Yemen Times Staff
Taiz Office
We have already paid visits to the orphanage and Psychiatric Diseases Center in Taiz. Each time we were used to and are still calling upon officials concerned to do something to relieve suffering of those people and perform their duties properly.
The Old Folk Home, located on the road of Dhabab near the Orphanage is a modern clean building with trees and plants in its park. Sisters in charge of this center are very gentle and kind-hearted. No sooner you enter the building than you see a picture of the eminent, kind-hearted late mother Teresea who was lamented by all the poor in the world.
Mrs. Joan was the first we met with. Expressing a warm welcome and growing interest in the Yemen Times, she showed us around the Home which consists of four wards; two for men and two for women. Besides, two rooms for rest and watching TV. In the rest room we met with the residents, most of whom are disabled either due to their old age or due to their illness.
Mr. Abdullah al-Hurbi, journalist, worked for al-Jumhuriah Newspaper for four years and then for al-Thawrah. As he grew old in age, he suffered from a disease that made him unable to write. He, then, entered the Old Folk Home. He said “I was in a miserable condition. However, after the treatment I received here, I am much better now. The people working here are very nice.”
Mr. Mohammed Shamsan al-Shuwaie said “I used to be homeless in the streets and then they brought me here where I am well taken care of. So far, I have been here for five years. Now I am in good health.”
As for nutrition, it is good and our sisters here are showing full care to all dwellers.”
Salim, a getting-on and disabled person, from al-Misrakh was lying in bed. In front of him, a typing machine and small TV set, were neatly placed on a desk. He said “I feel the affection and kindness of the sisters. I feel secure in this place.”
Zain, an elderly women, used to roam in the streets with torn cloths is now in the Home feeling good after she was treated and cleaned. There are also some other ones taken from streets of Taiz, Somalis and some other women who are advanced in age.
As we went over the place and the wards, we were content to see the beds well arranged and tidy. The floors are clean and there is some kind of affinity between the sisters and residents. Sisters belonging to the al-Ehssan Society are very amicable and nice in dealing with the people here. People here do feel secure and at home.
We met with Mrs. Joan who talked to us about the Home,”The Home was built in 1995 at the expense of the late Hail Saeed Anam. There are 95 aged people in the Home. We take care of them and provide the sick with the medicine needed. They take shower in the morning. Then they have breakfast and walk in the sport’s hall. After that they watch TV in the sitting room and listen to radio. Those who are able to move perform their prayers. Some work in the park. At noon they have lunch, pray and have rest. In the afternoon, they have tea with cakes, do some exercises, have dinner and then finally go to bed.”
As regards the nature of al-Ehssan society’s work and how mother Teresea started her mission of helping the poor she said “she started pursuing her mission in Calcutta, India, in 1948 where she used to be a teacher in a school for the gentry’s. She was very much hurt when she saw the poor sleeping on the streets. She gave up teaching and started helping the poor.
We work under the slogan “Every man is loved by God and it is important that people love him for the sake of God”. Another slogan is “The poor should help the poor”.
We help all those who are in need, regardless their age, color, rank, religion, nationality, etc. We work for free throughout the world. We never ask any help from any one. Those who are interested are welcomed. Mother Teresea started her mission with five rupees, equal to $ 1. However, branches of her organization are found now all over the world.”
As regards Ehssan society activities in Yemen, she said “We started working in Hodeidah during the rule of late leader al-Hamdi in 1973. Then, we moved to Taiz in 1974 and started working in al-Noor city. After that we moved to Sana’a and then to Aden.
There are 25 sisters working in Yemen; 8 in Sana’a, 7 in Hodeidah, 5 in Taiz and 5 in Aden.”

Asking her about the impact of the tragic incident that happened two years ago in Hodeidah claiming the lives of three sisters, she said “We were astonished and were very much frightened at knowing about it. It was incredible. It happened at eight o’clock while our sisters were preparing things to feed the people, a man opened fire at them and killed them. That was the first time ever to happen all over the world in 50 years. All the people in Hodiedah condemned this act and prayed for the sisters.”

IN SHORT, the Old Folk Home is an example to be followed. Sincerity and commitment are found in the very best. This center has impressed us with its quiet, clean and nice atmosphere. We have paid visits to the Orphanage where we found orphans in a real misery surrounded by four walls as if they are in prison. The Psychiatric Diseases Center was nothing better. We hope that other centers will follow this model and try their best to relieve suffering of the afflicted section of the society.

Saltah is considered to be one of the main dishes for majority of Sana’a people specially for qat chewers. It is originally a Sana’a meal; but it is pretty hard to state its historical evolution. In this article we shall focus on the way it is prepared and its importance to qat chewers.
First take a reasonable quantity of fenugreek; dissolve it in water.
Keep it for one hour. Then prepare meat or chicken soup.
A special bowl called “Madr” or “Makli” is used to cook Saltah. It is heat-proof. Put the empty bowl on fire for five minutes. Then pour some cooking oil, then some onions, to be followed by some fresh tomatoes. Mix all well. Now add some pepper and one or two eggs. Then put some fresh potatoes. Mix well again; then add some soup as desired. Add some minced meat. The whole mixture is to be cooked for ten minutes.
Remove the bowl from the fire. Remove water from your fenugreek (called Hulbah) and pour it into the hot bowl. (Do not pour fenugreek while the bowl is on the fire or else it becomes bitter in taste). The fenugreek shall become coagulated at the bottom of the bowl. Now mix some citric acid. The whole mixture is to be mixed until it is souped up. Add salt according to taste.
Although it is the last item at lunch, it has to remain hot. People like it hot.

