After a decade of civil war in Yemen, millions of lives have been devastated, leaving over half the population struggling to find their next meal. For Abdulaleem, a father of 6, this harsh reality is a daily battle.
When asked about his number 1 priority, he doesn’t hesitate: “The most important thing is to have food.”
His life was turned upside down the day he was forced to flee his home. Looking back on his journey, he remembers the fear and chaos: “When the missiles struck, many people perished, and numerous homes were ruined. Our fear escalated. I had no choice but to flee Al Hudaydah.”
Abdulaleem and his family fled to Aden, where they have lived in Ammar bin Yasser camp since 2018.
Finding safety was not the end of the family’s struggles. Starting life anew after losing everything requires immense dedication and resilience, but for a father of 6 there was no time for despair. “Upon arrival, I was unfamiliar with the camp. Cardboards were our bed so, I had to build a tent.” When the humanitarian assistance started, he used the cash he received to buy a battery and a bulb, bringing much-needed light into their place —a change for which he felt gratitude: “I sense support and mercy in the hearts of others.”
Like every parent would, Abudlaleem tries to shield his children from the daily worries: “Every father harbour worries, yet I hide them well,” he says with determination to preserve their childhood joy despite the hardships.
As the global hunger crisis worsens, millions of people have no choice but to skip meals – something all too familiar to Abudlaleem. “Providing breakfast, lunch, and dinner feels like winning a battle. At times, we adults skip dinner at night.”
What keeps him going? His family. “My dream is first to find a job, so I can feed my children,” he says, driven by a hope to give them a better future.
Like most people whose lives have been turned upside down due to conflicts, Abdulaleem hopes to return home one day, to the ordinary life he once knew: “I hope for an improvement in conditions, for safety, and a return to normalcy. I long to reside in my hometown.”
The European Union (EU), together with its humanitarian partner World Food Programme (WFP), has been supporting people like Abdulaleem across Yemen to provide food and cash assistance to cover their basic needs, with €30 million allocated in 2024 to sustain these life-saving efforts. The support offers vital relief to families in need: “The launch of the cash assistance eased much of our distress. The funds were used to satisfy our necessities. The aid is modest, but it helps.”
A significant portion of the EU’s humanitarian assistance in Yemen is supported through cash transfers to aid recipients, widely recognised as the most efficient, effective, and dignified modality of assistance.
Since the beginning of the war in 2015, the EU has contributed almost €1.5 billion to respond to the crisis in Yemen. However, Yemen remains one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises. The spill over of the Gaza war and the military escalation in the Red Sea, have significantly impacted the already dire humanitarian situation across the country.
With worsening food insecurity and malnutrition, increasing impact of climate change and cholera surges, humanitarian needs are clearly soaring. Yemen will remain a priority for the EU throughout 2025, with the provision of life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable people affected by the conflict and natural disasters, in areas which are conducive for principled aid delivery.
If you want to learn more about Abdulaleem’s story, take a look at our Feeding Hope campaign which takes you on a video journey to Yemen’s Ammar Bin Yasser camp.
