The beneficiaries of the vocational and commercial skills training and support project in Hadhramaut and Lahij governorates, funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), expressed their gratitude to Saudi Arabia for the support provided to them through the vocational and commercial skills training and support project which helped them establish and maintain a sustainable profession. The support was provided, through KSrelief, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program and the Small and Micro Enterprise Development Agency. The beneficiaries added that the project granted them financial assistance to cover the costs of their professional and commercial business. This is in addition to establishing a market for young people that contributed to developing their own products through the skills they acquired through the project, as well as linking them to local markets, which enabled them to sell their products and continue developing their projects to obtain sustainable income and help them to meet their needs. "The vocational training has changed my life for the better. It has provided me with the experience and the skill in addition to a financial grant worth $700 from the project," said Jumaa Seif, a trainee in food processing. She added that the grant covered the cost of purchasing equipment needed to start her own business, which will save her money and help her become self-reliance and help others. Jumaa Seif is one of many women living in difficult conditions without a traditional job, who was offered a chance to be trained and supported by the KSrelief project. She was trained on how to prepare a variety of pickled vegetables at home, and sell them in the local market as this provided her with enough income to cover the needs of her family. Abdul Hadi Ezzi, another beneficiary of the project, explained that he has been sewing traditional clothes since his childhood, but he needed to learn administrative skills and delve into the technical side of his craft, adding that through the project he learned how to deal with machine malfunctions and how to repair them, and received sewing supplies worth $750. Ezzi said his perceptions have changed thanks to the training methodology adopted by the Small and Micro Enterprise Development Agency, as he is now growing his business and has diversified his products to include different types of traditional clothes. As for Nazira Mohammed, a trainee in food processing, the KSrelief-funded project enabled her to gain various experiences and learn how to make pickles and pastries. She was able to establish her own project, which provided her with the necessary means to help her family and sell her products to the public. For her part, Huda Abdo's life is not much different from her colleague Nazira Mohammed, as she is also a trainee in food processing and used to produce homemade pickles. She recalls joining the training where she learned how to identify market needs and marketing methods to establish and develop her business, adding that she received a $700 grant from KSrelief to buy the necessary tools and raw materials. Not only Huda Abdo has been able to support her family, but also she managed to save some money to pursue her higher education and pay the university tuition. The liaison officer of the vocational and commercial skills training and support project at the Small and Small Enterprises Development Agency, Abdul Bari Omar, indicated that the project provides vocational training to the participants as per their specializations and assists them in developing plans to start and develop their own projects, train them and provide them with new skills. He added that the beneficiaries could also market and promote their products through a specially organized market (Bazaar) to introduce the trainees to each other and link them to local markets so that they can continue developing their projects. Omar Al-Samiti, director of the internally displaced persons (IDP) Unit in Lahj Governorate, spoke about the importance of KSrelief-funded vocational and commercial skills training and support project in developing rural women's economic self-reliance. He said: "The project plays an important role in developing community capabilities instead of relying on the support of charitable organizations. "The project directly supports sustainability because the benefits continue even after the end of the project, and depends on the participants' ability to develop their projects and market and sell their products to obtain sustainable income that helps them provide for their needs." The $3,000,000 project for vocational and commercial skills training and support implemented in Hadhramaut and Lahij governorates aims to improve the livelihoods of the Yemeni people by providing training and support in the areas of entrepreneurship, agribusiness, food processing, and textiles. This is in addition to technical skills in trade and car maintenance, mobile phones and appliances maintenance. The project also provides in-kind grants to participants to help them set up their businesses. This project comes within the framework of the Saudi government's keenness to support Yemen, improve the humanitarian services provided to the Yemeni citizens in various fields, and improve their living conditions. — SPA
