Between Moments of War Ebb and Flow, "Suhair" Makes Her Mark Wherever She Goes

Out of passion and motherhood, Suhair has decided to be a source of strength and safety for her children and family. With a sense of responsibility and professional ethics, she was an eye for the truth. With a spirit of initiative, she gave her time to raise awareness among women in her community and despite the conditions of the painful war, Suhair was a source of hope. But how? And where?

Details of a success story are conveyed by the story protagonist, the mother and the journalist, Suhair Abduljabbar.
Suhair, 35 years old, remembers the second of April 2015, when she found herself with the first challenge, as she was forced to stay at home, despite the intense armed conflict over her residential area called "Tabat as Salal " in Taiz City, where she lives with her husband and children.  She had to overcome her fear in order to be a source of strength for her two-year-old child, Nasser, who had psychological-like seizures because of the severity of panic. She said, "I used to hide my fear of the sounds of cannons and explosions from my child so that he would not feel afraid."
 
Suhair’s voice became fainter while she was remembering the difficult situation that assassinated her thinking whenever she struggled to fetch water alone at the time that her child was watching her from the window. "I was constantly thinking / imagining how my child would be like if a sniper would shoot me in front of his eyes." This scenario stayed in her memories ever since.

Suhair, an Eye on Events
When Suhair approached the danger zone that no one could reach, she was a reliable source as she documented with pictures the places that were bombed, to become a witness from the heart of the event. She was an eye though her camera on the truth after her fellow journalists asked her to confirm the validity of the circulated news, especially during times of rumors and fake news on the war.
 

Suhair and Voluntary Work
After four months of increasing bombing on Taiz City, Suhair decided to flee with her husband and children to Sana'a. For about a year and a half she lived in Sana’a and due to the work circumstances of her husband, she was forced to return with her two children, Nasser and Habiba, to Al-Hawban area  in Taiz City. She there worked in health outreach works to educate illiterate women on family planning and how to prevent cholera epidemic, which was spreading at that time. Her voluntary work is  welcomed by the benefited women indicated by their frequent communication with her. This success combined with her previous achievements made her an asset for voluntary awareness works without being assigned by one entity, but rather on her own initiative.

Suhair, a Continuous Dynamic Force
Suhair used to move between places frequently. A new journey in Suhair’s life took place in Sana’a, after she lost her strength because of the hardship of living in Taiz, especially after stopping to work as a result of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. She moved to Sana’a to restore her health and at the same time to take care of and get closer to her child, Nasser, who had psychological trauma with social isolation due to the war effect. She could get him out of the isolation and painful memories that frequently came to his mind. Thus, she could achieve success as a mother on the one hand and on the other hand as a journalist who is currently working in the field of press to turn war tragedies into new opportunities. This is particularly impressive since she had been looking for a job for a long time. She, consequently, has contributed to empowering women by preparing press materials on gender and other related issues. In addition, she established an association for Yemeni women journalists for the sake of cooperation and partnership, looking forward to attaining a project for Yemeni female journalists. Suhair doubles every time her balance of achievements, putting her mark on every station and journey of her life.

A long journey of several stations through which Suhair moved and was displaced. Although she continues to live an instable life, Suhair has made her mark every time to prove the ability of women to play a positive and pivotal role during war.

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