Yemeni Family in Taiz Turns to Tree Leaves After Aid Cuts

In Taiz, southern Yemen, 65-year-old Saeedah Mohammed is collecting leaves from trees near a tent camp to feed her grandchildren after food assistance was cut off. The family has been struggling with hunger since the aid they had received for more than six months stopped. Mohammed gathers the leaves in a plastic bag, washes them with water inside the tent and then builds a rudimentary cooking fire from stones and branches to prepare them. She is trying to keep the household fed as basic food support has disappeared. The family lives in a makeshift tent they erected inside the camp. They share it with their two divorced daughters and six children. Around the camp, worn clothing, garbage and dry ground underline the extent of hardship. Poverty has become part of daily life for families struggling to survive in the area.