The New Humanitarian (TNH), a non-profit newsroom, initiated the Yemen Listening Project to bring stories from Yemen’s civil war’s to a wider audience. The project, led by Middle East editor Annie Slemrod and Yemeni refugee Nuha Al-Junaid, collected stories from over 100 Yemenis affected by the war.
The war, often termed the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, has led to economic collapse and left 18 million people, including 10 million children, in need of lifesaving support. However, global attention has been diverted due to conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
The project’s stories, published in English and Arabic, were made accessible on low-bandwidth mobile devices. The aim was to reach a broad audience, including the general public and aid workers. A partnership with Al-Jazeera allowed the stories to be shared on social media platforms.
Slemrod and Al-Junaid discussed the project on the Journalism.co.uk podcast, highlighting the importance of Yemenis telling their own stories. They also shared the challenges of coordinating such a complex project, including ensuring representation from women and foreign workers.
The project underscored the value of participatory journalism and the need for diverse methods of story sharing. It also emphasized the importance of working with individuals who understand the country’s internal contexts. As Al-Junaid concluded, “Yemenis are desperate to be heard.”