Country girl

“In such circumstances, the girls of my country are more worthy of the work that non-Yemenis are getting.” Asmaa Abdel Wahab

Asmaa studied pharmacology, encouraged by her father who died in the final year of her studies. She worked in a pharmaceutical company and was helped by one of her brothers to travel to Malaysia to complete her studies, but she could not continue because of one disabled brother who insisted on her staying with and taking care of him. To be able to go out to work she decided to hire a lady to take care of him in her absence. She looked for a suitable caregiver but she did not find anyone who had the skills or who would accept to take care of a sick young man. So she decided to stay with her brother who needed her and sacrificed her job to be with him.

Asmaa had heard complaints from housewives about Yemeni domestic workers and of their preference for foreign workers. To try and tackle this she proposed to an organisation that foreign workers should be replaced by local workers, especially during wartime, in which Yemeni families need income more desperately than ever. Also many Yemeni women lack the certificates or skills necessary to do other jobs.

Asmaa visited the slums and conducted a field survey to ask for the opinions of the community. She realised that many people did not accept the idea of Yemeni women working as domestic workers. So she started to convince some of the women to work. She established an office to coordinate between Yemeni women workers and households. The community began to accept the idea when Yemeni women workers proved their competence, honesty and abilities. This helped many poor girls get a good source of income.

Not only did Asmaa help these women by providing work for them, but she also housed the girls in her own house before they started working, so they could feel safe when they moved from other provinces. She worked to raise their awareness of the ethics of the profession such as honesty, self-respect and dignity. Keen that girls should develop their abilities beyond domestic worker status, Asmaa intervened when a problem occured. She selected well-known and respectable families and tested the client before sending the girls. She does not take money from the workers, and helps them to manage their own financial affairs so that no one will exploit them.