Watheek and his family were displaced by the violence in Yemen. He is recovering from malnutrition with support from Action Against Hunger.
Watheek was born in displacement. His family was forced to flee their home when the war in Yemen worsened. With six children living in a small one-room house, his parents struggle to get by. Watheek suffered from malnutrition when he was two years old and Action Against Hunger’s team saved his life.
Watheek’s mother, Tasmeem, worries about their future. Her husband is considering travelling farther away from the family to find better opportunities for fishing.
“It’s so scary for me to think that I will be alone here with my children waiting to hear from him,” Tasmeem told us. “When there are conflicts, they cut the roads off and we cannot reach him via phone because they also cut the contacts. It is here where we start to drown in despair thinking that he might be dead. It’s difficult for me, him and especially the children, but these are the kind of life or death decisions we make every day.”
Solutions to hunger and poverty in the Middle East
Across the Middle East, Action Against Hunger supports communities enduring the consequences of conflict: displacement, destroyed infrastructure, mental health needs, and shortages of food, water, and other supplies.
We prevent and treat malnutrition in children, mothers, and other vulnerable groups and we support local governments, parents, and communities to improve nutrition and health services. Our teams also educate people and encourage behavior change to help prevent hunger from occurring in the first place.
Our food security and livelihoods programs empower vulnerable communities to improve their access to food, income, and markets. We train and build the capacity of small-scale farmers to implement climate-smart agriculture techniques, increase production, raise livestock, and grow more nutritious crops.
In conflicts and natural disasters, we improve access to clean water, safe sanitation, and good hygiene and provide cash transfers to help families buy what they need.
