After a week of U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Sweden last month, the Iranian-aligned Houthi group and Saudi-backed Yemen government forces reached a ceasefire deal on Hodeidah, the entry point for most of Yemen's commercial goods and aid, and a lifeline for millions of Yemenis on the verge of starvation.
The grievous human cost of the Saudi-led war in Yemen has jumped to the top of the global agenda as the outcry over the killing of the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi prompts Western leaders to re-examine their support for the war. Recently, the United States and Britain, Saudi Arabia's biggest arms suppliers, called for a cease-fire in Yemen. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said it should take effect within 30 days. "We have got to move toward a peace effort here, and we can't say we are going to do it some time in the future," Mr. Mattis said on Tuesday. Riveting images of malnourished Yemenis like Amal -- one of 1.8 million severely malnourished children in Yemen -- have put a human face to fears that a catastrophic man-made famine could engulf the country in the coming months.
Yemen's civil war has made life a lot harder for all Yemenis and women and children are the most vulnerable. But some charities are now helping them earn a living, teaching them new skills so that they can support themselves and not rely upon donations. Al Jazeera's Sara Khairat has more on one of them.