Eid for Displaced Children in Yemen: A Joy Postponed Indefinitely!
Story by: Abdulrahman Alhomidy
“I can't buy Eid clothes or play with the other kids. I see them laughing and playing while I stand there working,” says 14-year-old Yaqub Abdullah.
Yaqub, originally from Dhamar Governorate, was displaced to Marib with his family after losing his father in the war. The conflict that robbed him of his childhood has forced him into early responsibility. Every day, he walks the streets of Marib selling water and tissues to support his family.
“Eid passes like any other day. We have nothing – no meat, no new clothes,” his mother told us, her voice heavy with sorrow. “My son works from early morning. It breaks my heart, but there’s nothing I can do.” She adds, “We used to visit our relatives and celebrate together. Now we’re displaced in our own country — no visits, no family gatherings.”
During holidays like Eid al-Adha, the suffering intensifies. Many families cannot afford new clothes for their children or even special Eid meals. Charitable initiatives, though present, remain limited and fall short of meeting the vast needs of displaced families living in camps.
Local residents and activists are calling on government authorities and humanitarian organizations to step up their relief efforts and launch sustainable programs that address the psychological and social needs of displaced children — particularly during festive seasons, which are meant to bring joy, not sorrow.
They also emphasize the urgent need to support education and provide safe, healthy environments for children, while addressing the psychological toll of isolation and deprivation that displacement imposes.
According to the latest statistics released by UNICEF on August 14, 2022, more than 4.3 million people have been displaced due to the war in Yemen — including 2 million children — most of whom live under dire conditions in camps that lack basic necessities.
A recent report by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), titled “Global Displacement Forecast for 2025” and covering 27 countries including Yemen, predicts that the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yemen will surpass 5.1 million in 2025 — an increase of around 340,000 new displacements due to ongoing conflict and worsening economic collapse.
The report also expects the trend to continue, projecting an additional 400,000 new displacements by the end of 2026 — a stark reflection of the deepening humanitarian crisis amid the absence of sustainable political solutions.
While children’s laughter fills Eid celebrations across the globe, the faces of Yemen’s children are cloaked in silence. Their innocent smiles — once synonymous with Eid — have faded. More than ten years since the war began on September 21, 2014, the ongoing conflict continues to strip children in Yemen of even the most basic rights — including the right to joy. Instead, it burdens them with the weight of adult responsibilities and forces them into work, even during occasions that should be moments of celebration and happiness.
