By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2023-10-06

ADEN -- Faced with hunger and the difficult conditions created by the war in Yemen, made worse when her husband lost his job, Amina Abdul Wasae turned her incense-making hobby into a money-making business.

"After my husband lost his job in a private sector company as a result of the war, I was forced to expand my incense production on the advice of my neighbors, to meet living expenses, especially food and rent," Abdul Wasae told Al-Fassel.

Incense has become a way for her family to cope with their circumstances, said Abdul Wasae, a Taez province native who has lived in Sanaa for a decade.

Her husband helps her with the marketing and distribution process at various points of sale, she said, where "a palm-sized piece of incense ranges in price between 10,000 and 20,000 YER ($18 to $36), depending on its quality."

Meanwhile, Sanaa resident Radhia Mohammed -- whose husband is one of the many government employees without pay -- weaves traditional belts used to holster the janbiyas (traditional curved dagger) that most Yemenis wear.

When public sector salaries were cut off, Mohammed was forced to work on a daily basis to craft more janbiya belts and generate income.

It takes three days to make each belt, she said, adding that these sell for $100 or more and are especially popular as gifts on religious holidays.

Umm Farhan, who asked that her real name not be used, has set up shop at a spot on Sanaa's al-Khamseen street, where she is selling handcrafted woven baskets made by another woman.

"My husband died, and I have four children, and selling these handicrafts has saved my children from poverty," she told Al-Fassel.

She receives a percentage of the revenue from each piece sold, she said -- typically 500 YER ($1) -- and sells an average of three to five pieces daily.

Handicrafts sustain families

Food shortages, power cuts and a collapsing currency are upending life in Yemen, as peace talks make no headway in restoring a ceasefire, around 50 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) said Monday (October 2).

"While economic challenges are rife across the country, rising inflation and the deterioration of public services are making life unbearable," said a statement signed by 35 Yemeni groups and 13 international aid organizations.

That is especially true "for hundreds of thousands of families" in territory controlled by the Aden-based government, AFP reported.

Power cuts in Aden can last 17 hours a day and more than 50% of households in government-held areas cannot meet basic food requirements because of skyrocketing prices, the statement said.

Handicrafts have become a major source of income for women and families amid the protracted war, triggered when the Iran-backed Houthis staged a coup in Sanaa in September 2014, economists and social researchers told Al-Fassel.

"The war negatively impacted the economic sector and damaged infrastructure and services," economist Abdul Aziz Thabet said.

"This led to the stoppage of enterprises and productive activities and spread of poverty, which forced women to search for work in handicrafts where available and enroll in craft and handicraft training courses," he said.

Preserving cultural heritage

The Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen and the United Nations Development Program are among the organizations that have provided handicraft training courses for women in Sanaa and elsewhere in the country.

By learning how to make incense, embroider cloth and create clothing and perfumes, women can find sources of income for themselves and their families.

Local entities such as the Cooperative Union of Textiles have sponsored handicraft exhibitions, Thabet noted, "and this enabled many women to display their products and have a direct market with customers."

The war lowered the standard of living for many in Yemen, Sanaa University Center for Population Studies researcher Nawal Abdul Rahman told Al-Fassel.

This has prompted many women to learn how to make and sell handicrafts, she said, in some cases by learning from those with previous experience and working in their shops.

Some handicrafts preserve the country's cultural heritage, while others are more innovative in nature, she said, with both contributing to the "economic empowerment of families with limited income."

"Handicrafts contributed to refining the skills and creative abilities of Yemeni women," Abdul Rahman said, and to the development of various products, which have proven popular in local and foreign markets.