The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the Ministry of Education in the Republic of Yemen and the Benevolence Coalition for Humanitarian Relief (BCHR) Foundation have signed an agreement to implement a remedial education project for out-of-school girls in Yemen. The project is part of the cooperation between ICESCO and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) to provide the necessary educational support and teaching resources and offer a second educational opportunity to girls who have dropped out of school.

The agreement was signed remotely on Wednesday, 19 July 2023, by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General, Dr. Tareq Salem al-Abkari, Yemeni Minister of Education, and Engineer Fahmi bin Mansour, CEO of BCHR.

At the signing ceremony, which was attended by Dr. Koumbou Barry, Head of ICESCO’s Education Sector, and Mr. Anar Karimov, Head of ICESCO’s Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector, Dr. AlMalik expressed his thanks and gratitude to KSRelief for its generous funding of this important project, noting that ICESCO accords major importance to education given its role in achieving sustainable development and for being the best investment to ensure a better future.

For his part, Dr. Al-Akbari welcomed the agreement, which will help develop the education system in Yemen, empower future generations and protect them from destructive ideas, underlining the Ministry’s willingness to strengthen cooperation with ICESCO.

The Foundation’s CEO welcomed the launch of the project, which provides a valuable service to girls who have dropped out of school in Yemen, and thanked the Yemeni Ministry, ICESCO and KSRelief for their support of the project, whose initial phases have been highly successful.

Under the terms of the agreement, BCHR will undertake the implementation of the project in 7 Yemeni governorates over a 12-month period, the KSRelief will fund the project, while ICESCO will oversee its management and monitor all its implementation stages. In addition, the project will equip 21 schools for girls’ education in the beneficiary areas, provide school bags and supplies to 19,000 girls, organize training programs to develop the capacities of 350 professionals in the field of girls’ education and equip 100 alternative classrooms to take in girls who have dropped out of school and in displacement camps. It will also provide professional support for the families of drop-out girls, facilitate procedures for welcoming displaced girls into schools, and create awareness-raising programs that encourage girls’ schooling.