What was your work before were appointed as the head of the quarter? When did you start your new duty? Before I was accepted as the head of the quarter* I was working in the Social and Labor Affairs Office in Aden. This work was complementary to my new duty as Aqel Al-Harah because it is social work of the first grade. Furthermore* former Aden Governor Dr. Al-Shuaibi was stressing the Adeni woman's role in Yemen's development and improvement. I have been working as the head of Al-Wahsh Quarter since 2003 and praise to God* the confidence of my quarter's people gives me more power and patience. New crimes You know that crime has several faces. What solutions have you created to face crime in your quarter? Some forms of crime* like rape and murder* are not found in my quarter* but we are deterring small-sized looting crimes like looting iron* gas cylinders and spare car parts. Let me be honest with you; we have crimes that did not exist before* like drugs and increasing demand for medicine contain diazbam* but we perform our duty in helping the local authority. The authorities contributed in tracing some of these cases and referred them to the prosecution. In addition* we have contributed towards arresting those who are addicted to all kinds of alcohol. Generally speaking* with the cooperation of security forces in Aden* we can contain these crises and problems. Youth and unemployment Because of the current economic condition in the country* unemployment has become like a cancer spreading among our youth. How do you handle this problem in your quarter? Concerning unemployment among women* we have taken some measures with the cooperation and efforts of concerned bodies to decrease the number of unemployed women. In regard to unemployment among males* when we learn about jobs in the private sector we inform young people to apply for these positions. Many young people get jobs in some institutions as security at Aden Public Hospital or as other laborers. This comes through our efforts of following up on these job opportunities so that many young men and women from our quarter can break away from unemployment and find work. Training courses to alleviate poverty What about poverty? It is impossible to eradicate poverty at once* but we provide means to alleviate its spread. We connect the youth with opportunities by philanthropists who provide people with special needs with courses on computers and sewing for women and courses on maintaining cell phones for men. These courses are organized by the Social and Labor Affairs Fund in Aden. But I have to be honest and say that our youth depend on others and not on themselves to realize their specializations. Daily problems and burdens Al-Wahsh Quarter* like others in Aden* suffers from the theft of electricity by its citizens and by connecting water pumps illegally. In your opinion* who is responsible? Is it the service institutions or the citizen himself? Frankly* there are some duties added to ours as the heads of various quarters* and I do not consider them duties but burdens added to us. This is done by the administration to get rid of their own pains and sit at ease on their chairs while we remain going here and there* sitting for hours under the beating sun to solve all the citizens? problems* while we only receive a monthly salary of YR 2*800. Nevertheless* if there is a problem* like electricity disconnection* we follow up on the problem and help to get it back. Although there are also many other problems surrounding us concerning the issue of electricity and water* we do not get help from concerned bodies. All they do is disconnect the water pipes of those who have illegal access to water. These problems happen because the doer is not punished by state bodies for the act he did* and so is not deterred to do this illegal act again. Why don?t the water public institutions coordinate with the heads of quarters to have forms defining monthly payments so that payment are not accumulated against the citizens that lead to the water being disconnected? Sorrowfully* these are burdens added to our duties and are not privileges. Yemeni people are used to male heads of quarters. How does the Al-Wahsh Quarter accept a female Aqel Al-Harah? There were many incidents of discrimination at first* but the beginning of everything new is difficult. My beginning was like that* but conditions were changed after awhile as a result of my previous relations with the quarter's families and even with the support of new families coming to the neighborhood. Do you face harassment from concerned bodies while you are following up on issues of your quarter's residents? I can say that I face routine persecution but not personal harassment. These persecutions occur when I go to the office of so-and-so and end up returning to the office of another. The process of going and coming because of an absence of an official causes a lot of trouble for me. Have you ever faced any embarrassing or funny situations during your duty? I face both situations simultaneously when I am in an office of our district or governorate and someone introduces me to someone else who has not met me before. I am surprised to hear them say* ?So it is you? I thought you were an old woman." Will you talk to us about you as a mother and housewife? A: What most do not know is that when I return from my work* I directly head for the kitchen as do other working mothers who must organize their time between work and home. I am a mother to a son in the ninth grade and do my best to meet my children?s needs. Charities What is your role in communication with charities to alleviate the poverty among the residents of your neighborhood? I wish I can get just a sack of sugar or rice* something I can distribute to the poor and needy people* but what is happening is the opposite. Nobody* whether governmental or civilian* gives me any foodstuffs to hand to the poor. However* philanthropists are many. Every year* namely during Ramadan* people from different charities come to me and give me money that gets distributed to every house by name....

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