YEMEN: Members of Yemen's lowest caste continue to live in abject poverty

Despite government efforts to break the poverty cycle, members of Yemen's most vulnerable ethnic community -- the Akhdam -- continue to live in destitution. Shunned by the general public but desperate for acknowledgment, the Akhdam population continue to be one of the most vulnerable ethnic groups in Yemen. Many reside in shanties in areas like as-Safih, living in shacks made of scraps of tin, plastic, wood and cloth in a landscape littered with filth and refuse. "No homes, no furniture, no possibilities. We have nothing but God, the most merciful," one inhabitant laments. "I need protection from the sun and the rain. But I am just a handicapped woman and my paralysed son is over there," says another. "I have five children. One of them developed a severe fever last night from an insect bite and is now in hospital. She may live or she may die. Even if she died we wouldn't be able to afford her a proper funeral because of the severity of our living conditions. It's not like this anywhere else, we are completely forgotten here. All this sewage is dumped on us. Look, this is the sewage path. It comes down from here," complains a third. Their ancestors are thought to have arrived in Yemen as part of an invading Ethiopian army in the Sixth Century A.D. Left behind after the invasion, they became known as the Akhdam (Arabic: servants) of the indigenous population. Distinguishable by their darker skin, the Akhdam have been socially excluded for centuries. There are an estimated five hundred thousand of them, often uneducated and unemployed or low wage earners. The average annual income of a member of the Akhdam community in employment is 300 USD, less than half of the average income per capita -- which is 650 USD. Living in their makeshift shanties, they lack basic services such as water, sanitation, and education. "This community is deprived of the most basic necessities and is socially excluded. Society looks upon them with disdain. The exclusion is not reserved for the Akhdam -- who tend to be black or dark-skinned; many other communities also became marginalised for economic reasons. After all, Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world," says Rashad al-Khudr, a Yemeni lawyer. Recent government attempts to alleviate Akhdam poverty have included supporting charities that provide health, sanitation and education services. Public housing is also on offer, as in the New Sawan City area. "In cooperation with different associations we set up this centre to offer medical services to the poorest communities, those most in need. We have both medical and educational programmes," says Wasel Lamoud Aida, a doctor at a local charity health centre. In addition to supporting charities, providing housing and improving infrastructure, the government is also trying to regroup the various charities working with disenfranchised groups into a larger more robust national organisation. "We encourage cooperation and the establishment of an umbrella institution for the various groups. This will allow them to represent a real force and have a positive impact on one another," the Minister for Labour and Social Affairs Amat Al-Razaq Ali Hamad told Reuters at a recent conference. But perhaps one of the most difficult hurdles to be overcome is that of social stigma. The Akhdam continue to face discrimination in their daily lives in Yemen, feeling like strangers in their own country. "Today we are on the threshold. Today we must tell the near and the far that we are no longer captive to the huts of as-Safih. Today we have come out to express our loyalty and belonging to this nation just like all other social groups," says Akhdam community leader Na'man Ka'ed Mohammad.

ITN Source | October 12, 2007

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