Kinds of Saltah:
We can say that the preparation of Saltah is always quite the same; but it has now been developed. Instead of minced meat, fresh meat is used. It is called ‘Fahsah’.

Advantages of Saltah
This dish is served at lunch. It is very delicious and tasty. It stimulates the appetite. Qat chewers like it before chewing qat. They say Saltah makes them taste qat tasty too. It gives energy to people living in mountainous and cold areas. It gives heat to the stomach and eases digestion.
Sana’a Saltah is considered to be the best in Yemen. This dish has already crept into Taiz Province and , after Unification, to the Southern provinces of Aden and Abyan also. Saltah is prepared also in those countries where Yemeni residents reside.

Cairo, August 22, 2000 (Xinhua)—Dancers perform traditional Egyptian dance during the opening of the 6th Cairo International Music Festival Sunday night, Cairo, the capital of Egypt, August 20. Artists from 29 countries took part in the festival.

Jalal Al-Shra’abi
Yemen Times
Next Thursday will mark the first death anniversary of one of the most eminent poets in the Arab world. Almost a year has elapsed since the departure of the Yemeni great poet, Al-Baradouni, in which his heritage has been totally ignored.
The last collection of poems by Al-Baradouni, “Ben Zaid, The Sage,” was published in 1995. It critically depicted the period between 1990-1994, the political assassinations during this period and the civil war which “expressed the collapse of the civilized project in Yemen.”
One wonders about the fate of the great literary heritage he left. Some collections were under publication when he passed away. However, none has come to light. A source form the Yemeni Authors Union complained about lack of cooperation on part of Al-Baradouni family owing to some domestic disputes. Since Al-Baradouni’s death, some domestic problems appeared within his family which have not been settled.
Following the departure of a Al-Baradouni, an ad hoc committee, comprising a number of intellectuals was formed to organize the first commemoration ceremony on his death. Recommendations of the committee have ‘’gone with the wind.’’
It is rumored that a number of influential officials are behind the loss of Al-Baradouni’s literary legacy. Al-Baradouni has to his own credit more than 15 books, all of which have disappeared from bookshops. There have been no initiatives to re-publish his collections and studies.
He was very critical of the government and the state. Two weeks before his death he described the state as lacking of enlightenment vision. “It does not possess a cultural project to enlighten the society,” he commented.
Al-Baradouni won several prizes, last of which was the Babteen Prize which enabled him to buy a small house for him and his wife.
During his poetic career, he demonstrated a unique ability of reflecting events and features of old and modern Yemen in sweet and excellent verse that has created a lot of debates. His fearless stands, specially those related to the border issue cost him a lot until he death of a malignant disease

Hasan Al-Zaidi
Yemen Times
Agricultural statistics for 1999 indicated a gradual deterioration of arable land against the total area of Yemen. Only 1,132,910 Hectares (68%) of the total arable land, estimated at 1,668,858 Hectares, were cultivated in 1999.
The statistics classified arable land into pluvious land constituting 528,642 Hectares (47%) of the total arable land, well-irrigated land which extend over 434,207 hectares (38%,) spring-irrigated land, 40,801 Hectares (4%,) Floods-irrigated, 129,259 Hectares (11%,) while the remaining 535,948 Hectares (32%) were not cultivated.
Deterioration was clear in comparison with 1998 in which about 1,279,704 (76,7%) of the total arable land was cultivated. Agricultural production fell from 3,756, 279 tons in 1998 to 3,661,368 tons in 1999.
The drop in the agricultural production resulted from fluctuating production of some corps, specially wheat, which depends on rain, said Eng. Abdul Malik Qassem Al-Thawr, director general of planning in the Ministry of Agriculture. He added that about 2,8 million m3 of water is used annually for irrigation while the annual quantity of renewable water is 2,1 million m3.
More than 75% of Yemen’s population lives on agriculture. Agriculture work force is estimated at 56%. It helps form about 17% of the country national production.
Population of Yemen increases at the rate of 3,7% a year. This means that by 2010 the population of Yemen will exceed 36 million which necessitates development of the agricultural sector to cover all the needs of increasing number of people.
Mr. Al-thawr criticized the vision of Ministry of Planning presented by its Minister Ahmad Sofan which suggests decreasing agricultural activities urging re-construction of the agricultural sector. He also criticized absence of private investment in this sphere.
Loans are offered for agricultural projects. These reached USD 724,275,154 in 1998 out of which USD 535,265,674 were spent on agricultural projects through the Ministry of Agricultural.
The Agricultural Credit Bank and the Social Development Fund offer loans for farmers to improve their products and to cultivate land. However complicated routine adopted by the bank discourage any cooperation with farmers.