From A Child Bride to An Entrepreneur
How UNICEF’s Program Gave Girls a Second Chance
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At just 13 years old, Suad became a child bride. By 17, she had mastered soap-making and reclaimed her future. Her story reflects the resilience of Yemen’s girls and the urgent need to end child marriage.
Child marriage remains a harsh reality in Yemen, where nearly one-third of young women are married off and become mothers before the age of 18. Conflict, displacement, and poverty continue to push families into early marriage as a means of survival, often with devastating consequences for girls. As a result, girls drop out of school and become extremely vulnerable, facing the dangers of early pregnancies, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and domestic violence.
Like many in Yemen, Suad was a child bride. She grew up in Mocha's Al-Hali neighbourhood, and her life was never easy.
“I am an orphan girl. My parents died when I was seven,” she begins her story. Raised by her aunt, Suad helped around the house and always felt like an outsider.
“When I was 12 or 13, a man proposed to me, and I agreed. I thought it would be best for me to leave my aunt’s house and start a married life,” she continues.
However, the marriage did not bring the independence and stability she hoped for. “I lived with my husband for only two or three months, and as soon as I got pregnant, he left me and went away,” she recalls.
She dropped out of school and, with no education or skills, struggled to support her son. Four years later, he returned, and Suad left with no other options and went back to him. The cycle repeated itself: as soon as she became pregnant again, he disappeared. Suad sums up those years bluntly, saying, “My life was full of hardship.”
Her husband’s abandonment left a deep wound in her soul. “I thought I would live with my husband, but he let me down again and again. I was always afraid that my child and I would live in misery forever.”
Suad’s is just one story among millions describing girls’ lives shattered by conflict, ignorance and lack of support. In this difficult context, UNICEF and its partners are fighting back with life skills and vocational training programs for at-risk children in the high-needed areas.
One such initiative is the “Protecting and Empowering Girls Through an Entrepreneurial Approach” project in the Mocha district of Taiz Governorate. This UNICEF-supported program offers at-risk and survivor girls and young women vocational training and life skills that they were never given in childhood. The program is implementing a community-based initiative that raises awareness, empowers adolescent girls with life skills, and provides psychosocial support to those at risk. Through group sessions, skills-building workshops, and local outreach, the program helps girls reclaim their rights, build confidence, and pursue hopeful futures.
Balqis Yassin is a social worker and case manager who helps to implement the program in Mocha. Unfortunately, she describes Suad’s situation as ‘sadly common’. “Suad is one of many girls we see who have faced early marriage, abandonment, and serious health challenges,” says Balqis. “But she turned her life around.”
“Suad is one of many girls we see who have faced early marriage, abandonment, and serious health challenges,” says Balqis. “But she turned her life around.”
Suad first heard about the Mocha Centre through word of mouth. "I went and explained my situation, and they registered me," she says. "At first, we were strangers, but now we are like sisters." In this safe and supportive environment, Suad began to heal. Through hands-on workshops, she learned to make powdered soap, dishwashing liquid, ceramic cleaner, chlorine bleach, and more.
"Now I see soap-making as a source of income for me and my son," she says with a smile. "We will be able to live a decent life."
She admits she used to feel “broken and hopeless,” fearing for her future. But now “God blessed us with this project that made us stronger,” she explains. “Before, we were so desperate that we sometimes could not find bread. Now, I see a bright future for myself because I have been trained and gained self-confidence. I will build my small project with the program’s support so that I can have a stable source of income,” she adds.
Balqis agrees that Suad’s turnaround story is a clear demonstration of how the program works. “There is a very clear change, especially among girls who are undergoing vocational training,” she explains. Girls like Suad, who once faced a gloomy future, are now learning a craft and gaining confidence that opens a new chapter in their lives.
Their stories show how the “Protecting and Empowering Girls through an Entrepreneurial Approach” program is helping the young people of Yemen find new hope and perspective for themselves and their families.
From a childhood marked by hardship to a future fueled by purpose, Suad’s journey is proof that with the right support, even the most vulnerable girls can rewrite their stories.
