In Al-Kadam village in Taiz governorate, life has long been a struggle for Bint Ahmed. A mother of two and a medical assistant student, she and her husband worked hard but often fell short of meeting their family’s needs. ‘Some days even buying medicine or school supplies felt impossible,’ she recalls. ‘The war and the lack of jobs left us with very few options.’
When she heard about a vocational training programme run by Nahda Makers Organisation (#NMO) with support from #Cordaid and funded by the #European_Union, she made a bold decision. No woman in her village had ever worked in mobile phone repair. But Bint saw opportunity where others saw barriers. ‘I wanted to try something different, to give my children a better future,’ she says.
During the eight-week training, she learned to repair common phone problems, from replacing screens and batteries to fixing charging ports and installing apps. At the end of the programme, she received a full toolkit to start her own business. ‘Getting those tools meant everything,’ she explains. ‘It was like someone saying: we believe in you.’
From her modest home, she now repairs phones for neighbours and nearby villages. Each job not only provides income but also builds her confidence. ‘When I fix a phone and hand it back working, people thank me with a smile. That’s when I feel proud – I’m not only providing services to the people of my village, I’m also supporting my family with my own hands.’
Her success is already inspiring others. Women in her community, once hesitant to step outside traditional roles, now see new possibilities. ‘If I can do this, so can they,’ she says.
Bint Ahmed is one of 450 participants in the EU-funded project helping families in Taiz move away from aid dependence and towards self-reliance. For her, every repaired device is more than a small business win – it is a step towards dignity and hope.
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