My translator, my Yemeni friend who connected me with Hindia and Azhar, and I spent the entire morning walking around downtown Amman. We dodged the sun by entering random stores and found temporary refuge in the cool homes of generous refugees willing to share their stories.

 

Through a narrow alleyway and up a few flights of crumbling stairs, we arrived at the home of Hindia, who lives with her daughter-in-law, Azhar, and her four children. Both women are from Hodeida, Yemen.

 

Hindia, a mother of five, made a living by selling baked goods. Azhar, a typical young Yemeni girl, stayed home to care for her nine siblings. By the time she was 20, Azhar was married. Ten years later, she now lives with her four children, without her husband in a country 2,086 km from her home.

 

Hindia arrived in Amman, Jordan, in November 2023. Her journey was long anticipated but heavily burdened her, as she feared leaving her family. After her brother was killed by a bomb and enduring the lack of electricity, running water, and safety, she divorced her husband and fled to Amman. Through the UN, she gained refugee status, but that didn’t guarantee aid. Besides sparse monthly financial help, Hindia survived on the kindness of other refugees. Through them, she found housing and irregular side jobs.

 

Azhar also left due to a family tragedy. Her youngest sibling, a 15-year-old boy, was killed when an explosion threw him off his motorcycle. Azhar arrived in Jordan in May 2024, alone with her children. Her pregnancy limits her job options, making laborious work like house cleaning challenging.

 

Adjusting to her new reality is a further challenge for Azhar. Life in a big Jordanian city is far more expensive, and opportunities for refugees are limited or even illegal. Besides her dream of becoming a seamstress, the thought of returning to Yemen remains a distant hope. She cries when she sees news about Yemen, fearing for her husband and brothers who could be taken by the Houthis at any time.

 

Hindia has a different perspective. Her heart aches from trauma caused by bombings, and the news only intensifies her health problems. Her house is demolished, along with the familiarity of always being accompanied by her husband.

 

Her job as a mother hasn’t ended since leaving her family. Since Azhar cannot work, Hindia is the sole provider for the entire family in Jordan. She lives for her grandchildren, hoping they can afford school one day.