Latifa Ali – Living on $3 a day
“We need safety and food more than anything else”, explained Latifa Ali, who got her share of the food aid that was distributed at the school.
She received two big bags of flour, a small bag of beans and cooking oil. She is happy with this, as it will be enough to feed her family of eight for the next two months.
“Sometimes we cannot find anything to eat and drink. Many times my children go to sleep hungry.” Latifa added.
Her family lives in a small house, which they rent for 13,000 Yemeni Rials ($60 USD) per month.
She describes how “Water and electricity are unavailable in Yemen and only people who own a generator or a solar power system have electricity. Unfortunately, we cannot afford any of those means, so the last time we got electricity in the house was almost six months ago.”
Latifa is the only person working in the family – her husband is currently unemployed. She goes every morning to nearby farms to help female farmers reap the harvest of fruit and vegetables, and in return, she earns almost $3 daily.
Her financial situation has been made much worse by the ongoing conflict. She said, “My husband used to help me by selling potato sandwiches for the students in the school, but now there are no longer any students, as all schools are closed due to the war. We are also unable to prepare the sandwiches because the lack of gas.”
According to UN reports, more than 12.3 million people in Yemen are food insecure and 80% of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance.
Latifa said that in the past they were able to diversify their food from time to time but now they cannot even buy a box of yogurt, as the prices have increased to double the amount they used to be six month ago. Many other food items are also now unavailable.
Latifa concluded, “Thank you so much for the valuable relief in such a difficult time. Beside safety, this food parcel is what we really need for now, and it can save the lives of my children.”