الكاتب: فريق التحرير

This story was written with support from IJNet Arabic’s Mentoring Center for Media Startups

Written by: Ibrahim Al-Munifi

Translated by: Yasser Muhammed

In Al-Jarahi district, south of Al Hodeidah governorate, 20 year old Ali Al-Faqih used to work with bakeries to provide for himself and his family. What Ali used to earn, was no longer enough, to pay for everything, especially during the rising cost of living due to the conflict in Yemen. Ali had to look for another livelihood

While Ali was thinking where to find another job, he was interrupted with a phone call from a friend who gave him the good news about a work opportunity in a farm in the nearby Al-Khaukhah district. Ali was happy with the news, and started preparing for his new job directly after Eid Al-Adha which was in a few days

Breaking a Promise

After a happy Eid vacation, during which Ali’s village celebrated with what little means they still had after the war almost took everything from them, Ali said goodbye to his family, kissed his 8 year old son, asked him to study hard and promised him a nice present if he gets a good grade at the end of the year

On an August day in 2021, Ali woke up early, as he is accustomed to, to work in the farm, and it was irrigation day

While Ali was clearing the soil with a shovel to let the water into the farm, he noticed the earth was a little hard to move, thinking It was a rock, he attempted to removed it. Suddenly, an explosion sends Ali flying a few meters away, completely severing his left hand. Ali was attempting to remove an anti-personnel mine, not a rock

Farmers from the surrounding farms rushed towards the sound of the explosion, only to be shocked by the scene of Ali thrown on the ground, bloodied and without his left arm, after being taken aback for a few seconds, the farmers rushed Ali to a hospital in the city

“I was in a comma for about five days, when I woke up, I realized I lost my left arm, and sustained several severe injuries in various parts of my body, I couldn’t move for months, I felt great indescribable pain,” said Ali to the Media Center for Persons with Disabilities (MCPD)

Alis returned to his home as a person with a disability. When he saw his son, Ali remembered that he broke his promise to his son, without saying anything he hugged his son and wife while tears came down from his eyes, he was feeling helpless

 I Wish that my Son Achieve what I Couldn’t

Ali’s new condition did not sit well with him. He never would have thought that he would be a person with special needs, that he would not be able to do the things he used to before. Ali became depressed and isolated himself from everyone around him

“I hated leaving my house, I closed the door of my room and stayed inside it, I would only leave it if I was forced, I lived like this for a year,” said Ali

Adding “suddenly, I realized that there is no use in despairing like that, and my family stood by me and motivated me, and that brought my hope in life again”

With support from a few humanitarian organizations, Ali undertook two surgeries, one in Sana’a and the other in Aden, but “there was no use” of them as he put it

For about a year now, Ali waits every day for a call from a humanitarian organization, or any other body to grant him a prosthetic arm so he can start working and provide for his family

Ali spoke to the MCPD bitterly about how he used to dream of becoming a doctor and serving his community

“I learned reading and writing, but I couldn’t continue my education due to our financial situation and to having to start work,” said Ali

Adding “now I wish I could have my own business so I can work in it myself, support my family and help my son to finish his education and achieve what I used to wish to achieve”

:Ali wanted to say something to the competent authorities and express how he felt for a long time

“We are civilians. We have been harmed with no fault of ours, we are victims of your war, don’t forget us while you are agreeing to end it. This did not happen to me alone, there are many others, especially in Al  Hodeida governorate, it is one of the most affected governorates by the war and there are many Persons with Special Needs inside it” 

What Ali said is a well-known fact. The MCPD contacted 13 Persons with Special Needs (PWSNs) in one day, they became PWSNs because of the conflict and many of them couldn’t speak with us about their pain, one of them just said “What happened has passed, our pain is great, just leave it to God”, then he switched his phone off

Even Ali Al-Faqih, refused to tell us his story, but we insisted on him, and then he agreed to tell us his story briefly

“I trusted you, and told you my story without knowing you beforehand, please don’t harm me, this is a sacred trust, even my mother did not want me to talk to you but I had already promised you,” said Ali

These innocent victims, who paid a hefty price from their soul, body and dreams, are afraid to be heard expressing their pains. Their suffering should be enough reason to end the war

في أحد أيام شهر أغسطس آب عام 2021 نهض علي مبكراً كالعادة للعمل في المزرعة، وكان ذلك اليوم موعد ري المزرعة

وأثناء ما كان علي يقلب التراب “بالكُريك” إحدى آلات الزراعة ويفتح المجال للماء ليصل إلى كافة أنحاء المزرعة لاحظ قسوة الأرض فظنها حجراًلكنها لم تكن قسوة الأرض بل قسوة الإنسان… لمعرفة ماحدث يمكنكم الاستماع لبودكاست ما وراء الحرب الحلقة التاسعة بعنوان :”لم يعد بهدية بل عاد بنصف حضن.. علي ومأساة معاقي الحديدة” على الرابط التالي :

