Homeless mothers in the city of Taiz, Yemen, are living in difficult conditions and are striving to meet the basic needs of their lives and their children. These mothers, who have been forced to leave their homes due to recent conflicts, are now living in a damaged building and have resorted to collecting and selling plastic bottles for their survival.
Human Pressures in Taiz
The city of Taiz, which has been severely affected since the onset of conflicts in Yemen, is now home to about half of the 300,000 displaced people across Yemen. This city has been heavily isolated since October 3 due to escalating clashes between the Saudi-backed government and Iranian-aligned Houthis. The fighting has severely restricted the entry of humanitarian aid and the exit of civilians.
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Fatima Abdullah Qassem, one of these mothers, explains that her family fled at night from the village of Al-Siyasti in the Al-Dhabab region of Taiz due to the conflicts. They have been sleeping on the streets for two days because the damaged building they currently live in is very dirty and unsuitable.
Livelihood and Human Challenges
Qassem, a mother of eight children who is separated from her husband, lost one of her sons in a landmine explosion in 2017. She and another mother named Intisar Ahmed Said, who is also a mother of seven children, were previously engaged in selling vegetables but have now turned to collecting and selling plastic bottles to support their families.
Said says about this: "The money I earn from this work is not even enough to provide food for my children. My life is a struggle every day. I work for 1500 riyals (about 0.96 dollars) and this is not enough. I beg for potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and ... My daughters are at home and I don’t know where to take them. There is no one to work hard and take care of them. My son is 15 years old and there is no work these days."
The difficult conditions of these mothers reflect a deeper humanitarian crisis unfolding in Yemen, where conflicts and sanctions have put millions at risk of famine and homelessness. These stories are just examples of the daily challenges faced by displaced families in Yemen and highlight the urgent need for humanitarian aid and international support.
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