You’ve probably heard the phrase “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Twin sisters in warn-torn Yemen may attest to that proverb’s truth. With war often comes poverty. With chaos, job opportunities are limited. But human needs continue. So these creative siblings started their own food production businesses. Both women graduated from the college of agriculture at the university in Sanaa, where they live. One operates on the rooftop of the family home. The other makes cheese and yogurt and processes milk in the family kitchen.
“This project started as a hobby,” says Lujain al-Wazir. “But then I started thinking, why don’t I turn this into an economic venture? At the same time, this will allow me to become self-sufficient.”
Lujain loves animals. She built metal pens on the family’s rooftop. She started out with a few chickens and five goats, but the operation has grown.
“I was able to make a profit out of it, especially by selling goat milk and local eggs, which are really in demand,” she says. Lujain now has turkeys and even sheep.
Jawa was inspired by Lujain’s home enterprise. Jawa buys milk locally. She turns it into cheese, yogurt, and labneh—a thick, tart, spreadable dairy product that’s made by removing yogurt’s whey. Together, the twin sisters’ combined efforts work well.
“I studied in the Livestock Products Department, and [Jawa] studied Food Products and Nutrition. These two specialties are very complementary,” says Lujain.
Jawa agrees. She anticipates that buying milk for her business will only become more difficult. Having access to additional supply through her twin’s on-site livestock is a buffer against hard times—especially with the recent rise in fuel costs that affect delivery. Both are thinking about their jobs in relation to their futures.
“Many people [in Yemen] go to school, graduate, and end up unemployed . . . . I decided to start my own project so that I won’t have to look for a job,” Lujain says.
The sisters sell their products in local supermarkets and promote their businesses on social media. They dream of expanding their product line and selling in more supermarkets in Yemen, and maybe even throughout the region.
Food production is a critical humanitarian occupation. Disruption to global wheat supplies due to the war in Ukraine and a wheat export ban by India risk deepening Yemen’s existing hunger crisis and pushing up food prices. About five million people in Yemen currently live in near-famine conditions. That number is expected to rise to seven million by the end of 2022.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? — Isaiah 55:2
Why? God equips individuals with interests, skills, and abilities to do good for others and to provide for their own needs. Sometimes all it takes to get started is a little inspiration.
