The Yemen Project collection documents the activities of the Basic Education Development Project No. 279-0053. It contains the administrative files, employee files, and reports that were completed before, during, and after the project, which spans from 1979 to 1986. The records in the collection are arranged in three series that are reflective of the aforementioned groups.

The Administrative Files series contains account statements, monthly reports of expenditures, memoranda, and correspondence and meeting summaries. The Employee Files series contains files that are arranged alphabetically by the last name of each employee. Most employees will have two files: one containing his/her basic biographical information and resume/CV, among other items, and the other containing correspondence from the employee or regarding the employee. Finally, the Reports series contains reports such as semi-annual reports and end-of-tour reports completed by various administrators about the status of the project overall and the progress of each of the four major subprojects: Core Subproject, Primary Teacher Training Subproject, Primary and Science Education Subproject, and the Instructional Materials Center Subproject.

Most materials are textual but there are files containing photographs of various events during the project included within the administrative files. Many of the employee files also contain photos of the employees. This collection offers insight into the efforts of Eastern Michigan University to aid in the modernization of Yemen via its public education system during a turbulent period in the Middle East. Much of the correspondence from the employees gives a glimpse of daily life in Yemen and the struggles of teachers and administrators in adjusting to working in an entirely different country and culture. What is not included is material documenting the viewpoints of the Yemeni students who received instruction from the teachers who were trained by this project. Such material would have provided a valuable perspective on the efficacy of international projects centered on education from the point-of-view of the target population.