journalist friend of mine was questioned by an extremist group. And it’s not just journalists, even social activists are victims of the chaos in the south. <a href="http://afrahnasser.blogspot.se/2017/06/my-speech-at-un-human-rights-council.html">One activist</a>, his father just wrote to me, because I tried to raise his issue at the UN Human Rights Council; he was assassinated by one of the leaders of these armed groups. I mean, we already had Al-Qaeda as a stronghold in Yemen, but today there are numerous Al-Qaedas, many groups, and we don’t know who funds them.<br /><br />LB: I’m interested in your conversations with people back home, and how you talk about what’s been happening, about violence, particularly across generations. Do you have similar ways of speaking about things?<br /><br />AN: Every time I call my mother in Sanaa, especially recently, she’s busy going to a funeral or coming back from a funeral; of relatives and distant relatives, and relatives of friends. People are dying. Death is in every house, and my mother — she’s not really politically engaged, she doesn’t care so much about the politics of the conflict — said to me, “the media keeps saying, ‘Saudis want to fight Iran,’ so go ahead and bomb them. We’re not Iran. Why not bomb them? It’s their proxy war. It’s not our fault. Did we do something wrong here?”<br /><br />At the beginning of the conflict, people somehow normalized and rationalized things. But it got much worse — When Houthis <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/04/saudi-arabia-intercepts-missile-fired-from-yemen">attacked close to Riyadh airport</a>on November 4, the Saudis freaked out and blocked all entries to Yemen. I remember the morning I was traveling to the US to attend the Committee to Protect Journalists <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWeYE9-lMRU">award ceremony,</a> my mother texted me and said, “All entries to Yemen are closed, we will die, we will die,” and I felt just helpless. And this is my mother, what about people who really don’t know more about the blockade? Life is just hell and people will die in silence and the world won’t know about them. I can’t imagine another place where 25-27 million people are trapped with no way to leave or for others to come, while neighboring countries that are some of the world’s richest are part of a coalition that’s bombing them. The cruelty of this war is multilayered.<br /><br />On the ground life is very, very harsh. Electricity is sparse and the country is paralyzed on many levels. Institutions aren’t working. Civil servants have not been paid their salaries for over a year. Some of my relatives have lost their jobs and are barely surviving with half of their salaries and donations. Plus, there is no trade. Yemen is off the map.<br /><br />LB: What information is getting through to people in Yemen generally about what is happening nationally and internationally?<br /><br />AN: On the ground, people are living under, I wouldn’t say a media blackout, but they get information from a media that is extremely controlled, whether from one side or another. The Houthis in the north control all media. Some of my colleagues in Sanaa are in jail. I see their pictures and hashtags. I remember telling my mother that I was going live at the CPJ award ceremony, and she asked me what I was planning to talk about. I told her, attacks against journalists, and she said to me, “Tell them if you were in Sanaa now, you would be in jail.” People understand that all critical journalists, or independent journalists, have vanished. Some of them are missing, half of them have been put on trial without any any charges. At the beginning of the war, the leader of the Houthis went on TV and said, “journalists are more of an enemy than those we fight on the battlefield.” Even in the south, the Saudis and Emiratis fund who they want to. There is no space for any other independent media. So if people watch TV in Yemen, they hear the narrative of this side or that side. And Arab media is also very polarized. The Saudis have bought the silence of a lot of media outlets. Wikileaks has documents that show bribes to Lebanese and Egyptian media — the big media in the Middle East. And international media is reluctant to send journalists, given how risky and expensive it is to get access to Yemen. It’s mainly independent journalists that try to go, and when they do, it’s extremely difficult. It’s impossible to get permission from the various authorities and to have free mobility inside. So you need patience and money and contacts to access Yemen and get the story. As a local Yemeni on the ground, when you turn on the TV, you don’t see the whole picture of what’s happening in your own country, but you know that your friends and your relatives are dying.<br /><br />LB: Why do you think it had to get to this point before global media focused more on Yemen in recent months? What shifted or changed in your opinion?