{"id":43933,"date":"2021-04-07T10:18:32","date_gmt":"2021-04-07T09:18:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unric.org\/en\/?p=43933"},"modified":"2021-04-15T14:55:17","modified_gmt":"2021-04-15T13:55:17","slug":"yemen-on-the-brink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unric.org\/en\/yemen-on-the-brink\/","title":{"rendered":"Yemen on the brink: “We have a vaccine for this. It is called food.”"},"content":{"rendered":"

On March 30, the UK World Food Programme (WFP) and Omved Gardens hosted their latest instalment of The Chef\u2019s Table, which this time focused on the food crisis in Yemen followed by a live cook-along. The cross continental zoom event highlighted the critical situation in Yemen and what can be done to help. Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East and the conflict, now entering its sixth year, has led to millions fleeing their homes and food prices skyrocketing. Currently, five million people are only one step away from famine in Yemen.<\/p>\n

Yemen in Crisis<\/strong><\/h3>\n

British WFP Chef-Advocate Arthur Potts Dawson began by introducing Annabel Symington, Communications & Media Officer for WFP, who described WFP\u2019s food relief work and the crisis from her experience on the ground in Yemen.<\/p>\n

Ms Symington explained that Yemen is a country that has historically imported most of its food, but that \u201cSince the war, the price of food has sky-rocketed and now people can\u2019t afford to buy it\u201d. She added that the coastline and agricultural lands have been mined, destroying sources of local agriculture and compounding the severe economic decline due to the war. Ms Symington explained that just last week she had met a fisherman, Salam, on the Red Sea coast who was unable to fish and that even if he were able to fish, he would be unable to sell much of his produce. The markets have dried up given that the main market \u201cis now on the other side of a front line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Funding to avert Famine<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Ayaan and Mikaeel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also present for the event were Ayaan and Mikaeel, two six-year-old best friends who decided to set up a lemonade stand outside their home in Redbridge, East London, to raise money for those affected by the Yemen crisis. The boys set a target of \u00a3500 but by the end of their first day had already raised \u00a35000. When asked why he decided to raise money for Yemen, Ayaan replied that \u201cWe read a book called Boy about a kid who had to run away from his home because there was a civil war. Then our parents showed us the Yemen appeal and we saw how many children were suffering and we wanted to help them.\u201d They went on to receive a donation from Oscar-winning actor and campaigner Angelina Jolie. Ayaan and Mikaeel\u2019s excellent fundraising initiative helped raise a total of \u00a3100,000 for those affected by the Yemen crisis.<\/p>\n

Critically underfunded, WFP’s ability to avert famine in Yemen, is hanging in the balance. As David Beasley, Executive Director of WFP says, \u201cthe answer is simple\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWe have a vaccine for this. It is called food. All we need to save lives is funding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Symington explained that the key to responding to the food crisis in Yemen is making sure that famine prevention is on the political agenda of donor countries. The June G7 summit will be a crucial opportunity to appeal to world leaders in an attempt to secure more funding. Asked what needs to happen to solve the food crisis in Yemen, Ms Symington responded, \u201cTo end hunger in Yemen, Yemen needs peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yemeni\u00a0<\/strong>cuisine<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Yemeni-American Chef Sukaina Al Shami<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yemeni-American Chef Sukaina Al Shami, shared her knowledge of Yemeni cuisine from her kitchen in the United States, guiding the audience and chef Arthur Potts-Dawson through the process of making Saltah, a traditional Yemeni dish. Sukaina explained that due to food shortages and malnutrition in Yemen, \u201cfood culture has not only changed but has also been threatened\u201d. The cook-along celebrated Yemeni food culture with a demonstration of how to prepare a vegan version of a delicious staple meal in Yemeni cuisine. \u201cYemeni Saltah is probably one of the most iconic dishes in Yemeni cuisine. Some people even consider it to be \u2018the king of the table\u2019.\u201d Sukaina told the audience.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recipe \u2013 Yemeni Saltah (Vegan)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This recipe has three components to it:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Vegetable stew<\/li>\n
  2. Whipped Fenugreek<\/li>\n
  3. Green Zahoug<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Optional Toppings:<\/p>\n

    For the final results, enjoy every bite with the following ingredients:<\/p>\n