On Women's Day... The first women's project for mobile phone maintenance in Yemen (success story)

For about two years, the young Yemeni woman Asmaa Al-Hamri has continued her struggle in the first women’s project for phone maintenance in the country, in a remarkable step that broke the restriction of this profession to men only.

As the world celebrates Women's Day on March 8, Al-Hamri's story is an example of the struggle of Yemeni women who have succeeded in making a difference despite all the challenges.

After studying at an institute specializing in smartphone maintenance and programming, the young Al-Hamri (22 years old) established her own project, which is a shop in the capital, Sana’a, under the name “Lady Store.”

The idea for this project came after one of her family’s phones broke down, and Al-Hamri was looking for women’s phone repair centers because there were pictures of the family on the phone, but she only found shops where all men worked.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency about how the project idea came about, Al-Hamri said: “At that time, my father and I were excited to think about opening a private project for phone maintenance with a specialized female staff, to preserve women’s privacy and provide them with safety.”

She added: “After I joined a training course in smartphone maintenance and programming with one of my colleagues, we started repairing phones for family, neighbors and friends. We succeeded in gaining sufficient experience and started opening the shop in the Hadda neighborhood in the heart of the capital, Sana’a.”

Regarding the project’s services, Al-Hamri said: “We maintain all types of phones, including installing their screens, repairing all their faults, solving programming problems and problems with some applications such as WhatsApp, in addition to providing mobile phones upon request at competitive prices.”

The shop’s services are not limited to women only, but also include men who have family photos or private data that they are keen to preserve, according to Al-Hamri.

Project Marketing

Al-Hamri continues to market her own project through social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram, and she noted that she “found a good response from people and aspires to reach a larger audience.”

Regarding future ambitions, Al-Hamri said, “Our goal is to be the first choice for Yemeni women in the field of phone maintenance, by providing distinguished services that respect their privacy and meet their technical needs safely and confidently.”

She pointed out that "her family, thank God, was one of her most prominent supporters, through their support to achieve her dream of establishing a special and distinguished project."

She noted, "We aspire for our project to expand to reach the largest segment of society, with the opening of other similar stores in various areas."

An attractive destination for women

In the conservative Yemeni society, such projects attract many families who are keen not to violate their privacy, especially the issue of electronic blackmail.

Repeatedly, the Yemeni police in more than one governorate have announced the arrest of male extortionists working in mobile phone repair shops, which has made many families, especially women, more cautious.

The young woman, Sondos Al-Najjar, one of the shop’s customers, told Anadolu Agency, “The idea attracted me because the project is run by a woman, and in it we are safe with our devices and privacy.”

She added, "Previously, we were forced to wait next to the phone repairman for two or three hours under our supervision, and we might be tied to work or work until our devices were repaired for fear that anything of our privacy would be copied or stolen."

She continued: "Now there is great security and we can leave the device and leave the store until the time it is prepared and we are contacted to take it.. and this is the most important point."

On the occasion of International Women's Day, Al-Najjar addresses her message to Yemeni women: "We must celebrate because women have achieved great accomplishments despite all the circumstances, and have been able to prove their presence in society by taking on great tasks."

She concluded, "A woman can do anything and succeed in any project, even those that some consider to be exclusive to men. This is clear evidence that this Yemeni woman is strong."

Since April 2022, Yemen has witnessed a relative calm from a war that began about 10 years ago between forces loyal to the legitimate government and the Houthi group forces that have controlled governorates and cities, including the capital, Sanaa (north), since September 21, 2014.

The war has destroyed most sectors in Yemen, and caused one of the most catastrophic humanitarian crises in the world, according to the United Nations.

Anatolia