Amidst years of war, Yemen still holds its undisputed title as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. The conflict in Yemen had negative effects on all members of society, men, women, boys, girls and even children.

Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world because of the economic crises that the country witnessed during the years of war, which makes the country sad today, unlike the past.

Many of the owners of small projects that generate limited income are vulnerable to falling into the list of the poorest groups, especially after the deterioration of the economic situation in Yemen since the beginning of the war.

In a tone of pain, Uncle Fouad, 45 years old says, "The war stole a lot from me." Then he tells us the beginning of his painful story, whose features become clear just by meeting him.

Despite his suffering caused by the war and successive crises, Fouad enjoys a kind of optimism, love of work and a sense of responsibility towards his family, which has no other breadwinner.

Before the events of 2015, Fouad owned his small project, which is a welding iron workshop, and because of the war, Fouad was forced to leave his small project, which was the only source of his limited income to meet the needs of his family.

Because of the lack of job opportunities, especially in Taiz city, and after he became unemployed, Uncle Fouad moved to work in a governmental agency specialized in removing landmines and remnants of war to begin his chapter of great suffering, whose effect grows every time Fouad thinks “how he was, and how he became.”

During his new job, Fouad had a landmine explosion that made him lose both of his feet and one of his hands, becoming a physically handicapped, unable to walk and move except by his wheelchair, which is driven by one of his sons.

The long-term siege and the fighting in Taiz increased the suffering of the population, hampering their ability to realize their simple dreams, and even get the simplest things that enable them to live peacefully during the war which they had nothing to do with. Uncle Fouad dreamed of getting a job opportunity that would enable him to continue living, but his disability itself was an obstacle to his desired dream.

As a returnee from death, Fouad decided to create a job opportunity for himself by setting up a small stall to sell vegetables in the street in Taiz city, but due to the lack of funding for his small stall, Fouad was not satisfied with the income he was earning because it was not enough to meet their basic needs.

Many groups of society, especially youth, suffered from internal conflict, because they are skilled, but were unable to find jobs to support themselves and their families, especially in the difficult times when Yemen witnessed an economic deterioration and the outbreak of COVID-19, and this made Fouad one of those who suffered, because his small project deteriorated and failed due to the rise in currency rates against the Yemeni riyal.

Fortunately for Fouad, the Rescue Development Foundation, with funding from GWQ, implemented the "Economic Empowerment for People with Movement Disabilities" project.

 This project comes within the framework of the project “Strengthening Community Participation and Building the Capacities of CSOs and Youth and Women’s Initiatives and Activating Their Roles in Local Communities”, implemented by GWQ and funded by CARE International, through which a group of CSOs and youth and women’s initiatives in Taiz governorate received small grants to implement several projects.

Fouad says happily: "I was very disappointed before the intervention of Rescue Development Foundation." "The support I received encouraged me to return to work with strength and passion, in addition to giving me the desire to develop my small business."

After receiving the support, Fouad now has a satisfying source of income that enables him to live in dignity despite his disability, where Fouad developed his project that was of only 3 meters space to become of 6 meters space, and not only for selling vegetables, but also selling spices.

Fouad concludes: "Thanks to GWQ and Rescue Development Foundation, I now feel that my situation has improved and became as it was before the war, and I now feel very satisfied."