Asma, 19, Yemen
My father hasn’t received his salary for one year, he used to support all of our family but now my mother buys the food and other basic necessities. She only earns 15,000 YER ($38 USD) per month and this is not enough to meet all of our needs. Sometimes when she is out of money, we rely on other people to support us.
We cannot afford to eat meat throughout the year. We only eat meat once a year, during Eid-al-Adha, when NGOs provide Qurbani to poor people. Our financial situation prevents us from having any meat, especially these days due to the collapsing economic situation and conflict. Like, many people, my father has lost his job, so talking about buying meat is like a dream to me and my siblings.
I know eating meat is important for our bodies and it would make us healthier, but we are living in a very bad condition. My family can’t pay the rent of our apartment, but the owner is kind and said he can wait until our situation becomes better.
This year I just finished studying high school, I wish to be a doctor in the future. I would like to help the children of my country who have been affected by this conflict and help them with their daily living expenses.
Eid-al-Adha is a blessed day, it’s a day of happiness for us. We try to enjoy Eid by gathering with our families and going to a park if possible. After receiving a meat pack from Islamic Relief we are very happy. My mother is able to make some delicious food from the Qurbani meat, sadly this only happens once a year for us.