<br /><br />AN: I think this is because of three main factors: Firstly, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/05/qatar-diplomatic-crisis-what-you-need-to-know">Qatar crisis</a> last year. After which Al Jazeera focused on Yemen and had greater freedom to say the Saudis are doing this and that, even Al Jazeera English. A story I wrote was rejected by Al Jazeera pre-Qatar crisis, in which I went after all warring sides, but was told, “A higher editorial order said this story can’t be published.” I was balanced, but I sensed this had something to do with Qatar being careful and not wanting to disturb the Saudi-led coalition. However, I believe that the best thing that happened for the situation in Yemen was the Qatar crisis. When you have a media outlet that’s so widely read in the Middle East and by international media focussing on Yemen more explicitly, it influences public opinion.<br /><br />Secondly, the humanitarian situation is horrific. I think it’s a disgrace what’s happening in Yemen. There will be a time when we will talk about how the UN and international system failed. You know, Yemen will be one of those examples. And thirdly, the Houthi missiles and the Saudis saying we’re going to close everything. For them to scale this up was alarming and got the attention of a lot of world leaders.<br /><br />LB: Watching the BBC’s coverage of Yemen recently, I was shocked by the absence of political analysis. Why do you think this is, and how can we amplify the voices of Yemenis in global media?<br /><br />AN: I don’t know if you’ve seen the <a href="http://www.sanaareview.com/">Sanaa Review</a>. We’re trying to develop it. It’s independent and voluntarily based. I think the main reason there is no analysis about the exit of this war is because it’s an inconvenient war. It’s no longer a local conflict. The solution isn’t just in the hands of Yemenis anymore. It’s an international conflict, in my opinion, with international actors involved, and thus the solution also lies in their hands, and they don’t want to do their homework, or act. There are a number of people who could lead peace efforts. The UN special envoy should be doing his job, but it’s been more than a year since there were any peace talks that he led. I assume he’s not accessible to media. He’s much less present than the Syrian envoy, for example. On Twitter, the Yemen envoy blocked so many people who were critical. My suggestion, something I tried to push for during my recent advocacy trip to Washington DC and in meetings with international organizations, is that there has to be a new UN special envoy and conflict resolution has to be from the ground up, with a team of tribal leaders, politicians, Yemeni business people, etc. — together they can formulate some kind of “Yemen Peace Plan.” There should be a team alongside a UN mechanism that can find a way forward. The situation today is a different political reality to when the war started, and that should be considered.<br /><br />Another possibility is that a world leader could step in without being invited, to formulate some kind of way out. This happened with John Kerry, the US secretary of state. He tried to propose a roadmap, but it failed. We need more. US President Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner both seem to think that Saudi Arabia is doing the right thing and that they can just continue, so then we need someone else. Who can bring a better road map? The problem is the Houthis want a guarantee that they will have a share in whatever political system is going to come. And the Saudis want a guarantee that the Houthis won’t have a share in any political deal. The UN special envoy, whenever he goes to the Houthis, he only brings what the Saudis are trying to convey, and he never really represents what the Houthis want. We are lacking that person that could come and formulate a solution for all parties somehow.<br /><br />LB: I remember in a recent <a href="https://www.facebook.com/resistwar/videos/1655472157806995/?hc_ref=ARTiz3OFOwFTuMO4Fr_kjgBk3IAMGiAboOjn8pfxUoNem8C2cdAM9SaCKEVmmp0BnL8&pnref=story">conversation</a> you had at the War Resisters League in the US, you were asked about your personal political opinion, and you said, “Neutrality doesn’t mean silence or inaction.” Does this present problems for you when speaking to people in Yemen and in the diaspora? Do you think violence entrenches beliefs and polarizes people more politically?<br /><br />AN: The conflict reshuffled how people relate to each other and what Yemen represents to them. For me, I come from a mixed-race background. I’m Ethiopian and Yemeni. My grandfathers were Yemeni, and they left Yemen because of a similar situation of war and famine. They went to Ethiopia, settled down there and married and had children, and then there was conflict and they had to go back to Yemen. So, for me, the world doesn’t stop and end in Yemen. My identity is influenced by many cultures. So,if today I’m in Yemen and I want to position myself, it doesn’t matter if it’s Houthi, if it’s rebel, if it’s in the south. For me, it’s more about Yemen the concept. And I think that plays a huge role for many opinion leaders in Yemen. I would argue that most open and liberal (in the Arab sense) and pro-democracy opinion leaders in Yemen come from a different background, with a mother from the south or a father from the north. The priority is Yemen the concept, the nationality.