Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, has been a focal point of fighting since 2015, with front lines snaking through its streets and hills. The school Rafeef attends is a cluster of low white buildings around a yard, perched on the government-controlled side of the valley. But no-man's land begins just beyond its perimeter. Snipers from Houthi positions have the school and the path leading to it within their sights. Children must walk uphill, often in the open, with their backs toward the enemy lines. Mortar shells have occasionally landed on the school grounds, but the students still come.
Rafeef is not alone: many of her classmates make the same journey. She says she feels fear, but her love of learning overrides it. The school offers a routine and a sense of normalcy. "I look forward to seeing my friends and studying maths and Arabic," she told the BBC. The school also serves as a community hub, with some displaced families taking shelter there. The teachers, like the students, risk their lives to provide education.
The conflict in Yemen, now entering its second decade, has turned many schools into ruins or shelters for displaced families, but this one remains open, standing as a symbol of resilience against the violence that has robbed so many Yemeni children of their childhood. Yet the threat of escalation remains ever present. Any shift in front-line positions could turn the school into a direct combat zone.