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| The woman who traveled seven hours on a camel to give birth |
When Mona went into labor, a camel saved her from a huge hardship. 19-year-old Mona had to travel 40 km to the hospital. It usually took four hours from their mountain home.
There are no roads and it took seven hours to reach the hospital that day due to pain and bad weather.
"With every step of the camel, I was breaking down inside," she recalls.
Then came a time when even the camel could not go any further. So Mona started walking towards the hospital with her husband.
Bani Saad Hospital is the only medical center for thousands of women in the Muhwait province of northwestern Yemen. The road from Mona's house in the village to the hospital passes through mountains that can only be traversed on foot or on a camel.
When Mona was riding a camel, she became worried about her baby before birth. "The road was rocky and it was a physically and mentally exhausting journey," she says.
"I used to pray to God, again and again, to call me but save my child so that I can get rid of this pain."
How and in what condition they reached the hospital, Mona doesn't remember anything about it, but she definitely remembers hearing her baby cry in the hands of the midwives and surgeons filled her heart with hope.
She named her son Jarrah with her husband. This is also the name of the surgeon who saved his life.
Roads leading to the hospital from nearby rural areas are narrow and some are in poor condition, while others have been blocked by the eight-year war between Saudi-led pro-government forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Pregnant women who come to the hospital from mountain passes are often accompanied by their husbands and other family members.
33-year-old Salma Abdu was trying to reach the hospital along with a pregnant woman. She says that the pregnant woman died halfway through the journey at night.
Salma wants these women and children to be spared.
He says that we need roads, hospitals, and pharmacies. We are trapped in this valley. Only those who have good luck can safely give birth to children, but the rest die from this difficult journey.
Few families can pay for the hospital but they also do not have the financial resources to reach the hospital.
According to Hisham Nahru of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Yemen, one woman dies every two hours in the country during childbirth due to these preventable problems.
He explains that in remote areas of Yemen, pregnant women often do not get regular check-ups and do not seek medical help during severe pain and bleeding.
According to UNFPA, only half of the cases in Yemen are managed by qualified doctors, while only one-third of cases reach the hospital. Two-fifths of the total population lives more than an hour away from the nearest functioning government hospital.
Even before the war, Yemen's health system was going through a crisis, but now the fighting has badly damaged the country's hospitals and roads, making it impossible for people to travel without difficulty.
Hospitals lack skilled staff, equipment, and medicines. Investments in roads and infrastructure have also stalled.
According to UNFPA, only one-fifth of all hospitals provide reliable maternity facilities.
"I thought it was impossible to escape now"
Mona's story is one of many examples of the hardships pregnant women in Yemen face. Buying a car is out of reach for the common man in the country as 80% of the population is dependent on aid.
Hayla's husband had saved some money from his job in Saudi Arabia to take his wife to the hospital on a borrowed motorbike.
Her brother-in-law tied her to the bike and went to the hospital, but on the way she fell off the bike.
On arrival at the hospital, Hayla was immediately shifted to the surgery ward.
"It felt like the end of my life," recalls 30-year-old Hayla. I thought me and my child couldn't survive now.
She was warned early in the pregnancy that home delivery would not be possible due to heavy bleeding and other complications.
At the hospital, the doctor told Haila that the child has been saved in a difficult time.
He named his daughter Amal. It means hope in Arabic.
"I was close to losing my baby," she says. This war made me forget life but this child gave me hope.
Hospitals like Bani Saad are facing financial difficulties due to limited international aid. The staff is concerned about the future of mothers and children. Now they are forced to think about who to save on a priority basis.