也门教师在自己家中为700名学生授课

Yemeni Teacher Opens Home to 700 Students

A Yemeni teacher has given up a valuable part of his life to improve education in the face of continuing war. He turned his home into a school that now serves hundreds of students.

The teacher, Adel al-Shurihi, said he has watched students suffer for more than three years during the country’s civil war.

Al-Shurihi lives in the southwestern city of Taiz. The area has been at the center of a conflict.

The war between Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi started in 2015. At the time, Houthi militants¹ had captured large areas of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition² is fighting a ground and air campaign in support of the government of Hadi, who fled to Saudi Arabia in exile. Iran supports the Houthi rebels.

The war has spread to different parts of Yemen. Local and international aid agencies warn the conflict has created one of the worst humanitarian³ crises of the 21st century. A weak economy has led to poverty and severe famine threatening millions of people.

When war first broke out, Adel al-Shurihi said schools in his area began closing. He and other parents had nowhere to send their children. It also was not safe for the children to be on the streets.

Al-Shurihi wanted to provide some form of education for students although violence and poor living conditions remained threats. So he came up with the idea to turn his three-level home into a school.

“Falling bombs and planted land mines made it harder for children to reach their schools," al-Shurihi told VOA. "Because of the war, my children, and the children of everyone I know, were unable to get their education. So, I decided⁴ to turn my own house into a school so that students could get their education safely.”

Sherin Varkey helps lead the United Nations children’s agency, or UNICEF, in Yemen. He told VOA the conflict is causing many problems for the country’s education system. Currently, about two million children are not able to attend school.

Tens of thousands of Yemeni teachers have gone on strike in recent months in government-controlled areas to demand better pay. In rebel areas, tens of thousands more have not been paid for at least two years, a UNICEF report found.

Varkey said more than 270 attacks have been reported on schools since the war began. About 2,500 schools have been damaged or destroyed throughout the country.

Varkey added that the breakdown⁵ of the education system is likely to have serious long-term effects on the country. He said history has shown that children who do not get an education are at greater risk of turning to child labor⁶. Many also end up joining armed groups or getting married as children.

Al-Shurihi said that within the first year of opening his home school, 500 boys and girls between the ages of six and 15 signed up to attend classes. Today, he gets about 700 students daily.

He has 13 classrooms and 16 volunteer teachers. But, al-Shurihi said he is always looking for more people to help. He lacks many materials usually found in schools, such as books, paper and chalkboards. Most students have to sit on the ground.

But Al-Shurihi said the conditions have not stopped his students from seeking learning and normal life in the face of severe conflict. He is urging the international community to support efforts aimed at solving Yemen’s education crisis.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

famine – n. a long period when people living in a particular area do not have enough food, and many of them suffer and die

chalkboard – n. a large board with a dark surface that teachers write on with chalk

1 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

2 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

6 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。