According to UN OCHA, Taiz and Marib are among the most affected governorates in Yemen in terms of the number of population, escalating conflict, displacement, and poverty. Women and youth are the marginalized component in the community, lack of basic needs, education, employment, poor in health and WASH, and inclusion. The resilience, recovery, and peacebuilding process depends on the women and youth, meaning that: empowered, included, and qualified women and youth will contribute to the sustained development and peace. Without paying much attention to women and youth the conflict will spread and violence will continue.

Empowerment and capacity building of women and youth in an integrated approach is very essential and very highly urgent, this one of the most significant findings IYCY has come up with especially from this project implemented in partnership with UN WOMEN in Taiz and Marib governorates. As a result, IYCY has developed and designed the OPEN DOOR CENTER approach throughout this project to empower and equip women and youth with knowledge, skills, experience, and to include them as well as activate their potential which subsequently will contribute to the sustainable development and peace.

The open door center is a platform and free space established for women and youth to enable them to have the knowledge, training, skills transformation, as well as to provide a common ground for them to plan, integrate, discuss, participate, and host their activities and implement their ideas in the field.