* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
With tears in her eyes, 7-year-old Asma’a said, “I hate military planes because they kill people and children but I like normal planes."
Children have been through a lot in Yemen, even prior to recent events. Since the start of the airstrikes at the end of March, I’ve been wondering how children who have lost their homes and been displaced are coping with this new situation. During a visit to a school in which displaced children and their families are now sleeping in Sana’a, it hit me how difficult the situation really is for them. Every child in Yemen has a story to tell about his or her experience with war and conflict.
As soon as I arrived at the school the front door was opened by a little girl, who welcomed me with a big smile. Already, my own sense of sadness caused by this conflict was lifted just seeing how resilient this girl was by showing me a brave face.
I entered and walked around the classrooms, which have now become homes to 42 families. I chatted to a few of the families, who described the difficult experiences they had been through during the airstrikes and bombings of their homes in Noqoom and Faj Attan areas.
One family, which had six children who were full of energy, caught my eye. I walked over to them and started chatting to the mother who was combing her daughter’s hair. She welcomed me to her classroom, which now served as her home, and all her children sat around us. I introduced myself to her and asked if her and her family could share their story with me.
“We are the most unlucky of the people who have been displaced, because we were forced to move five times in three months. We were one of the first families who had to move during the first days of the war because our house is in the airport area which was one of the first places which was bombed. It’s been so difficult,” said the mother.
Once their mother had finished speaking the six children all started to speak at once, like they suddenly had the confidence to express their stories to me. I could tell that they were speaking from the heart as they remembered every moment they had been through. I spent more than an hour listening to them
With tears in her eyes, 7-year-old Asma’a said, “I hate military planes because they kill people and children but I like normal planes. The normal Yemeni planes are nice because they take people to nice countries.” Her brother, Asam, 9 years old started to remember the moment they ran away from home when it was impacted by an airstrike, “We ran away with our neighbours at midnight and we were running in the street trying our best to escape from the explosion and bombing.”
Asma’a then started to speak about how world leaders should stop this war. “You know what, Geneva is supposed to stop this war. That’s what my dad said. I like Geneva!” I asked her if she knew what Geneva meant and she said, “No I don't but I know it is something good which can stop the war and then I will be able to go back home. Everyone is waiting for this to happen. It means that soon I will be able to go back home and then back to school.”
As I listened to this 7-year-old girl, who was forced to leave her home and live in a classroom, yet is missing out on her education, it dawned on me what a big responsibility we have to protect the children of Yemen. It is really sad that Asma’a’s faith in “Geneva” turned out to be futile. I hope that if world leaders could hear stories of violence and fear from the children of Yemen, like that of Asma’a, they might agree to take some action to stop this war and seek a negotiated solution.
