Many people in Yemen are facing a dire situation. Teachers, like many other workers in the country, have been pushed into extreme poverty, which has displaced many or forced them to take up other professions to make ends meet for both themselves and their families.
With the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, the cost of living for families increases with extra expenses such as Iftar meals. But this year, Ramadan comes amid a severe humanitarian and economic crisis, which was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as cuts on aids by NGOs who were providing support for those in need, due to the dwindling volume of international aid to the country.
Forty-six-year-old Sana* , wakes up early while fasting, to graze livestock. She is neither a shepherd nor a farmer. Sana has been a public school teacher in Dhamar, south of capital city Sana’a since 1996. She took on extra work with livestock in addition to teaching, so that she could provide for her family.