<br /><br />But for the Houthis in particular, I think it’s a matter of class. Today, the class differences in Yemen are based on race and regionalism. So the Houthis come from Sa’dah, and many of them are direct descendants of Prophet Mohamed. They don’t marry outside this bloodline. This is considered the highest class, and then you have the tribes and you have the judges’ families. That’s unfortunately how our racism, or discrimination, manifests itself. There is another class that includes people with jobs that are considered demeaning, and which includes musicians, butchers, hairdressers, etc. Then there is the factor of regional difference. If you’re in the south or north, or from this tribe or village. This is how the polarization usually is, but the war has split these camps along different lines — the Houthis, the Saudis, if you’re not with this, you’re against that. But, to be honest, as the war drags on, there are many people who are changing positions as well, whether they try to understand the atrocities committed by this or that camp, or they see more what is at stake for them. Also, depending on whether or not they want to go back to Yemen. I know some people who left and will never go back.<br /><br />The diaspora is also split in similar ways to what is happening on the ground — certain camps and organizations are on social media. But, in my opinion, in the Yemen case, they’re doing more harm than good. Few diaspora groups or organizations are taking the side of neutrality with action — trying to advocate for peace or more humanitarian attention, or even getting politically active — they are a minority, and this is another contributing factor to why the war is continuing. I would love to do some research on this and prove how these groups are destroying discourse that could end the war. The diaspora is another camp to the war, because of their access and influence.<br /><br />LB: What do you see your role as, living outside Yemen and working as a journalist?<br /><br />AN: I remember watching [Mada Masr editor-in-chief] Lina Attalah posing a question during a seminar recently about how one can contribute to telling a story despite the distance. That question kept me thinking for some time. I see how the Yemeni diaspora is growing, with youth applying for asylum in different places or being displaced. However, now that I am a Swedish citizen and free to travel, I am thinking of moving to somewhere in the Middle East to be closer to events in Yemen and to join this new Yemeni diaspora in the Middle East. I want to answer Lina’s question of how to be in a collective even if you are away from your country, and how we are witnesses to tragedies in our homelands.<br /><br />We work in exceptional circumstances. Life in Yemen has become unlivable, both on the humanitarian level and in terms of free expression. The Houthis were ranked last year by Reporters Without Borders as the second biggest abductor of journalists after the Islamic State. That’s how non-existent space is for critical independent journalists in Yemen. I believe that in such situations, one can step out for a while, but remain engaged in the debates and updates. I remember when the war broke out in Sanaa and the Saudi-led coalition began its <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/26/saudi-arabia-begins-airstrikes-against-houthi-in-yemen">airstrikes</a> on March 26, 2015. I can’t forget how it was me who broke the news to my family in Sanaa in a phone call. Their response was, “We keep hearing bombs, but we have no idea what’s happening — the city is in a complete blackout.”<div><br /></div><div>_________________________________________________________</div><div>*Originally published at <a href="https://www.madamasr.com/en/2017/12/07/feature/politics/on-salehs-death-and-the-worsening-humanitarian-crisis-in-yemen/" target="_blank">Mada Masr</a>, done by Laura Bird - Dec. 7, 2017. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-68370837564344572292017-12-06T02:16:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:41:44.505-08:00Link Together: How WI members marked World Kindness Day on 13 November<div class="MsoNormal">On 13<sup>th</sup> November, WI members came together to mark World Kindness Day as part of our Link Together campaign to alleviate loneliness. This blog highlights some of the unique and inspiring ways that members sought to reach out to others in their community and brighten someone’s day. If your WI or Federation took part in World Kindness Day and hasn’t yet let us know, we would love to hear from you! Please email <a href="mailto:publicaffairs@nfwi.org.uk">publicaffairs@nfwi.org.uk</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">World Kindness Day is just the start. We hope that members will take inspiration from these ideas and continue to carry out small acts of kindness throughout the year. