Yemen is suffering the world’s worst humanitarian crisis due to a conflict that has been ongoing for almost five years, causing extremely high levels of food insecurity. Children and women are the most affected by this crisis, which has left many innocent victims.
Saleh Abdullah, is 55 years old and is from Balad village in Lahj governorate. He is the sole provider for his family of ten. Balad village suffers from hunger and disease, and Saleh’s family has no source of income other than simple seasonal agriculture and grazing.
Due to two years of low rainfall, the villagers of Balad did not receive a crop this year, which meant that Saleh was forced to sell firewood and borrow money to buy food. He also had to sell many of his sheep at very cheap prices to be able to afford food, which has risen in price beyond the reach of most families in the areas due to the cost of transporting it to remote villages.
“The livestock in the village has been halved because people have no choice but to sell,” says Saleh.
With funding from Food for Peace, CARE implemented the Yemen Emergency Food Assistance project, providing one food basket per month for nine months to families like Saleh’s.
This project has given people hope that they will be able to improve their lives. Saleh was one of the beneficiaries of the project, and was able to buy enough food for his family. He became happy after seeing his children’s health getting better. When he received the second food basket he began thinking about how to solve his debt problem.
“I stopped selling my livestock and increased the number of animals,” he says. “Then I was able to pay my debts and my children went back to school. This is thanks to the project. I am now a free man and I’m not bound by my debt.”
The CARE team faced hazards on the road when reaching the village of Balad, but this did not prevent them from reaching beneficiaries. The team’s goal was to provide assistance to people despite the difficulties, challenges and long distance.
“CARE is the only organisation that has helped us so far and we hope that its support will continue, especially to provide us with a water pump,” added Saleh.
