The Sustainable Development Foundation (SDF) has been operating in Yemen for 9 years with the mission to provide humanitarian aid to all sectors of society based on a rights-based approach. Their activities and initiatives target all vulnerable groups in Yemeni society, in addition to refugees, and advocate for them and their rights.
The organisation focuses on enhancing responses to poverty, livelihoods, education, protection, food security, and health by creating a safe and supportive environment for the most vulnerable individuals.
The organisation empowers vulnerable youth by providing vocational and financial training, along with financial support to launch income-generating projects that lift them out of poverty. It also equips children and youth with financial and social education, enabling them to successfully manage projects and sell their products within the local community. Additionally, the SDF advocates with the Civil Registry in the Ministry of Interior to issue birth certificates for refugee children, ensuring their enrollment in public schools. Refugee youth further contribute by organising volunteer activities and fostering integration within the refugee community.
Our Partnership
The Sustainable Development Foundation partnered with Aflatoun to provide social and financial education to millions of children and youth worldwide, fostering change for a better and more sustainable future. In 2023 and 2024, SDF implemented social and financial literacy training programmes in targeted schools and summer camps, empowering students to save, create budgets, and manage income-generating projects to benefit themselves and their families.
Utilising the Aflatoun curriculum for children aged 6–14 and the Aflayouth programme, SDF enhances young people’s social and financial skills, equipping them to drive positive change within their communities.
Najat and Ali’s Inspiring Leadership and Community Awareness
Najat, a 15-year-old ninth-grade student at Al-Hamdani School, found the summer camp to be a transformative experience. Among the many topics covered, she learned about the concept of a “safe circle,” encouraging every girl to have a card with contact numbers of trusted individuals to reach out to in case of emergencies like harassment or theft. Additionally, she gained valuable insights into saving, spending, and managing projects, as well as the importance of teamwork and cooperation. Inspired by the idea of collaboration, Najat envisioned her team starting small community-serving projects, which could generate profits to fund future initiatives.
As the head of the awareness club at her school, Najat is a leader in spreading awareness both within her school and the broader community. She writes short awareness articles, shares inspirational quotes, and creates illustrative content addressing societal issues, all grounded in the principles of Islam as a guiding framework. Najat publishes her work at school and on social media, hoping her efforts will inspire positive change. Her dedication and vision highlight the profound impact of empowering youth with the tools to lead and innovate.
Ali Baligh, a 15-year-old student from the International School for Boys, experienced a profound shift in perspective after participating in the summer camp’s project management empowerment program. Before joining, he had never considered working on a project. However, the camp introduced him to essential skills such as saving money, managing projects, and understanding project management methods. Ali also learned to craft graduation caps and bows for children, gaining technical skills and values like cooperation, participation, and respect for children’s rights. He expressed deep gratitude to everyone who contributed to the camp’s success, crediting it with opening new doors of opportunity for him.