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-12OqKOnneAI/Wie8y03KBEI/AAAAAAAAA4o/ZEt_Y0Xs7UQCq9EoyeXdLdBjqY4Uues_wCLcBGAs/s1600/Chirk%2BWI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-12OqKOnneAI/Wie8y03KBEI/AAAAAAAAA4o/ZEt_Y0Xs7UQCq9EoyeXdLdBjqY4Uues_wCLcBGAs/s320/Chirk%2BWI.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: center;">Chadderton WI left little gifts around Greater Manchester.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vrsv1vh2XF0/Wie-DAgYX5I/AAAAAAAAA48/bOX14QbAb4YUOCeaOOhav6RKpTK-MfG_gCLcBGAs/s1600/Rocks%2Band%2Bpebbles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="616" height="229" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vrsv1vh2XF0/Wie-DAgYX5I/AAAAAAAAA48/bOX14QbAb4YUOCeaOOhav6RKpTK-MfG_gCLcBGAs/s640/Rocks%2Band%2Bpebbles.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Members of Chirk WI (left) and Maple Village WI (right) painted and decoupaged rocks with inspiring messages and left them around their local areas for others to find. <o:p></o:p></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LKPwzAxsmWs/Wie-egZKlBI/AAAAAAAAA5A/Nz-zYAVl-zY1E7IwfBsD5a86qFF7J23gwCLcBGAs/s1600/High%2BLittleton%2Band%2BHallatrow%2BWI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="606" height="262" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LKPwzAxsmWs/Wie-egZKlBI/AAAAAAAAA5A/Nz-zYAVl-zY1E7IwfBsD5a86qFF7J23gwCLcBGAs/s320/High%2BLittleton%2Band%2BHallatrow%2BWI.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Photo: Kay Knott, High Littleton and Hallatrow WI</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Members of High Littleton and Hallatrow WI created 72 kindness envelopes to pop in the letterbox of neighbours. The envelopes were made from adult colouring book pages and each contained a wrapped Rose's chocolate.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kphq_kKSUEc/Wie-1U5HrCI/AAAAAAAAA5I/PUaOLyNf3B8RbQktpRZAO7DnTB18KbHrwCLcBGAs/s1600/Cakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="611" height="317" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kphq_kKSUEc/Wie-1U5HrCI/AAAAAAAAA5I/PUaOLyNf3B8RbQktpRZAO7DnTB18KbHrwCLcBGAs/s320/Cakes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Photo: Annie O’Neill, Redlands WI</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Redlands WI visited the residents of Lakeside Care Home in Reading to share 7 homemade cakes. Members spoke to the residents about their families and their experiences of WW2. Members of <span class="uficommentbody">Baldock and Clothall WI also visited residents of their local care home for a chat and cake.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mfVKatEt6Bo/Wie_wEZ_o_I/AAAAAAAAA5Q/ukJ784t68O04dh-KhRUKELE-pgZfk2ZHQCLcBGAs/s1600/Oxfordshire%2BFed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mfVKatEt6Bo/Wie_wEZ_o_I/AAAAAAAAA5Q/ukJ784t68O04dh-KhRUKELE-pgZfk2ZHQCLcBGAs/s320/Oxfordshire%2BFed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Photo: Catherine Blaxhall, Oxfordshire Federation</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-APapeBaVEcE/WifB1vt30lI/AAAAAAAAA5c/DrQx-AVwZgM1DJAKGw7gW0gG8DcIdMmbACLcBGAs/s1600/Cakes%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="209" data-original-width="565" height="236" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-APapeBaVEcE/WifB1vt30lI/AAAAAAAAA5c/DrQx-AVwZgM1DJAKGw7gW0gG8DcIdMmbACLcBGAs/s640/Cakes%2B2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Photo: Hilary Harris, Binbrook & District WI (right)<o:p></o:p></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Members of Elmstead WI (left), Binbrook & District WI (right) and Neath Abbey WI (not pictured) organised afternoon tea or a coffee morning to support people in their local community. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">These are just a few of the ways that members took part. We also heard how Mitton WI <span class="uficommentbody">donated items to a local food bank and Pegswood with Bothal WI served soup, tea and coffee to local residents. </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">To find out more about our Link Together campaign and other ways to get involved, please visit: <a href="https://www.thewi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/233830/Link-Together-Campaign-Actio%20n-Pack-Final.pdf">https://www.thewi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/233830/Link-Together-Campaign-Actio n-Pack-Final.pdf</a>. