Masam Project achieves massive success in Yemen
Items removed include anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, unexploded ordnance, and explosive devices indiscriminately planted to harm civilians.
Demining efforts have dramatically reduced casualties — and allowed displaced people and farmers to return and resume cultivation — earning widespread praise from the UN and international organizations.
The agency has also initiated the Artificial Limbs Centers Project in several Yemeni cities, providing prosthetics and aiding physical rehabilitation to those injured by explosives.
The Masam Project stands as a vital contribution in enabling a safe and dignified life for Yemenis.
KSrelief has implemented 3,438 diverse humanitarian projects across 107 countries, valued at over $7 billion, since its launch in May 2015.
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7 hours ago
- Arab News
Time to tackle the misalignment at the heart of education
As we look back on the 2024/25 school year which has just ended, Misk Schools celebrated a defining moment — our first graduating class. But this milestone represents far more than academic tradition. It marks the beginning of a bold, necessary shift in how we think about schooling, success and Saudi Arabia's future. Founded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Misk Schools was established with a clear mandate — to redefine K–12 education, to prepare the Kingdom's future leaders and to catalyze innovation across the national education system, all in support of Saudi Vision 2030. A key part of fulfilling that mandate lies in how we assess learning. For too long, education globally has been shaped by outdated, exam-centric systems that reward memorization over understanding and grades over growth. These systems fail to recognize and assess the full breadth of a student's ability. In particular, they do not measure critical thinking, creativity, leadership or adaptability in real-world scenarios — qualities essential for success in a world driven by rapid innovation. This is not a new idea. Aristotle believed that the purpose of knowledge is action, not discourse. Einstein is credited with saying that knowledge is experience and everything else is just information. That wisdom remains strikingly relevant today. Yet our education systems often still fall short of preparing students to apply their knowledge meaningfully in life, work, and leadership. In response, Misk Schools developed the Misk Schools Diploma, which has been validated by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. It extends assessment (ergo, learning) beyond rote exams, integrating rich evidence of holistic development as part of the final certification, through portfolios, interdisciplinary projects, internships, narrative feedback and structured self-evaluation. It is rigorous, yes, but also relevant, personalized, and aligned with the expectations of both top universities and the innovation economy. This shift in assessment is already informing how our students engage with the world beyond school. We are collaborating with a number of Saudi Arabia's leading companies for our internship program and with higher education institutions such as Stanford University, where our students are engaging with the Human Perception Lab in the emerging field of symbiotics — a frontier science exploring how humans interact with intelligent systems. These partnerships exemplify how K–12 education needs to evolve, bringing high school students — with their untapped originality and technological ingenuity — closer to where research, industry, and higher education converge. In order to garner broader input to the challenge of how to best evolve school assessment, I have authored a white paper on: Assessment 3.0: Aligning K–12 Education with Life Beyond School, which has been released through the Council of British International Schools. The paper calls for an urgent realignment of how we define success in education. Relying exclusively on high-stakes testing doesn't just sort students; it shapes them. For learners less suited to time-pressured, performance-driven assessments, these systems can leave lasting scars — diminished confidence, disengagement and a reluctance to take risks or lead. The paper argues that assessment should shift from exposing failure to nurturing potential. As another quote widely attributed to Einstein reminds us: 'If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.' The full white paper is available here.
Arab News
13 hours ago
- Arab News
Sudanese refugees' plight must not be forgotten
While the world reels from a series of concurrent global emergencies — wars in Ukraine and Gaza, rising geopolitical tensions in Asia and record-breaking climate catastrophes — the devastating humanitarian crisis emanating from Sudan risks slipping through the cracks of international attention. This brutal internal conflict has already cost more than 20,000 lives and displaced some 13 million people. Of these, more than 3 million have fled the country, seeking refuge in already-vulnerable neighboring nations like Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Libya and Uganda. Chad alone, one of the poorest and least-resourced countries in the world, has absorbed more than 1.2 million Sudanese civilians and returning Chadians since the onset of the conflict. The scope of the suffering is staggering, yet the silence from global powers and international organizations is deafening. The pressure on host countries has reached intolerable levels. 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The scope of the suffering is staggering, yet the silence from global powers and international organizations is deafening Dr. Majid Rafizadeh Egypt, which has long been a destination for Sudanese fleeing earlier waves of conflict, is now experiencing the most intense pressure in recent history. More than 1.5 million Sudanese refugees are currently in Egypt, many of them having arrived in recent months. The country's schools and hospitals — especially in border areas and poorer regions — are incapable of absorbing such numbers. More than half of Sudanese refugee children are out of school and many face discrimination and legal ambiguity that bars them from enrolling in public education. Access to healthcare is likewise limited: refugees often rely on expensive private clinics or overstretched nongovernmental organizations for care. 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Sexual and gender-based violence is rampant, both during flight and in camps. In some areas, women report being forced to exchange sex for food, water or protection. Girls are being pulled from school to help their families survive or to avoid the risk of assault while walking long distances to crowded and under-resourced schools. The psychological toll is immense. Most refugees have witnessed killings, torture or the destruction of their homes. They now face the daily trauma of insecurity, hunger and hopelessness in exile. Mental health support is practically nonexistent in most camps, even though the need is overwhelming. The cost of inaction is too high. Ignoring the Sudanese refugee crisis will fuel greater instability in an already volatile region Dr. Majid Rafizadeh This crisis demands an immediate and scaled-up response from the international community. Global agencies and governments cannot afford to turn their backs. The priority must be delivering emergency humanitarian aid — shelter, food, clean water, medical care and mental health services. These are not luxuries, they are the bare minimum for survival and dignity. Refugees must be granted full legal status under the UN Refugee Convention, ensuring their protection and their right to access services. Without legal status, they live in limbo, unable to work, study or move freely. Beyond immediate relief, the world must implement longer-term solutions. Resettlement corridors must be expanded, offering safe pathways to countries outside the region that can provide permanent sanctuary. Wealthier nations, especially those in the West, have a moral obligation to share responsibility for resettlement and not simply outsource the crisis to Africa's poorest states. Integrated refugee-host community programs must be funded and supported — programs that allow for shared schools, joint agricultural projects and mutual economic development. 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And an entire generation of Sudanese children may grow up without education, nutrition or hope, sowing the seeds for long-term regional instability and global security risks. In conclusion, we must not allow the suffering of Sudanese refugees to be forgotten. This crisis is not just a regional concern — it is a global test of conscience, solidarity and responsibility. As we confront multiple global challenges, we must not abandon the millions of men, women and children from Sudan who, through no fault of their own, have lost everything. The international community still has the power to change the trajectory of this crisis. But that power means nothing if it is not used.
Arab News
14 hours ago
- Arab News
Nonprofits central to developing education, realizing Vision 2030 goals — Al-Benyan
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