Light and Safety: What Electricity Can Mean for Displaced Families in Yemen
Marib city — “We called her Amal — it means hope,” Aisha says, as she holds her 20-day-old daughter and dreams of Yemen’s future.
Forced to flee her home because of fighting, Aisha now lives near Marib city with her husband’s extended family, including his parents and his aunt and uncle as well as both couple’s children. The three families share a small collection of shelters made of bricks, cloth and tarpaulin, and sticks in Al Rumaylah displacement site.
One of the larger sites in Marib — the governorate is home to many displacement sites — Al Rumaylah hosts around 400 families. The number of people displaced to Marib city and surrounding areas has been on the rise since the end of January when clashes erupted in other parts of Marib governorate as well as neighbouring Al Jawf and Sana’a governorates.
Like many displacement sites, Al Rumaylah could be a scary place at night, without electricity and light.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) partnered with the Director-General of European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) to respond to a call from the displaced community for support with their electrical system. Working with the local authorities, IOM’s team installed a transformer and safely extended the main electrical network to the displacement site.
“Before, there were open cables on the ground which could easily shock the children; now it is safe,” says Badr, Aisha’s father in law.
“But the biggest benefit I see from the electrical connection is that we have light at night, and we are less scared of what might happen,” he adds, while also noting that both his wife and his brother’s wife are pregnant and that the electricity has allowed them to install a small air conditioning unit in one of the rooms. Now, both women can stay comfortable during the day’s heat.
Ayoub is Badr and Aisha’s neighbour in Al Rumaylah. Before being displaced last year, he worked as an accountant in Al Hudaydah, his hometown. Having stuck out some of the heaviest clashes in the conflict, he could no longer stay and left with his wife and three children.
“When we arrived, we had no food and no shelter, but were supported to put together a makeshift shelter,” Ayoub explains.
Before IOM’s intervention, the camp had a small generator to provide displaced families with some light at night but given the high demand, it was often overloaded.
“The old electrical extension network would damage any device we would try to use,” says Ayoub.
Fire, he says, was a major cause for concern among the displaced community in Al Rumaylah. Beyond damage to shelters, fires also tragically took the lives of loved ones .
“A family even lost two children when their heater caused a fire,” he says.
“Following these fire incidents, IOM, in coordination with Marib’s Civil Defense, delivered trainings and awareness campaigns on fire risk mitigation and prevention measures in displacement sites,” explains Abdullah Ali, a member of IOM’s Site Management and Coordination team in Marib.
These safety issues compounded the community’s need for an improved electrical system.
“The fire incidents terrified our families and cost others their lives and property. Luckily, now most families have a stable electricity and can feel comfortable and safe all day long,” Ayoub adds.
Aisha, Badr and Ayoub hope to continue to work with organizations to improve the conditions of the Al Rumaylah as many families still have no shelter. Parents also worry that there are no nearby school or health centre.
“I want Amal’s future to be different,” says Aisha, still holding her daughter.
Written by IOM Yemen’s Olivia Headon and Mennatallah Homaid
