Photo: YES 2014 - 2015 alumni Wahi Nabeel Ahmed (hosted by PAX in Mount Vernon, WA) and Amr Gamal Al-Alawi (hosted by World Link in Iowa City, IA) pose with staff in front of the hospital.

Despite the innumerable challenges to citizens of Yemen these days, the YES Alumni Association in Aden has been actively organizing events and serving society for the past year and a half.

Most recently, alumni leader Amr Gamal Al-Alawi (YES 2013 - 2014, hosted by World Link in Iowa City, IA) returned from the YES Alumni Association Leaders Training and organized a fundraising campaign during the holy month of Ramadan for a community service activity at the Aslam Mental Health Center. The Center has been facing many administrative and facility issues, including a lack of sufficient medication for patients.

The YES alumni raised YER 196,000 (equivalent to $785) to purchase climate-appropriate underclothing for each patient, clothes for the female patients, packets of medicine, and snacks. The alumni visited the hospital’s different sections and spent time visiting with the patients.

Shahenaz Bamosa (YES 2012 - 2013, hosted by AYA in Wescosvill, PA) stated, “I was really shocked about the condition of the center and the patients, and the lack of funding for maintaining basic center services.”

Amr Gamal added, “This visit will help reinvigorate our association, and will remind alumni about their duty to our community. It’s the responsibility of each and every one of us to stay connected and work as a team.”

After their hard work at the hospital, the YES alumni gathered for an American-style Iftar - pizza! They fondly remembered eating pizza during their Ramadan experiences in the US years before. During the Iftar, the alumni and YES staff discussed the upcoming YES Alumni Association leader election, strategies to maintain a strong association in spite of the current issues, and ways of coping with obstacles the association encounters.