Shortly after the first rays of sunlight slip through the dusty fabric of his worn-out tent, Mohammad al-Tais tunes his oud with weathered fingers, the soft twang of its strings wafting through the stillness of the al-Suwaida camp in Yemen’s eastern Marib province.

Soon enough, dozens of the camp’s residents, young and old, gather around him, drawn by the familiar tunes of folk songs played by him. 

“Their encouragement is what keeps me moving forward,” al-Tais said. “Their passion for what I do helps me overcome every obstacle.”

In a country where the arts are among the last concerns, al-Tais has spent the war years performing Yemeni folk songs with his simple oud, trying to spread happiness and bring moments of celebration to residents of al-Suwaida.

The camp, housing more than 15,000 displaced individuals, is one of the largest in the province, where internally displaced Yemenis, like al-Tais, have taken shelter after repeated relocations.

By 2025, Yemen’s brutal war had dragged into its second decade, leaving behind widespread destruction, mass displacement, and deep psychological scars.

Millions of Yemenis have suffered hunger, loss of livelihoods, and repeated uprooting, conditions worsened by critically underfunded humanitarian efforts, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). 

In Marib, home to more than 2.1 million displaced people, vulnerable groups are often cut off from psychological support and lack access to safe spaces, even as they bear the psychological scars of war, displacement, and deprivation.

As traditional coping mechanisms falter, some Yemenis are turning to unconventional forms of healing. Among them are grassroots art initiatives, led by those directly affected by the conflict, that use music and visual expression in an effort to foster resilience and rebuild a sense of community.

But these efforts are not without challenges. Al-Tais described how limited resources, lack of institutional support, and a lack of recognition can sometimes be discouraging. Yet, the deep need for emotional escape and cultural connection among his fellow residents, along with their appreciation for his music, has kept him going.

"Through his tunes, he has given us beautiful moments, allowing us to forget the pain of war, displacement, and the daily struggle for basic needs,” Ahmed Ibrahim, a displaced resident of the al-Suwaida camp, said. “We are deeply grateful for what he offers; he provides us with moments of beauty amid this overwhelming burden of worries."

Al-Tais, who developed his skills in playing the oud and performing traditional songs through self-teaching, explains that he began by acquiring an oud and practising on his own in his home in the Naham district, east of Sanaa.

Over time, he honed his craft, fueled by a deep passion for the instrument. His devotion to the oud persisted, even after his home was destroyed in an airstrike when the war broke out, forcing him to flee. During his displacement, he managed to buy a new oud to replace the one that was lost to the bombing, allowing him to continue playing and pursuing his hobby.

Education through art

In other parts of Marib, Altaf Hamdi, a visual artist with a doctorate in art education, launched an art initiative in January 2024 aimed specifically at displaced children. Through the Marib-based Fine Arts Forum, her team offered a 10-day programme at several camps, culminating in a children’s art exhibition.

“Displaced children, in particular, need art,” Hamdi said. “They need care, encouragement, and the freedom to express themselves.” 

The initiative included activities ranging from painting and sculpture to theatre and collaborative art projects. According to Hamdi, these creative outlets play a vital role in helping children rebuild their cultural identity and process trauma in a safe, imaginative space.

“In these artworks, we saw their stories — both painful and hopeful,” she explained to TRT World. “Art becomes their voice, and for many of them, perhaps their only refuge.”

Despite the brevity of the initiative’s activities, Hamdi said her art-based project has left a “deep and lasting impact on children in displacement camps across Marib”. 

The overwhelmingly positive response from children and their parents, she said, was a powerful affirmation of the project’s value and a strong motivator to continue developing similar programmes for displaced children.

“The parents came forward with heartfelt suggestions and requests to expand these programmes,” she said. “Their response was an eye-opener and showed just how essential this work is.”

So’al Wadha, 11, expressed her happiness with the initiative. She told TRT World that she wanted these art activities to continue and the children to have permanent spaces equipped with drawing and colouring tools. 

In a similar initiative at the Jaw al-Nessim camp in Marib, Asia Faris, displaced by the war, took it upon herself to establish a makeshift preschool inside her tent. The idea was born from observing children in the camp exhibiting troubling behaviour. Faris had observed that many of these children had lost their parents to the conflict. 

“Some children began isolating themselves,” she said, “while others showed signs of aggression at a very young age. It was a dangerous sign for their future.”

Determined to intervene, she transformed her tent into a safe and nurturing space for early education and care. Using art,  drawing, modelling, and creative play as her primary teaching tools, she found that the children were not only learning more easily but also expressing themselves more confidently and peacefully.

“Art became a gateway,” she said. “It helped children absorb knowledge, uncover their talents, and even modify their behaviour. The preschool became a haven where children could explore their emotions and identities through acting, role play, and creative activities.”

According to Faris, around 60 children under the age of seven benefited from her initiative over the past two years. Currently, 30 children are enrolled in the preschool.

A ripple effect of positive change

Abdulghani Saleh, a displaced father living at the al-Naseem camp in Marib, enrolled his six-year-old daughter in a similar informal preschool. He said the transformation was “immediate”.

“She started drawing and colouring constantly, even at home,” he told TRT World. “She became more disciplined, enthusiastic about lessons, and happier. These kinds of programmes are critical, not just for nurturing talent, but for easing the pain children experience in these camps, where they have no real space to play or be themselves.”

Inspired by such grassroots efforts, IDEA Educational Foundation, an NGO based in Marib, decided to scale the initiative. 

Drawing from the success of the initial preschool experiment, the organisation developed a more structured programme and expanded it across the governorate. By 2025, the programme, known as Saba Kindergartens, had established 43 free preschools for displaced children. 

According to Mofaddal al-Jadi, director of the Saba Kindergartens project, these centres now employ 120 trained caregivers and educators.

“The aim is to understand children’s psychological needs and support them in overcoming the trauma of war,” he said. “We provide education and emotional support through art and play, not just textbooks. So far, around 2,000 children have benefited from this in the 2024-2025 academic year.”

Still, the programme faces significant hurdles. Al-Jadi noted that most of the kindergartens operate through community support and the organisation’s limited resources. Efforts to secure stable donor funding have so far been unsuccessful, posing a threat to the sustainability of the initiative.

“Our challenge now is to keep going,” he said. “These children need consistency, care, and hope. We’re doing everything we can to give them that, one classroom, one painting, one smile at a time.”

This article is published in collaboration with Egab