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-57097032333435486802017-12-05T04:11:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:46:16.031-08:00Saleh's death, checkmate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PxjytE0GeWg/WiaJ_eLfDmI/AAAAAAAAH_U/iUtp2VTBUvk-N1OHZBu1kX5bYq2PUWekgCLcBGAs/s1600/SALEH.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="850" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PxjytE0GeWg/WiaJ_eLfDmI/AAAAAAAAH_U/iUtp2VTBUvk-N1OHZBu1kX5bYq2PUWekgCLcBGAs/s640/SALEH.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br />*A political earthquake hit Yemen yesterday, as ousted Yemeni president, Ali Abdullah Saleh was dramatically thrown out of the political scene following his <a href="https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/12/4/ali-abdullah-saleh-former-yemen-president-confirmed-dead">death</a> at the hands of Houthis. </div><br />In a deja vu moment, I was reminded of Gaddafi's fate in 2011, and the atmosphere at the start of the 2011 Arab uprisings as a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_a5Ndmz4SQ">video</a> circulated of Saleh's dead body being dragged onto a truck by armed men.<br /><br /><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FY.Alathwari%2Fvideos%2F1727134623971803%2F&show_text=1&width=560" width="650" height="350" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5TBppgtAnRU" width="650"></iframe> <br /><br />In a country known for its deep-rooted "revenge culture", Saleh, in some senses, dug his own grave, when many held him <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-42228221">responsible for the 2004 death</a> of the Houthis' godfather Hussein Bader al-Din al-Houthi, older brother of current Houthi leader, Abdelmalek al-Houthi.<br /><br />Voices in the video cry, "we are having revenge for you, Hussein". Murdering Hussein was only one highlight of Saleh's <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/12/05/yemen-ali-abdullah-saleh-leaves-behind-grim-legacy">33-year rule</a> that was tainted with bloodshed.<br /><br />As Saleh leaves a legacy of political manoeuvring, corruption, and chaos in the country, his death is believed to be the result of a betrayal within his inner circle, from where sensitive information about Saleh's whereabouts was leaked and a trap prepared.<br /><br />In his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSquGluKiNY">televised speech</a> after Saleh's death, Abdelmalek al-Houthi expressed his gratitude, "towards those 'honorary' Yemeni officials who helped us (Houthis) capture the 'traitor' Saleh".<br /><br /><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WSquGluKiNY" width="650"></iframe> <br /><br />The Houthi field and military leader, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/snnamy/videos/1535805933167038/">Abou Ali Alhakem</a> reportedly spoke hours before Saleh's death, describing how Saleh's calls with UAE and KSA were tapped, which for him provided evidence of his treason.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="407" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsnnamy%2Fvideos%2F1535805933167038%2F&show_text=1&width=560" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="560"></iframe> <br /><br />This is neither a victory to Houthis nor a defeat to Saleh, despite his death. Both leaders are heads of an unleashed dragon that was, and is still willing for all hell to break loose. However, for the man who was well-known for being the most influential politician in the country, there is no question his death poses a greater threat to Yemen's future, and brings serious ramifications.<br /><br />During the first days of Yemen's 2011 uprising, I was one of a group of revolutionaries taken to meet Saleh at his palace in Sanaa. "What do you and your friends want?" he asked. We all fearlessly replied, "We want to topple the regime. If not, change your cabinet." Our talk lasted less than 10 minutes as Saleh got up yelling, displeased with our demands, and left the room.<br /><br />We were allowed to leave and went back to the protests, with <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13747858">Change Square</a> determined to continue the uprising. Me, and all my friends there were born under Saleh's rule.<br /><br />We have only known one president in our lifetime and never imagined the possibility of replacing him. Although Saleh was regarded as immortal after he survived a fatal <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-13892502">assassination attempt in 2011</a>, today we are in disbelief as for the first time, we are truly seeing a Yemen without Saleh.<br /><br />Saleh's death creates an acute power imbalance as Sanaa city has been under heavy fighting on the ground and air-strikes of the Saudi-led coalition. Civilian inhabitants have been trapped and under siege over the past few days in areas of fighting where there is no food, water or medicine.