“تم إنتاج هذه الحلقة بدعم من برنامج مركز التوجيه للمبادرات الاعلامية الناشئة التابع لشبكة الصحفيين الدوليين”

This story was written with support from IJNet Arabic’s Mentoring Center for MediaStartups

Written By Ibrahim Al-Munifi

Translated By Yasser Muhammed

At around 1:00 in the morning, in a large residential building located in Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, in which several families from different governorates live, loud screams were heard by the entire building. As time went by, the cries got louder. The neighbors started to question what was happening, because the building is usually quiet by night, and there was no new tenan 

As the screams got louder and louder, the tenants decided to go and check the source of the sound. One of the neighbors gently knocked on the apartment’s door and a man came out apologizing without even asking why someone was knocking at the door that late in the night

Upon apologizing the man asked his neighbors to forgive him and to be understanding

? Understand what? What could make a person scream so loud?,” Whispered one of the neighbors“

Inside the apartment, Abd Al-Karim Taher, the sick person’s brother called a relative in Taiz governorate, south west of Yemen, to inform him of the recent developments

“We arrived in Sana’a just this afternoon, and Ahmed was with us. We did not go to our relatives’ house to rest, the condition seemed serious and unbearable,” Abd Al-Karim Taher during the phone call

Abd Al-Karim continued explaining the situation to his relative, mentioning that although he did not have time to research who is a good ENT specialist, in Sana’a and visited the nearest clinic, later they found out that the doctor they visited was a renowned ENT specialist

“Ahmed has a collection of fluids and pus in his ear, decay is spreading in his nerves and may reach the brain,” Continued Abd Al-Karim during the phone call

The specialist had explained to Abd Al-Karim that his brother Ahmad needs an emergency operation to prevent the decay from reaching Ahmad’s brain and killing him

Although Abd Al-Karim was happy to hear his brother’s condition is treatable, he was shocked to learn the cost would be YER 500,000, which he did not have

“We went back to our relatives’ house until we could collect the money or borrow it, but Ahmed was in severe pain and was screaming so much that the neighbors gathered at our door asking about the reason for the screaming

A Helping Hand from a New Neighbor

After two days of agony and suffering for Ahmad, during which his brother Abdul Karim was racing against time to save his brother’s life, the neighbors collected most of the money between them and Abd Al-Karim and his family collected the remaining sum of the money on the third day

Abd Al-Karim rushed to the hospital to ask the doctor to perform the surgery on his brother and save his life, and the doctor did 

Unfortunately, Ahmad’s middle ear and cranial nerve were removed 

The facial nerve is the 7th cranial nerve which carries nerve fibers that control facial movement and expression. The facial nerve also carries nerves that are involved in taste to the anterior 2/3 of the tongue and produce tears (lacrimal gland)

The doctor asked Ahmed’s family to bring him back 90 days after the first surgery to perform a second surgery  to prevent decay from reaching his brain and threatening his life. Three months following the 1st surgery Ahmad’s family took him back to the doctor’s clinic for the second one. Unfortunately completely lost his sense of hearing

Wishing for Death 

On May 11, 2015 Ahmed Taher was thirteen years old and studying in the eighth grade, when the historical Al-Qahira Castle in Taiz governorate was rocked with airstrikes on the morning of that  day

Due to the deafening sound caused by the airstrike Ahmad’s ear was damaged and started to cause him great pain. Following that, Ahmad and his brother Abd Al-Karim visited a general practitioner who gave him antibiotics and some other medicines.  However, Ahmad’s earache returned a few months later and kept increasing with time, until the strongest sedatives no longer had any effect. Ahmed lived his days and weeks feeling severe pain until his eyes and body withered

Due to the severity of his pain, Ahmed attempted to take his own life a few times, luckily his family were able to intervene and stop him every time

A Glimmer of Hope 

A philanthropist helped Ahmed travel to India to undergo a surgery to implant a cochlear in one of his ears. Fortunately Ahmad recovered 5% of his hearing making him very happy and hopeful

“Ahmad was ecstatic, his dreams of going back to school and mingling with students after about two years of isolation and mental suffering,” said Abd Al-Karim to the Media Center for Persons with Disability (MCPD).  Despite the numerous difficulties, Ahmed was able to complete his studies and graduate from high school, thanks to his persistence and the support of his family

Thanks to Ahmed’s insistence and his family’s awareness of the importance of getting treatment, they stood with him step by step, especially his brother Abdul Karim, who is a  physician assistant and is currently studying to specialize in prosthetics

Abdul Karim is upset with the weak presence of specialized humanitarian organizations in Yemen and of the absence of a humanitarian organization that is dedicated to civilian victims of war who became PWSNs due to the war

Abdul Karim said that his brother did not receive any form of support from humanitarian organizations, even psychosocial support or support in the form of training and qualifying, which according to Abd Al-Karim he desperately needs. “Ahmed suffers greatly because his disability is new to him, Ahmed was and still is a people person who loves football,” added Abd Al-Karim