In 2021, 14 October School in Al-Sulaymaniyah stood on the brink of collapse. Many families, particularly those with girls, had been forced to keep their children at home due to 19 damaged classrooms, hazardous and deteriorating sanitation facilities, and a lack of essential teaching supplies... One teacher recalls that period as “the moment we feared the school would disappear entirely.”

 

Today, new video footage from the school tells a very different story—one of revival, dignity, and renewed hope. Standing inside one of the rehabilitated classrooms, a teacher proudly says:

“I am still using the whiteboard markers AGF gave me in 2021… They remind me every day that someone believed in this school.”

 

This transformation was no coincidence. During the intervention, All Girls Foundation for Development (AGF), with support from Yemen Humanitarian Fund (YHF), carried out a comprehensive rehabilitation process that included fully restoring 19 classrooms, constructing two new gender-sensitive latrines, and providing a new water tank equipped with a pumping system to ensure a reliable and safe water supply. Together, these improvements enhanced safety and dignity, rebuilt confidence in the school setting, and directly boosted attendance, especially among girls who had previously stayed at home because there were insufficient restrooms.

 

The school principal describes the impact with clear conviction:

This intervention saved our school. Enrollment increased, and the number of girls is now higher than ever. Without this support, we would have lost an entire generation here.”

 

Today, Higher student attendance, inspired professors, and a respectable, safe learning environment have all contributed to the school's success and the return of girls to their classrooms.  The impact is still significant years after it was implemented, demonstrating how a well-thought-out humanitarian intervention can change the future of an entire community and maintain girls' access to education with dignity and confidence.