<br /><br />I call my family in Sanaa every hour to check on their safety, as the <a href="http://www.arabnews.com/node/1203586/middle-east">death toll</a> of these recent clashes has jumped to at least 125, with 238 wounded. While civilians pay the heaviest price, the Saudi-led coalition is also paying for losing <a href="http://afrahnasser.blogspot.se/2017/12/the-battle-for-sanaa.html?spref=tw">their last card</a> in their almost three-year-long unwinnable war against the Houthis. Losing Saleh and all the intelligence support he could have provided the coalition with mean the Saudis face a great vacuum in their strategic approach to confronting the Houthis.<br /><div><br /></div><div>The Saudis will likely scale up their military operations. Heavy airstrike shelling going on in Sanaa as I write spells out a bleak scenario, with Sanaa looking potentially like another Mosul.<br /><br /><br />It seems the situation will likely have to get worse before any prospect of improvement. For a country suffering from a huge heritage of impunity and an absolute lack of accountability, yesterday's events bring the initial problem of Yemen's 2011 uprising back to the surface: The unrealised dreams of millions, that envisaged Yemen as a civil state in which equal citizenship and justice were guaranteed for all.<br /><br />When Sanaa's Change Square became the focal point for Yemeni pro-democracy protests in 2011, one of the first posters to appear at the square was "welcome to the first step towards our civil state".<br /><br /><br />Today, the enemy of that dream is the extremist vision the Houthis work to impose, restoring the old Yemeni Imamate system as a futuristic political system. Our recent national memory shows how Yemenis <a href="https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/comment/2017/3/30/the-saudi-led-coalitions-strategy-in-yemen-is-entirely-counter-productive">could have dealt</a> with Houthi invasion, as the capital witnessed many <a href="http://afrahnasser.blogspot.se/2015/01/sanaa-roller-coaster-3rd-day.html">anti-Houthi protests</a> raising slogans, such as "no for coup" and "no to armed militias".<br /><br />The fate of Yemen as a united republic lies in the hands of Yemenis. Today's events are the peak of the clash between the essence of Yemen's 2011 uprising, and the Houthi insurgency - between revolutionary ideas and far-right-politics.<br /><br />____________________________________________________________<br />*Article first published on <a href="https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/comment/2017/12/5/salehs-death-checkmate" target="_blank">The New Arab</a>, today. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-74636862822333408182017-12-03T00:46:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:46:16.143-08:00The Battle For Sana'aFor about 5 months now, I have been documenting on <a href="https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser/status/899248933461000192" target="_blank">Twitter </a>what I called a crisis & a growing division between Saleh and Houthis. Last night, indeed, the crisis hit its peak as each side's forces clashed & a sort of guerrilla war on Sana'a streets began.<br /><br />This is absolutely a defining moment not only on the course of Yemen war but also in post-Yemen's 2011 uprising period. What happens next? is it the end of the war? absolutely not. Here I comment on BBC World News on that:<br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="330" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w83rx0zlLYM?start=170" width="650"></iframe> <br /><div><br /></div><div><br />Speculations loom around and nothing seems clear. But what we do know for sure is that the coalition between the Houthis and Saleh starting in mid-2014 has come to an end. Now, we are witnessing the emergence of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-saleh/yemens-saleh-ready-to-turn-new-page-if-saudi-led-attacks-end-idUSKBN1DW09S" target="_blank">a Saudi-Saleh coalition against Houthis</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>One thing Saleh has mastered over his almost 4 decades in politics is Survival Politics. He's been always ready to shift alliances & turn tables against whoever as long as it served his interests. What's notable this time is that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/02/yemen-rebel-alliance-disintegrates-rivals-fight-control-sanaa" target="_blank">he's shifting his alliance</a> towards the Saudis because of his concerns with the tragic humanitarian situation in the country.<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="330" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/11FCljbFXp8?start=170" width="650"></iframe> <br /><br /></div><div><br />In this interview yesterday (above); Saleh was clear in demanding the Saudis and Emaraties to alleviate the humanitarian plight (to open airports, to allow humanitarian aid to enter Yemen and to rescue Yemenis from suffering). Saleh has been expressing his concerns over the suffering and bloodshed in the country over the past few months, as I document in <a href="https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser/status/899248933461000192" target="_blank">my Twitter thread</a>. What changes now is that the Saudis & Emarties seem to be leaning towards Saleh over Houthis, and they are responding positively as shown in yesterday statement from the Saudi-led coalition.