“We’re going through a very difficult time at the moment,” says Maryam, “It is not like anything we’ve experienced before.
“We’re going through a very difficult time at the moment,” says Maryam, “It is not like anything we’ve experienced before. “It isn’t safe in Yemen anymore. It’s very difficult to live here, and we’re heading towards a possible famine. There is no water, electricity or gas. People will start dying of thirst if this continues.” Food-insecurity was already rife in Yemen before the conflict escalated in April. Basic food supplies and essential items reach for families, as supplies dwindle and prices shoot up.
Many, like Maryam’s family, have been stripped of their livelihood. Her household depended on the rental income from a small grocery shop – but the tenant has been killed in the fighting. Her elder brother can no longer go to work, and her sister – a nurse – is too afraid to go to the hospital. “We cannot live normally as we are all so frightened,” says Maryam, describing the fear that has gripped her family and the rest of the country. “My younger brother wakes up scared. There were pregnant women who miscarried out of fear and the shocks that they have been through. “My older brother was always reassuring himself and those around him that there is nothing to worry about, but one day he was shot in the shoulder.”
Maryam received one of thousands of food parcels distributed by Islamic Relief, which has so far helped 100,000 conflict-affected people in Yemen. “These food parcels have helped with the significant food shortage we have in our house. I want to thank Islamic Relief for their assistance. They found those who needed help the most and supported them. “We have lost so much, but God the Merciful is guiding people to help us.” Islamic Relief is on the ground in Yemen delivering lifesaving aid which includes foodpacks, medical supplies, and access to water.