Photo: Omer's students practice measuring blood pressure

Omer Al-Materi (YES 2011 – 2012, Yemen, hosted by CIEE in Medford, OR) continues to contribute to his community in big and small ways, including participating in YES alumni activities and volunteering during the 2015 civil war in Aden in the emergency room to help manage mass casualties. During the war, Omer noticed that members of the public often do not know how to act when someone near them is injured. So he decided to start raising awareness and leading first aid training sessions.

Omer started by conducting multiple first aid trainings for local university students. His sessions introduce his audience to basic principles of Mass Casualty Management (MCM), a very important topic in times of war or natural disaster. On December 7th and 8th, 2016, Omer also conducted two first aid sessions for AMIDEAST students, introducing them to MCM and practical training on appropriate first responses to emergencies like burns or bleeding. 

While it's impossible to measure the potential future impact of Omer's efforts, it's clear that he has found a way to empower himself and his community under the most difficult circumstances.