Children brave snipers and mortars to go to school near Yemen front line
A 10-year-old girl in Taiz, Yemen, continues to attend school despite the daily danger of crossing a front line between government forces and Houthi rebels. Her story highlights the broader humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where millions of children face disrupted education and the constant threat of violence.
Why it matters
It illustrates the human cost of the Yemeni civil war and the resilience of children living in active conflict zones.
Image source, Liam Weir / BBC Image caption, Rafeef says the journey to school terrifies her, but she is determined to keep going
Every morning at 6am, 10-year-old Rafeef and her younger brother get ready for school, putting on their cream and brown uniforms.
She always looks forward to seeing her friends and learning about everything from maths to Arabic and Islamic studies. She can't wait to start studying English next year.
But for Rafeef, the journey to school involves far greater risks than crossing roads or missing the bus.
Her school in Taiz, south-western Yemen, stands on a mountain at the edge of a valley known as no-man's land - a heavily contested front line in the civil war between forces supporting Yemen's internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, and the Iran-backed Houthis.
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