The war and siege imposed by the US-Saudi-led War Coalition have exhausted the Yemenis and turned the country into a home for the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. Access to water, food and basic services has become more difficult for most Yemenis, while funding for humanitarian operations has been sharply reduced by UN humanitarian organizations.
At a water point where people gather to wait for water trucks to arrive, Um Yahya, a mother of four children living in a village near Sana’a, stands complaining, “There is no clean water or any effective water supply projects here. To get drinking water, we have to wait hours outside for the water trucks to arrive.” Um Yahya often waits for several hours to fill two bowls of water, which hardly covers her family’s daily needs.
“Our children have to walk long distances every day to get water without proper means of transportation, forcing many of them to drop out of school,” Um Yahya added. Children are also vulnerable to risks and accidents on the way. As a result, many children in the area suffer from permanent disabilities. She further clarifies, “My family survives on the distributed charity. Food baskets are our only way to meet our basic food needs. But unfortunately, most organizations have stopped providing food support; so, we mostly rely on community solidarity to help each other.”
“In reality, we do not live a normal life. This unjust war not only has destroyed our homes, but also deprived us of access to clean water”.
