Tawakkol Karman Foundation

The fierce war over the past 5 years brought with it horrific violence, of which its first victims were innocent children. The war turned their life into a series of continuous mental and physical suffering. The Scenes of Yemeni children have become tragic and catastrophic as fear dwelled in their eyes because of the violence they were exposed to, as their reality become an open space for violent acts of death, destruction, injuries, recruitment into armed groups, trafficking, forced marriages, beggary, and in many cases work in horrible jobs to help their families survive in the current economic situation.

International reports indicate that all parties to the war in Yemen have recruited children. The United Nations team of experts stated in their recent reports that parties to the war in Yemen recruited 3,034 children under age 18, some under the age of 15, and 1,185 children killed in the past four years.

Years of conflict, neglect, and deprivation placed a heavy burden on Yemeni society as they disrupted its social fabric, especially among children. Today, about 1.2 million children live in Yemen in thirty-one conflict-torn areas, including Al Hudaydah, Taiz, Hajjah, and Saada, that witnessed severe war-related violence. In this regard, TKF supports projects that provide substantial opportunities to children, meet their educational needs, and create an environment for them to express their thoughts and desires for sustainable peace.

The festival was the first of its kind, held in the presence of a large crowd, a group of actors and musicians accompanied from the office. Children performed different recreational and artistic activities that included: singing, music, plastic arts, folklore, poetry, and creative drama.

Mr. Abdul-Khaleq Saif, the Director-General of the Cultural Office, Nabil Al-Hakimi, poet and President of the Writers Union, and Mr. Mamoun Al-Maqtari, the general director of Al-Taawon Park, attended the festival and joined the participants and their families.

Abdul-Khaleq Saif said, "This festival has demonstrated children's desperate need for peace in the city of Taiz; it has allowed them to show their hope and desire to live in peace through their creativity and talents.”

Saif continued, “the festival formed the basis which will encourage children to work on their talents and turn their hobbies in the near future into bigger projects, in a way to escape and combat the violence that is forced on them”

The festival's sponsor thanked TKF for honoring talented children and their creative activities and presenting them with a reward of 20,000 riyals.