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Yemen Stories
Imams and Mothers Councils
Sana Al Towayty (left), 26, was a teacher in Yemen's Marib Governorate who became an organizer of Mothers Councils in support of education for girls. With her colleague Aliya Saleh (right), 24, and Saleh's father accompanying them to protect them and their reputation, they work with Muslim clerics to encourage girls to study.
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Sana Al Towayty, 26, who wears the traditional black cloak and veil of a devout Muslim woman, has played a decidedly innovative role in creating nine mothers councils in one month in her region of Marib Governorate.
She was a teacher but saw the greater need of getting parents involved in schools.
"I worked with the imam [cleric] at the mosque who favors women getting education," said Al Towayty in an interview at a hotel in Marib. Her father sat nearby - he accompanies her on all her social work projects to protect her honor. As an unaccompanied woman she would find it difficult to get around on her own in the conservative Muslim society.
U.S. support for mothers councils has helped build local support for improving schools and getting family support for education.
Imams tell the community during sermons that "woman is the sister of man and has a right to get an education," she said. They then encourage parents to meet with social workers to form councils.
When a group of seven to 10 mothers meet at someone's home, Al Towayty or other social workers lead discussions on: renovating schools, mixing boys and girls in the schools, the lack of female teachers, the lack of latrines or proper classrooms, and the benefits of an education.
"Here women are very tough - if mothers decide to do something it will happen," Al Towayty said with a humorous twinkle in her eyes.
The headmaster of a local school said "I am thankful USAID built classrooms and latrines and formed mothers and fathers councils. The parents can ask for more teachers from the education ministry. Mothers councils also raise money for poor students as well as carry out literacy and small projects such as sewing and weaving."
He said most girls drop out of school at the sixth grade and "we need to encourage them to complete 12 years and then they can become teachers."
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