Towards Poverty Eradication

Even with access to food aid, the displaced still feel unsecured and worried about getting their children fed. Let’s face it, some displaced families consist of more than 10 members which makes it hard to ensure having three meals a day with one food basket. Also, a few other families have no choice but to sell their food basket to be able to afford the needed drugs which is most unfortunate.

With this harsh reality in mind, there has got to be more livelihood and economic empowerment activities to ensure poverty reduction, food security, as well as economic stability for the impacted internally displaced people in Yemen. Aisha, aged seventy years, is a displaced woman who lives in Al-Maqbara camp in Bajil district of Al-Hudaydah governorate. This elderly woman suffers from almost all basic necessities of life besides having chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

“It’s been nine years since I’ve been living alone. I’ve 5 sons & 2 daughters, all of whom are married. As I’ve grown older, I became weaker. Now, I am chronically ill, and I need to take the prescribed medication each month. I’m always thankful for the food assistance I continue to receive every month. The truth is that I can take food from my neighbors, but I cannot ask them to get my drugs. Hence, I’ve to sell a small proportion of my food basket to enable me take the needed medication. You’ve got to know that there’s something important, and there’s something very important,” Aisha said.

By the greater support of Sign of Hope (SoH), RDP, therefore, has implemented the food security and livelihood project as the first step towards poverty eradication to hundreds of displaced families in Bajil district of Al-Hudaydah governorate.  Aisha was targeted by in-kind food assistance along with many of the internally displaced people in the camp for six consecutive months. She was also targeted in the livestock activity to build her capacity through vocational training in livestock management. Aisha received a livestock kit which consists of three sheep (2 pregnant sheep or lactating mothers and 1 male sheep weighting 14 kg) and 67 kg of concentrate feed which is enough to feed the sheep for three months.

Aisha added, “A lot of things have changed in my life, and I am no longer in need to sell anything from my food rations Alhamdulillah. Now, I have the sheep. They are like my children with whom I have fun inside this bleak place.”