Manal Bawazir is from Aden, Yemen and has been active in women’s and children’s rights since her childhood. Manal has been working in various fields in child protection and has carried out a lot of voluntary work that serviced society and contributed to raising awareness about the early marriage of girls, female genital mutilation (FGM) in rural areas, campaigns to prevent diseases and epidemics such as cholera and typhoid, and hygiene awareness. Manal currently works for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Aden as a Programme Associate, a position she has held since 2015.

During the crises of the internal wars of Yemen in 2011 as well as 2015 she contributed to volunteer work in the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps where she supervised the Abyan IDP camp in 2011. She coordinated the team of volunteers to organize food and clothing distribution campaigns as well as for the camp building supplies. Manal’s future goal is to study a master’s degree in women’s and children’s rights, and to then establish a humanitarian foundation, which will focus on women’s and children’s empowerment to become active partners in society. Manal hopes that one day she will make a substantial change in Yemen, especially regarding the unfair laws towards women’s rights that put severe penalties on anyone who violates them. This often manifests as either or both physical or psychological violence.

Participant in: December 2019 Fellowship: Peacebuilding and Women’s Meaningful Participation in Peacebuilding Processes