In 2012, the Yemen Polling Center (YPC) with the support of the European Union started its Civic Activism program and established a network of civil society organizations. We conducted tens of training workshops on the bases of democratic social organization, including human rights, the rule of law and political participation. With a special focus on youth and women, we helped establish five Youth Lobby Groups and cooperated with numerous women’s NGOs throughout the country. We also involve these organizations and groups in our work in the security sector.
Youth Lobby Groups together with YPC and Afro1, as well as the support of the European Union, campaigned for social cohesion and community solidarity across social and political fault lines in the face of experiencing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The campaign reached more than 100,000 people. The name of the campaign “Badihi,” is supposed to remind the people of Yemen of what is “normal,” and of what should be “normal.” People across Yemen posted pictures of their everyday lives, their mutual suffering and their needs: education, health care, food and security.
In various projects, YPC empowers youth and women to be strong civic activists and supports them to be heard by Yemeni and international policymakers. We facilitate networking, we create spaces, and we build capacity, with a special focus on advocacy, report writing and analysis.