<br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Arabcoalition?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Arabcoalition</a> calls ‘honest <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Yemenis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Yemenis</a>’ to unify efforts around their uprising. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Yemen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Yemen</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sanaa?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sanaa</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Houthis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Houthis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Saleh?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Saleh</a> <a href="https://t.co/HrXoLlFZII">pic.twitter.com/HrXoLlFZII</a></div>— Saudi Gazette (@Saudi_Gazette) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saudi_Gazette/status/936925483647762435?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2017</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br /><br /><br />The Saudis truly want an exit from Yemen war while not losing face. They are wasting billions of dollars in their arms deals to fight in an unwinnable war in Yemen. While Saudis' economy is crippling, they have begun looking for <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2017/11/weapons-trade-regulated-171128164733543.html" target="_blank">cheaper weapon markets; such as, in Greece</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Saleh's will to negotiate allows Saudis to save face. But does that mean that Saleh is defeated? no. Saleh's political guarantee in sharing a place in the coming, in the making, Yemen's political roadmap, manifest itself in <a href="https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2017/12/02/Consultations-in-Yemen-to-form-military-council-headed-by-Saleh-s-nephew.html" target="_blank">his nephew holding a vital military position</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Right there, I think we are going to block zero. We are returning to post-Yemen's 2011 uprising's political reality. As if we never had a revolution. For Saleh and his circle are the problem of the beginning. All following events led us to this "lesser of two evils" situation; in which Yemenis are cornered to chose between "living in world's largest humanitarian crisis" or "Saleh" - "life under Houthis' rule" or "Saleh".<br /><br />No matter what happens, for the battle for Sana'a will be bloody, I pray for protection and safety for my mother, cousins, family and friends in Sana'a living life under Houthis' barbaric bloodcraze and Saudi-led coalition's airstrikes. </div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-64129275535055751822017-10-26T02:00:00.000-07:002018-02-12T13:41:44.605-08:00NFWI-Wales engages WIs in the Not in my Name Campaign<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Next month will be the 6<sup>th</sup> year since NFWI-Wales joined up with Joyce Watson AM, Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales to establish the <a href="https://www.thewi.org.uk/wi-in-wales/current-campaigns/no-more-violence-against-women" target="_blank">Not in my Name Campaign</a> as part of our mandate to end Violence Against Women (VAW). We are encouraging WIs to get involved, once more, in activities to raise awareness about VAW.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">One in four women will experience domestic violence at the hands of a partner during their lives and, on average, two women a week will be killed by a partner or ex-partner. Research launched by the NFWI in 2009 found that VAW is a hidden issue happening in communities across the country and o</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">ver 50 per cent of the respondents from rural and urban areas said they had experienced violence or abuse.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Since November 2012, <i>Not in my Name</i> has seen the recruitment of male ambassadors in speaking out against VAW during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (25 November to 10 December) and making a pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about VAW.