Earlier this month, alumni in Yemen held a bake sale with finalists selected for the YES 2015-2016 program year. This event was the first step in a multi-layered alumni project. The funds raised will be donated to a primary school in Fuqom, a suburb outside of Aden.

This school has already received a donation of 12 computers. But the computers were put aside without use because the school could not afford the cost of setting up a computer lab, purchasing electrical equipment, and obtaining the needed IT support. The bake sale was a great success and attracted students and visitors from the community who purchased goods and made monetary donations. As a result, the alumni were able to raise enough funds to cover most of the costs needed for the computer lab, and the lab’s setup will begin next month.  

In a parallel event, alumni also launched a book drive campaign to help establish a library for the same school. The book drive was a great success; alumni were able to collect more than 300 books in just ten days! A donation goal of one thousand books by the end of this month has been set, and the campaign also includes the installation of a book cabinet that will be purchased with the remaining funds raised during the bake sale.  

The alumni are hopeful that their efforts will pay off, and that students will benefit by becoming computer literate, and have the opportunity to better their reading skills too!