Yemen is a land forgotten in time - until recently - and much of the scenery and culture reflect aspects unchanged from Biblical times. Perched on one side of the Arabian Peninsula at the entrance to the Red Sea, it was historically known as an insular and fiercely independent country.
Today, Yemen is an Islamic, democratic, republic. The country has a population of over 17 million people, half of whom are under 16 years old. Although on the Peninsula it is not an oil-rich Gulf state, and Yemen is grappling with rapid change.
Very rapid development, social and economic, is taking parts of the country directly from the middle ages into the 21st century. Government services are scarce and water and power can be frequently cut. However, the people are very approachable, friendly and curious.
CLI's home city of Taiz supports a population of over 400,000, and is located in the mountains in the south-west of Yemen. Situated at an altitude of 1400m at the foot of the 3000m high Gebel Sabir. The climate is mild to warm year-round with low humidity.
