Her journey to humanitarian work started after years of service in hospitals in Aden, where she witnessed the vulnerable communities firsthand in access to healthcare access.
“In Aden I worked in a private hospital,” she remembered. “I discovered that many people could not afford treatment. That reality encouraged me to find a way to help those left behind.”
She decided to move to Ma’rib, a city that sheltered hundreds of thousands of people who are displaced by the conflict and an important transithub for migrants who made the dangerous journey of the Horn of Africa through Yemen, with a clear goal in mind: to serve those who could not pay medical treatment.
‘Migrants who reach us are traumatized’
Dr. Nouf said that she had found her convocation in the center, which offers primary care services to vulnerable groups, in particular those in motion.
“Migrants who reach us are traumatized,” she explained. “Whether it is hungry, fear of death or the unknown, it results in physical, psychological or neurological shocks.”
© Iom/Majed Mohammed
Dr. Nouf is conducting a first study to assess the health status of her patient.
Many arrive with serious, sometimes permanent injuries. Women in particular often wear visible and invisible scars through abuse that members pass the country through irregular migration routes.
“There are times when I struggle emotionally with what I see and hear,” she said. “But helping these people and watching them restored fuels my passion and determination to continue.”
Listening to their stories full of pain, fear and resilience, Dr. Well everything she can to help, to assess every case, offer emergency support and when necessary, by referring to patients to specialized services. From treatment for infectious diseases to ensure physical and psychological traumas, MRP also offers protection services for survivors and victims who have experienced violence, exploitation and abuse. “
From young migrant to social worker
Dr. Nouf is not only in this mission to offer life -saving help to migrants and Jemenis in Nood. She collaborates with a dedicated team of colleagues with different backgrounds who tirelessly attend countless patients every day, including Khalid, a 22-year-old Ethiopian whose own migration trip to Ma’rib is proof of resilience and compassion.
Khalid arrived in Yemen in 2021, after his school in Ethiopia refused to return him due to disease -related absence. Frustrated, he left Ethiopia with smugglers, endured a debilitating 10-day trip through the desert and survive on shared cookies. When he reached Aden, he found no comfort or help, so he continued his journey to Ma’rib where some of his family members live.
Once in Ma’rib, Khalid was welcomed by his community, who brought him clothes and organized him. A month later he started working as a cleaner in a local hospital, a job that he held for three years.
‘I have experienced the same experience’
In the hospital, Khalid met other migrants who were looking for treatment and arguing for their care. He spoke with managers and urged them to treat these vulnerable people for free. His reputation grew and soon everyone in need turned to Khalid for help.
“I help other migrants because I have experienced the same experience,” he said. “I know how support the suffering can make less.”
In the end, Khalid was given the opportunity to work in the MRP, where he can help migrants gain access to services and offer translation support.
“People come here that suffer from poor food, amoebiasis and malaria. Some bear physical injury causing torture for ransoms by human traffickers,” he said. “I am grateful to the donors who keep this facility running. It saves lives every day through vital care services.”
#Yemen #relieve #actions #compassion #healing