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. On one side of the school is government-held territory, on the other are Houthi sniper positions.
Rafeef's home is further down the mountain. Every time she goes to school, she has to walk uphill with her back towards the snipers. According to Unicef, roughly 3.2 million children in Yemen were out of school even before the war escalated last month.
It says thousands of children have been killed or maimed since the war began in 2014, while thousands more have been recruited by armed groups on both sides. Yet despite the risks, Rafeef says she does not want to stop going because she loves seeing her friends and it is her only chance to be with them. She begins naming the children in her classroom.
Going to school is the only time Rafeef's parents let her go outside. They say they are keen for her to get an education and have the chance of a better life. Rafeef hopes to become a doctor.
Rafeef's family moved to Taiz from the coastal city of Hudaydah nine years ago, seeking safety when Houthis took control there. Rafeef says that two years ago there was a mortar attack outside her new home. "Everyone was out except for me and my brother.
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