Safaa Al Kahali

On September 25, Safaa Ahmad Al-Kahaly completed the Women in Technology (WIT) Unlimited Potential (UP) training at the Takfaul social services center in Taiz. Additionally, Safaa is currently in her fourth year in University, where she studies sociology. Safaa hopes to work towards her Masters degree. Her hobbies include reading and discovery of all things new.

Originally from the Nadera area, Safaa currently lives in Taiz. She heard about WIT through local advertisements, and she decided to participate because of the program’s various advanced offerings.

Before joining the WIT program, Safaa had a limited knowledge of computer and word processing, so all modules of the training program were helpful to her—particularly the one on Excel. Now, Safaa is more informed on practical computer programs, and she hopes that the WIT program will continue to evolve and keep up with the fast pace of software development.

Financial challenges have sometimes posed a challenge for Safaa in pursuing training programs such as the WIT course, but her family has never stood in her way. Safaa’s family runs a business in which they use computers on a daily basis—so they are quite experienced in, and familiar with, information technology. Her family encourages girls in the family to study a range of subjects; they provide her with all her educational needs in order to help her gain useful skills.

Through her participation in the program, Safaa hopes to broaden her career options and find meaningful work. She thinks that the ideal job would be one that matches her academic qualifications and leads her to use the skills she has learned through the WIT program.

Safaa believes that it is very important for Yemeni women to be educated and trained to use computers. She encourages other women in her community to participate in the program so that they can stay up to date in this technological age. “Women need to have at least a basic understanding of computer fundamentals in this age of advancement and technology,” she says.

Safaa points out, “Each generation is different than the other. During my mother’s generation there were no computers but there were many handcrafts. In the next generation after mine, things will be even more advanced, and computers will be involved in all aspects of life”

Safaa’s role model is Safaa Yasmin Al-Shibani—the program coordinator in the Takfaul center—because of her strong personality, ambition, love of knowledge, and her ability to persuade others.

Back to Top

Fatma Al Onsi

Fatma Al-Onsi is a 27 year-old WIT scholarship recipient from Sana’a, where she lives with her son and husband. Through the WIT program, Fatma had the opportunity to participate in Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential Training offered through SOUL for the Development of Women and Children.

Fatma who lives with her son and husband in Sanaa’ did not get the opportunity to conclude her education but had made it up to the 11th grade.

Even though Fatma realized the importance of being computer proficient, the prospect of enrolling in computer classes has always intimidated her. Despite her husband’s initial objections she joined the training and her progress led him to change his mind fully support her efforts. Fatma hopes to receive an employment offer after the conclusion of the training and is especially interested in working in the secretarial field.

Fatma thinks that in this age, real literacy means having computer skills because they have become fundamental to competing in the professional field. Advancing her professional qualifications and helping her son with his computer studies were the two main reasons Fatma enrolled in the program.

Participating in the training was not very easy as Fatma faced my hurdles before and during the training. The high price of trainings prevented her from registering for classes in the past, but upon hearing about the UP program, Fatma applied and received a full scholarship for the training. Additionally, her husband had refused the idea of her participating in the courses and even when he agreed her extended family members were not accepting of the idea.

Talking about the difference between the generations of Yemeni women Fatma says “When my mother was the same age as me, she played the role of the housewife and her only concern was to take care of me and the family. Women during that time had limited ambitions, and even I faced similar conditions, not finishing my education and getting married at an early age. But, I also have been looking for opportunities beyond my duties towards my family. For my daughter, life has really changed and it is very difficult to imagine what she would be doing when she is my age.”

Fatma mentioned that She always her older sister has always been her role model because of her strong will and intelligence.

Back to Top

Fa'eza Ahmad Obaidi

Fa’eza who is 38 years old lives with her family in Ghil Bawazir in the governorate of Hadramout. Her hobbies include reading. She is the only one in her family that studies computer so her family is supportive and encourages her efforts. Fa’eza recently finished the UP course as a part of the WIT program which is run by Hadramout branch of the Society for Social Development.

Fa’eza received her Masters in jurisprudence and law and her research titled “Executing Contracts in Yemen: A Comparative Study” discussed the following topics: Executing contracts from a historical and legal Islamic perspective as well as methods of executing contracts in Yemen, Sudan and Egypt. Currently she works as the head of the registry office in the Ghil Bawazeer preliminary Court. In addition to her work Fa’eza is continuing her graduate studies.

Fa’eza found out about the program through an advertisement in her workplace. Driven by her desire to improve her skills and use new technology she signed up to the program. Her previous computer experiences were all undertaken on her own initiative as a hobby. Fa’eza hopes to improve her technical skills to add to her employment and social abilities.

Fa’eza thinks that studying computers is very important for women in her society so she advises women to participate in the program to keep up with the innovations of our age and improve her abilities so she can deliver her social mission.

From Fa’eza’s point of view all segments of the program were useful but she thinks that increasing training hours would improve the program and its effectiveness. Fa’eza also thinks that adding another section to the training so trainees can pass on what they learned to new participants would be useful.

Fa’eza considers all ambitious women her role models because they contribute to their society’s development. Fa’eza differs from her mother because she sees herself as more ambitious and knows that she had a chance to gain more knowledge and hopes that her daughter in turn will differ from her by being more skilled in advanced technologies.

Back to Top