Assisting Landmine Survivors in Yemen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Volume 25 Issue 1 The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Issue 25.1 Article 27 September 2021 Assisting Landmine Survivors in Yemen Elise Becker Marshall Legacy Institute Tamara Klingsheim Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal Part of the Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, and the Peace and Conflict Studies Commons Recommended Citation Becker, Elise and Klingsheim, Tamara (2021) "Assisting Landmine Survivors in Yemen," The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction: Vol. 25 : Iss. 1 , Article 27. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol25/iss1/27 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction by an authorized editor of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact . Qasem (left) in his new minimarket. All photos courtesy of Yemeni Association Becker and Klingsheim: Assisting Landmine Survivors for Landmine Survivors (YALS). Yemen By Elise Becker and Tamara Klingsheim [ Marshall Legacy Institute ] O ver the past ten years, with funding from the U.S. Department of State, the Marshall Legacy Institute’s (MLI) Mine Victim’s Assistance Program (MVA) has helped over 800 male, female, and child landmine survivors in Yemen. MLI and our in-country program partner have worked to identify survivors and provide them with the assistance they require, including prosthetic services, vocational training, and self-employment opportunities, to improve their lives and increase their prospects for a brighter future. Abeer Mabkhot is a thirty-year-old Yemeni landmine survivor. Qasem Al Surabil is a young man living with his mother, father, Ten years ago, she stepped on a landmine and lost her left leg. Abeer wife, and children in Yemen. He works hard to support both his family shares “I knew that the area had been contaminated by mines recently and his parents. Qasem is also a landmine survivor. “I was going to as a result of the war between Al Qaeda groups and the army, but work as usual in agriculture with my brother when I saw a strange because of the shortage of our fuel (gas, electricity, and diesel), I had object on the ground and I thought it is a game. My brother told me to collect wood (fuel) for cooking. The mines were planted around a to ignore it, but I took it and started playing with it, then it exploded. military camp, but the trees were also located in the same contami- My brother, with some villagers who heard the explosion, took me nated area. I was afraid of the mines, and this was the second time to the Revolution Hospital in Sana’a, and there my hand was ampu- for me to collect wood from this area.” Abeer laughs, saying “the tated.” After his accident, Qasem searched for a job but employers did third time didn’t happen because I had my accident the second time.” not want to hire him due to his disability. He took out a business loan, Soldiers from the military camp heard the explosion and immediately but still went into debt. “Unfortunately, because of the bad situation took Abeer to the military hospital, but she lost her left leg. of Yemen, which increases every day, my small business failed with Program Overview As of 2017, the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor1 indicates 9,118 known casualties from landmines and other explosive remnants no return…I lost everything.” hindered data collection of casualties, which has “prevented the operation of a national casualty surveillance mechanism.”1 of war (ERW) in Yemen; however, there is no differentiation between Wanting to help address the physical, vocational, and financial those injured or killed. The cumulative figure of landmine survivors is needs of landmine survivors in Yemen, MLI launched the MVA pro- undoubtedly much higher. Ongoing conflicts since March 2015 have gram in Yemen in 2011, with funding from the US Department of likely added additional landmine and ERW contamination,2 and have State. To date, MLI’s MVA Yemen program has provided prosthetic Published by JMU Scholarly Commons, 2021 25TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE @ SUMMER 2021 1 129 The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Vol. 25, Iss. 1 [2021], Art. 27 limbs, vocational training, and/or micro-grants to 822 landmine funding for her budding sewing business. Some of Abeer’s handmade survivors in Yemen. The Yemeni Association of Landmine Survivors items were sold at the Silent Auction during MLI’s 2018 Clearing the (YALS) serves as MLI’s in-country partner, assisting with identifying Path Gala Event held in Washington, D.C. In 2020, Abeer was selected survivors as well as arranging transportation and accommodation for to receive MLI’s “Survivor of the Year Award” at the annual Gala survivors as needed. event, held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She continues The program has provided real, tangible results for landmine survivors in Yemen. In 2016, five years after her accident, MLI and YALS her studies in literacy at the local university, paying for her schooling with money that she earned through her sewing business. identified Abeer to receive a prosthetic leg, which allowed her to regain Comparatively, Qasem participated in the carpentry vocational some of her mobility. Abeer says her prosthetic provides her “with a training course offered by MLI through the program. In 2019, he lot of hope for the future.” Through the program, she participated received a micro-grant to open a mini-market in his village, stating “I in a vocational sewing training course And, in 2019, applied for and became happy that I will have work, which will help me and my family received a micro-grant through MLI’s MVA program, which provided and allow me to take care of them.” The joint MLI-YALS project provides the following: 1. Prosthetic services and other medical care to Yemeni landmine survivors, including both adults and children 2. Vocational training to enhance the employment opportunities and social integration of adult Yemeni landmine survivors 3. Self-employment opportunities for select graduates of the vocational training programs through competitive micro-grants Medical Assistance: Providing Prosthetic Limbs To provide medical assistance to Yemeni landmine survivors, MLI review and the group then creates a plan of care. The survivors selected and YALS first identify survivors from governorates throughout for medical assistance receive prosthetic limbs and other required Yemen that are under elected government control. YALS coordina- rehabilitative care. The majority of survivors receive their support tors living in these governorates and districts collect information on at prosthetic centers in Aden, Tai (...truncated)