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Forced to flee from home

Nabil Salem

Due to fierce fighting and gun battles in the small town of Zinjibar in Yemen, over 20,000 people have been forced to flee the area to protect themselves and their families.

Nabil Salem and his family were trapped for four days in their home, unable to leave for fear of their lives. Eventually they were able to escape to join the growing thousands of refugees that are fleeing to Aden and other parts of the country.
 
“People left everything behind them” said Nabil. “I can’t feed my family because I don’t have money to buy food.”
 
Before fighting broke out in his home town, Nabil, 53, earned 30,000 Yemeni Riyals a month (around $125). “We used to work as farmers in the field and looked after animals and herds which we have left in our village...(and now we don’t know what has happened to them).”
 
Nabil fled to Aden with his wife and seven children where he now lives in a school with other refugees from the conflict in Zinjibar. There are 15,000 internally displaced people in Aden either living with families in the city or in public buildings.
 
“While all men sleep in the open yard and school veranda, women occupy class rooms that do not have proper locks and keys and need renovating.” added Nabil. “There are only a few toilets and bathrooms to accommodate the needs of hundreds of people in this school.”

Nabil and his family, along with the other refugees living in Aden, need help just to survive and Islamic Relief has been supporting them with food and hygiene supplies.  
 
“The food that Islamic Relief has provided is very worthy and suitable for our needs...Now I can feed my family well.” said Nabil. “I feel dignity and safety because I don’t have to do something that we never do; things like begging.”
 
“For the last few days and weeks we were expecting someone to listen and help us, now we got you, Islamic Relief to help and respond to our immediate life saving needs.”