After more than four years of conflict, 24 million Yemenis are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. It is difficult for many people to buy basics like flour, oil and rice – the soaring prices of these foods has tipped many families into poverty, especially those who have lost their only breadwinner.
Fatima Ahmed Mansour is a 30-year-old widow living in Bani Mansour in Amran governorate in the north of Yemen. People in Bani Mansour are very vulnerable, and are often not able to provide for themselves. They can barely buy flour and bread to feed their children.
Fatima has four children to take care of. “My husband died suddenly five years ago in a thunderstorm while he was going for a visit to the neighbouring village.” Fatima says, “After he was gone I felt unable to cope with the burden of responsibility for my children.” A tear runs over her cheek.
Two years after her husband died, Fatima started to suffer from a heart problem. She has to see a doctor every six months, which makes her financial situation even more difficult. Her children also lost their uncles and grandfathers during the conflict.
However, with funding from Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, CARE has given Fatima some hope. Fatima received monthly cash assistance from CARE which has enabled her to pay for her children’s school and buy some stationery for them as well as other daily basics.
The project has also enabled her to buy a goat, which not only produces milk but which Fatima believes she will be able to breed in order to generate a steady income for the family. “I was always thinking about a source of income to secure my children’s future,” says Fatima.
In addition, the payments mean she is able to pay for the medication she needs for her chronic heart problem. The project has enabled Fatima to cope with the responsibilities she has for her children. She feels that their future could be brighter.
