The ongoing conflict in Yemen has compromised the availability and accessibility of healthcare, especially in rural and conflict-affected areas. In 2022, 21.9 million people are expected to need support to access health services, a 9% increase compared with 2021. Of those, 12.6 million are expected to be in acute need of health assistance.

Adnan, a 25-year-old man, lives with his family in Dhamar Governorate, south of the capital Sana’a. He was born well and healthy, but at the age of thirteen, he was diagnosed with meningitis. Despite two years of treatment, the illness took away his hope of being able to walk again and left him paralyzed and suffering from renal failure. “My little body couldn’t bear the large amount of medications I had to take which led to renal failure. I had to drop out of school at the eighth grade due to my health condition,” says Adnan.

Adnan, 25, suffers from a kidney failure and lives on medications. Photo: Abdulrahman Alhobishi/CARE

Adnan used to have a simple life prior to the war. His father had a job and was the only breadwinner for his family and was able to provide medicine that his son lives on. Adnan used to receive more than one dialysis session weekly and has had to adhere to a costly special dietary regime because of his health condition.

“Our living condition deteriorated more after the war. My father lost his job and couldn’t pay for my treatment and medication. The ongoing fuel crisis has had a negative effect on governmental hospitals which provide treatment to kidney failure patients. This reduced the number of my dialysis sessions,” Adnan states that sometimes he arrives to the hospital and has to wait until the electricity is back to start his session. The burden of renal failure is agonizing, with the shadow of death hovering over patients experiencing renal failure. “I wait for hours to find a bus to take me to the hospital due to the lack of fuel. I wish I had never been born,” says Adnan.

The process of going through dialysis treatment requires a lifestyle overhaul for most patients. Thousands of renal failure patients in Yemen could face a grim fate, if dialysis treatment is not secured. Their survival depends on unfettered access to uninterrupted treatment. 

Funded by the European Union and in coordination with the Durable Solutions Consortium, CARE has intervened with unconditional cash transfers to patients who suffer from kidney failure and cancer in Dhamar Governorate. Up to 250 patients (205 kidney failure patients and 45 cancer patients) at the General Dhamar Hospital receive 45,000 Yemeni Riyals (YER) across four phases to help mitigate the hardships they face.

“The money helps me pay for my daily necessities. Receiving it means I can pay for my medication punctually because otherwise it is just too expensive.  In addition, it allows me to  buy healthy meals that will keep me strong and save me. I can also pay for my transportation to attend my dialysis on time,” says Adnan. He wishes that his health condition gets better. “Thanks to everyone who has supported me. I hope that this project will continue and I also hope that I can go back to school one day,” Adnan concludes. 

Main Photo: Adnan attends General Dhamar Hospital to receive dialysis treatment. Photo: Abdulrahman Alhobishi/CARE

A day in Ramadan, and I finished a day’s work as Food Security and Livelihoods Team Leader (FSL TL) in Amran Office and left the office and walked home. On my way, I saw roads were full of people and the fuel queues had become longer which wasn’t an uncommon sight in Amran city. People had to wait for days to get fuel.

Because of the fuel crisis, no salaries, no jobs, combined with the economic crisis and Yemeni currency depreciation, Yemenis continue to struggle to secure their most basic needs of food.  Many people have had to resort to walking long distances on foot from one area to another, from one market to another, and from one shop to another, and many stand at traffic lights asking for help or anything they may take from others to meet a few of their needs and to be able to buy the minimum of what they need for Ramadan. During Ramadan, many families have been breaking their fast on only water, bread and yogurt.

Through my work as an FSL TL, I have come across many tragic stories of struggling for survival which have become common in Amran particularly, and in Yemen generally.

For ages, we have always heard the common Yemeni proverbial expression – “Eid is the feast of wellness” which is basically used when someone has no money to cover his basic needs for Eid. People say it to console themselves when they are unable to meet the necessities, as clothes, food and gifts of Eid celebration. However, due to the war that has been going on for years, this Eid comes and millions of Yemeni people desperately wish for that “Feast of Wellness.”

Yemen continues to be one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world, with 54 percent of the population of 31.9 million experiencing high acute food insecurity. Based on recent figures, 17.4 million people are facing severe food insecurity now with this rising to 19 million as we approach the second half of the year.  As a Yemeni, it pains me to hear that up to 161,000 people will be facing extreme hunger or famine this year and that 2.2 million children under five and 1.3 million pregnant and lactating women will have to fight acute malnutrition. Sadly, the people in Amran Governorate will not be immune to these statistics as the population struggle with the ongoing crisis, high levels of displacement and widespread destruction of infrastructure and facilities.

Alfitr Eid has always had a special place in the hearts of all Yemenis. I remember that the eve of every Eid was full of warmth and happy preparations for the next day. It is common practice for Yemenis, that female members of the family get together to prepare the cookies, incense and decorations while male members help in buying the sweets and new clothes for the family members. In the early morning of the next day, everybody takes a shower, puts on new clothes and we go for Eid Alfitr prayers. Visiting relatives is the most important custom as soon as people finish praying. Nuts, desserts, drinks and the home incense smell are given to the visitors while visitors give some money as Eid gift. A couple of days later people travel to the countryside to have fun and spend time exploring the nature.

But because of the war, Eid preparations and customs, which are an intricate part of our culture, are no longer possible for many. So many families can’t afford to buy children’s clothes, nuts or desserts or even make cookies. There is no possibility to exchange gifts among the family as people no longer have that purchasing power. The war that has been raging in my country for eight years now has negatively affected every part of the Yemeni life including the Eid traditions. Streets and alleys seem empty. We can’t travel anywhere due to the costly fuel and expensive hotel costs.

Prior to the war, there was strong relationship among the neighborhoods’ families and generous people used to give away food or money to the needy, especially during Ramadan and Eid times. However, after the eruption of the war, this tradition generally faded away. It had to. Many households have lost their primary source of income and can no longer provide enough food for their own families and can't access basic services. Many – up to 80 percent - are now living below the poverty line. I still remember one of my relatives in Amran telling me, “My children and I only have one meal of bread and water a day. We usually don't feel full and sleep hungry”. Just like many others, she is not able to buy Eid clothes for her children. “My kids will wear their old clothes; they will not have candy and toys. I can't look into their eyes," she tells me. Unfortunately, such stories are commonly heard around Amran, of people who struggle to have food for one meal a day.  As a result, I appeal for urgent support to the Yemeni people as well as an urgent stop of the war.

Despite what we have to face daily, when looking into people’s eyes you can see their unrelenting resilience even though they continue to live within a large-scale humanitarian crisis since 2015. When someone wishes to witness the true joy of Eid in its most beautiful and completed form, they should focus on the looks on children’s faces. The real feast and celebration for families will be when they’re able to see the smile and the enjoyment on the faces of their children. I personally hope the war will end soon and I hope Yemen finds peace and safety this year 2022, so people can become strong enough to be able to provide essentials for their families and that we can truly say “Eid is the feast of wellness" with all that it will bring for us.  Eid Mubarak!

Main Photo: Jamil Almaghdwi, the Food Security and Livelihoods Team Leader, CARE International in Yemen based in Amran Area Office. Photo by: Abdulrahman Alhobishi/CARE