In Yemen, in the west-south of Yemen, there is a city called Aden, also known as a coastal city. where people can travel for some peaceful moments, Elham and her family flee from Taiz to Aden the same as other families seeking peace and shelter to hide their pain and displacement before their bodies because of the conflict that has occurred in Yemen since 2014.
Elham Saeed, a mother of seven children and a housewife in the fourth decade, flees to Aden with her family, After a dead and dangerous trip.” My children and I found ourselves living in fearful and worried situations during the bombing in our town.” Elham said. Confirm that they escaped on foot for a long distance for a couple of days until they came to Aden in 2016.
Elham stabilized in Ameen Muqble camp with other flee families.” We become anonymously to the people with out any help could provide for us.” Elham realized that her family does not have any primary necessities, even though no electricity or water were available. Their life under collapse, there is no money for buying the necessary elements to eat just to survive.” My two youngest children, ages 13 and 14 years old, they collected the plastic just to buy one meal for whole day.”
” I sold my golden rings to buy a motorcycle for my oldest son to spend on us.” Elham explained that it was a campaign to make people aware that garbage containers could have fragments where her children used to collect plastic from, so she prevents them from collecting plastic. The motorcycle did not last for long; it was stolen. The motorcycle was the hope that could lift them from a hard situation, but the last glimmer of hope is gone.
“My children are trying to survive in this condition seeking the simplest rights, but they could have their rights in education.” Elham added that her oldest daughter got married after they fled to Aden, unfortunately because of pregnancy poisoning, she miscarried the fetus. All that happened for the reason of lack of care. After that her daughter phoned to Elham complaining about not feeling comfortable in her husband’s house.” I promised my daughter to take her that day, but my daughter died.” Elham conformed that her daughter was found die by hanging. The case closed as suicide due lack of evidence.” No one told me that my daughter died; I felt something wrong happen to her.” Elham explained that she was called to her daughter, but there was no answer.
Elham had trauma because of what happened to her daughter, and she used to have a treatment to recover. Besides that, treatment was not enough for her. She decided to use her time and consider developing her talents. Elham is a multi- talented and has experience in various fields.” During trauma, I remember my life before the war I used to live in peace and safety, and I realize that I have experience in first aid.” Elham considers using her experience, such as embroidery, knitting and making brooms to provide for herself and her family with decent life. In addition, she got a chance to learn sew.
Elham worked hard and invested some of the money she got to buy a machine tailor and start to design styles of clothes even though there were scarcity of materials” Sewing was a hobby before the war; now is a career.” Elham said. Furthermore, Elham had optical weakness after the trauma, but she did not give up. Either she works in preparation of the burial ceremony, or she sells perfumes and incense.” I became popular in my neighborhood and the suburbs, and I worked hard because I do not want my children to return to collecting plastic.” Elham stated that she worked all the time to feed her family. ” sometimes I don’t accept money while I work.” Explain that some people suffer from poverty, so she helps them for free.” I know how they feel when your life in poverty.” Emphasized that she felt happiness while helping them.
Elham hopes to settle down in a place provide for her and her the family safety. ” Usually people rent a house to shelter them from the world whereas, I live in a tent on rented land.” She said that one of her fears is that one day she will be expelled from the land where she lives now. Elham has several priorities to do, she is a mother to two children with special needs, her son Ahmed has atrophy and the other has epilepsy.” I have to sustain my life for my family; what happen to my oldest daughter I do not want it to happen again to my children.”
” My happiest moment is meeting new people while I do my job and when I keep myself busy at work. “Elham mentioned that her life before conflict was simple, quit with no struggled faces. On the other hand, her life turned up and down when they started to flee.
At the end, they life gives people choices to have a decent life. Elham story life gives her only two option of giving up or stubbornness and Elham goes with the second option. According to Humanity for relief and development reported one of the most urgent humanitarian crises in the world is the Yemen refugee crisis, often known as the Yemeni refugee crisis. The fighting has resulted in the displacement of approximately 3 million citizens, and over 24 million are in critical need of assistance. Women and children represent an important proportion of the people who escape to Yemen’s refugee camps.
