Abdulkarem Ghazi was born on 1 January 1973 in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen. Before joining the ICRC in 2013, Abdulkarem had a long and accomplished career in the field of nursing. In November 1997 he graduated from Sana’a University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. He then joined the Cardiac Center in Sana’a as a staff nurse before switching in March 2002 to the city’s Yemen German Hospital where he was appointed nursing director. In 2005 he was instrumental in the creation of a 220-page nursing services policy manual for the hospital.
Abdulkarem remained at the Yemen German Hospital until July 2007 when he won a Fulbright Scholarship to the United States. This was to do a master’s degree in Nursing and Healthcare Management at Kent State University College of Nursing in Ohio. As part of his studies, he wrote a paper titled Factors Affecting Nursing in Yemen and Solutions for Strengthening the Profession. While studying, he volunteered as a nursing assistant in the geriatric care unit of the non-profit Summa Health System, in the nearby city of Akron.
On his return to Sana’a, Abdulkarem worked part-time as a nursing educator at the Al-Jazeera Health Institute (March to July 2010). He was then appointed as chief nursing officer at the city’s Azal Specialized Hospital – a position he held until joining the ICRC. Eager to help improve the country’s medical infrastructure, he and another Fulbright alumnus, Ebrahim Alkhshbi, who had completed a similar master’s degree, joined forces to support a School of Nursing at Sana’a University. From September 2012, Abdulkarem worked as a nursing educator at the university. Abdulkarem was appointed vice president of the Yemeni Nursing Society the same year.
In November 2013 he joined the ICRC delegation in Sana’a as a cooperation field officer. His job was to ensure collaboration and coordination between the various components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement active in Yemen. A key part of this role was to nurture the ICRC’s partnership with the Yemen Red Crescent Society (YRCS). Given his extensive professional and leadership experience, Abdulkarem settled smoothly into his new role. He was self-motivated, full of good ideas and strived hard to build close ties with YRCS staff and branches. He quickly earned the trust of his colleagues through his consistent ability to deliver work to a high standard. In his spare time, he liked playing soccer and swimming.
On 2 September 2015, Abdulkarem was travelling with his ICRC colleague Mohammed Al-Hakamy when they were shot and killed at a checkpoint near the town of Huth, in the northern part of Amran Governorate. Abdulkarem was 42 and married with two daughters and a son.
Following the tragedy, Theodore H Kattouf, president of Amideast, the organization that facilitated Abdulkarem’s Fulbright Scholarship, spoke of his great sadness: “Abdulkarem’s death is one more tragedy for Yemen – the untimely death of a young person deeply committed to using his knowledge and skills to benefit his country.”