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xLf5lqFzwRk/WfGerl6oHiI/AAAAAAAAA4c/aBW3uKy4U7wUZ59RJyAU5IODfd22kk34gCEwYBhgL/s1600/Candlelight%2BVigil%2Bgroup%2Bphoto%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xLf5lqFzwRk/WfGerl6oHiI/AAAAAAAAA4c/aBW3uKy4U7wUZ59RJyAU5IODfd22kk34gCEwYBhgL/s640/Candlelight%2BVigil%2Bgroup%2Bphoto%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">WIs across Wales are being encouraged to use their strong community links to inspire men to get involved in helping prevent VAW by challenging the attitudes, behaviours and gender inequalities that contribute to VAW. Men can be agents of change and play a crucial part as positive role models to help us achieve a culture change where VAW is not tolerated by society. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">On 21 November, NFWI-Wales will be hosting a cross-party stakeholder event at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay which will include a debate on “engaging men and boys in challenging all forms of VAW”. The winner of the <a href="https://www.thewi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/189532/Guidelines-English.pdf" target="_blank">White Ribbon logo competition</a></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> will also be announced and all entries will be on display. Later that day, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">a <a href="https://www.thewi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/234973/Candlelight-Vigil-Poster-2017.pdf" target="_blank">candlelight vigil</a> will take place at 6.30pm on the steps outside the Senedd to engage WI members, stakeholders and the wider public in marking White Ribbon Day. We look forward to welcoming local members, as well as members from as far afield as Powys, in joining us to show solidarity with victims of VAW across the world.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PDgRrGdQOmE/WfGeuDExGJI/AAAAAAAAA4c/K3WcKxl-Uf8QhvXdkiRqxCiKQ2mDAJOqQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Candlelight%2Bwalk%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PDgRrGdQOmE/WfGeuDExGJI/AAAAAAAAA4c/K3WcKxl-Uf8QhvXdkiRqxCiKQ2mDAJOqQCEwYBhgL/s640/Candlelight%2Bwalk%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xDoJ6DqZ02g/WfGevUcro3I/AAAAAAAAA4c/EVs3EdjF4dIRR_GImZama9T57sgp-zJ_QCEwYBhgL/s1600/Candlelight%2Bwalk%2B2%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xDoJ6DqZ02g/WfGevUcro3I/AAAAAAAAA4c/EVs3EdjF4dIRR_GImZama9T57sgp-zJ_QCEwYBhgL/s640/Candlelight%2Bwalk%2B2%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To find out more about the opportunities to get involved in <i>Not in my Name</i>, please visit <a href="https://www.thewi.org.uk/wi-in-wales/current-campaigns/no-more-violence-against-women" target="_blank">https://www.thewi.org.uk/wi-in-wales/current-campaigns/no-more-violence-against-women</a>.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665770411932262284.post-4580053008465802017-10-23T13:33:00.000-07:002018-02-12T13:46:16.250-08:00We did it! I will attend CPJ award ceremony WE <img src="https://www.facebook.com/images/emoji.php/v9/f94/1.5/16/1f44f_1f3fd.png" /> DID <img src="https://www.facebook.com/images/emoji.php/v9/f94/1.5/16/1f44f_1f3fd.png" /> IT! <img src="https://www.facebook.com/images/emoji.php/v9/f94/1.5/16/1f44f_1f3fd.png" /> I got the <a href="http://afrahnasser.blogspot.se/2017/10/us-travel-ban-could-deny-me-attend-my.html" target="_blank">visa</a>! “We know about ur case; we got some notes from several directions,” the embassy officer told me, “am gonna grant u the visa this time as we realized the significance of the award u got.”<br /><div><br /></div><div>Right after I left the embassy, I spoke to <a href="https://www.wnyc.org/story/yemini-journalist-denied-visa-accept-international-award/" target="_blank">The Take Away Radio</a> and gave more details on the visa issue, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and my work.<br /><br />I never really had faith in the power of media & public opinion as I have today. This Makes me think of people who don’t enjoy my high media profile. This is why, we need to get the tragedy in Yemen as well-known as hell so we can all help pushing an end for it!<br /><br /><br />As I left the embassy, I felt I should be happy not for getting the visa but for realizing the importance of people’s outrage in media that could bring change & make a difference. I feel in my whole career I was only being prepared for this moment. And now, the real, serious & necessary work begins.<br /><br />Thanks for each one of you who helped me. Now, let’s all of us work together in getting the tragedy in Yemen more & more well-known worldwide & help in bringing an end to it.<br /><br /></div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en">WE 👏🏽 DID 👏🏽 IT! 👏🏽 I got the visa! “We know about ur case; we got some notes from several directions,” the embassy officer told me, “am gonna grant u the visa this time as we realized the significance of the award u got.” 👏🏽</div>— Afrah Nasser 🇾🇪 (@Afrahnasser) <a href="https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser/status/922372431729307649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2017</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689303529338124195noreply@blogger.com0