A family in Al-Jawf governorate that had recently received support from Tawakkol Karman Foundation lost a father and two of his children after their vehicle struck a landmine in the desert, while three other children were seriously injured.
The family had been featured through Haith Al-Insan, Tawakkol Karman Foundation’s humanitarian and development program broadcast on Belqees during Ramadan. As part of the program, the foundation had supported the father, who had a disability, with a small livestock project intended to provide his family with a sustainable source of income.
The assistance included 20 sheep, animal feed and a tent for the livestock beside the family’s shelter in the Al-Jawf desert.
Before the incident, the father had expressed hope that the project would help improve the family’s living conditions.
“We are happy with the sheep,” he said. “They are our source of livelihood, and we have no other source of income.”
A few months after the project began, the father and his two eldest children, aged 13 and 15, were killed when the vehicle they were traveling in struck a landmine while they were collecting firewood.
Three other children were injured in the explosion and were admitted to intensive care.
Witnesses said the family was traveling along a civilian route in an area away from active front lines when the mine exploded. The vehicle was carrying the father and five children, who relied in part on collecting and selling firewood for their livelihood.
According to people who arrived at the scene after the explosion, the father and his two eldest children died in the blast, while the remaining three children sustained serious injuries.
The incident came before completion of the Haith Al-Insan episode documenting the family’s circumstances and the livelihood project provided by Tawakkol Karman Foundation.
