A Homeschool for 700 Students

In the midst of a war-torn country, a three-story home has been turned into a 13-classroom homeschool that serves nearly 700 students.

Living approximately 70 miles from the Red Sea in southwestern Yemen, Adel al-Shurihi founded his homeschool in 2015 to protect the children in his community from a bloody war between the Houthi rebels and supporters of Yemen’s official government.

“Because of the war, my children, and the children of everyone I know, were unable to get their education, so I decided to turn my own house into a school so that students could get their education safely,” al-Shurihi told Voice of America. “Our area is close to the clashes between Houthi rebels and government forces, and I wanted the children and their families to live a normal life away from engaging in the war in any way.”

Young girls are especially vulnerable in Yemen right now, as 31% of girls have lost access to education due to the conflict.

“We know that the children who lose out on education are more at risk of falling into negative coping mechanisms like child labor, then the higher probability of being vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups, and the very worrying social norms of child marriage,” said Sherin Varkey, a UNICEF representative.

The southernmost country on the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East. Earlier this year, the country was ranked #9 in a list of countries where it’s most difficult to be a Christian. Islamic persecution was listed as the country’s main source of persecution. In response, here are 3 practical ways you can pray for Adel al-Shurihi’s homeschool and the country of Yemen today:

1) Ask God to help provide food, clean water, and safety to the people of Yemen.
2) Pray that volunteer teachers will step forward to help the growing population of the homeschool.
3) Pray for access to books and other school supplies that are scarce in the region.