"I can now learn and sit with my friends without suffering," said 10-year-old Laila Qasim, a beneficiary of the Integrated Life-Saving Response Project for Vulnerable Persons in Emergencies in Marib City, "The Hayat Project."

Implemented by HUMAN ACCESS, with generous funding from the Yemen Humanitarian Fund (YHF), the project aims to save the lives of displaced persons, returnees, and the host community, and help protect their futures amid a protracted humanitarian crisis.

What is Laila's story, and what has this vital project offered her?

- An Unknown Future

Due to the ongoing conflict in Yemen, and in search of a livelihood, Laila's family was forced to flee to Marib City, home to the largest concentration of displaced persons in the country, which is suffering from one of the largest displacement crises in the world, amid limited basic services and diminishing livelihoods.

Laila Qasim's father, who has seven children, lacks a steady source of income and lives in dire economic conditions. The displacement journey has caused him many hardships and eroded his resilience. The suffering did not stop there.

Laila began suffering from earaches. Because the family's difficult living conditions prevented them from examining her, her condition developed into severe ear infections. The innocent child gradually began to lose her hearing, approaching deafness, a threat to her future.

Laila found herself unable to study—education is the foundation upon which the future is built—and unable to sit with her peers. Her isolation from her social environment leads to psychological distress and vulnerability. She has become unable to converse with those around her, which impacts her mental and physical health.

Qasim explained his dire financial situation, saying, "My situation is difficult. I live with my seven children in one room, and I was unable to afford the exorbitant cost of my daughter's treatment."

Laila's mother, describing the tragedy that befell the family, said, "I was in pain and crying, and I was deeply afraid for her future. She wouldn't be able to learn or work, and she might not get married because she couldn't hear. I was hurt by the mockery of her classmates."

- A New Life

With the family's prospects for saving their daughter's life closed, an unexpected opportunity opened through the "Hayat Project," which restored her life through a series of essential interventions, including protection services for vulnerable groups.

The child underwent surgery in March 2025 at a local hospital. The interventions extended to offering psychological support to help her overcome negative feelings.

Joy filled the family, as Laila was able to hear, return to school, and speak with her peers without suffering.

Commenting on this humanitarian intervention, Laila said: "I felt so happy when I started hearing," while her father, Qasim, said: "We are unable to thank you enough. You stood by us in the darkest of circumstances."

Her mother said: "You saved my daughter's life. I felt like Laila was born again. No one will make fun of her now because of her hearing loss. She has become a girl like all girls."