IOM Yemen: Ethiopian Food Turns Migrant Centre in Yemen into a Place of Connection

By:

• Written by Menntallah Homaid | Senior Communication
• Collected by Abeer Al-Hasani | Communication Assistant

Aden, Yemen 

The aroma of berbere and simmering onions fills a modest kitchen, rising above the sounds of daily life in a migrant centre. Standing over a pot of bubbling zigni, Kadra, 30, stirs slowly, watching the deep-red sauce thicken. For a moment, the kitchen feels far removed from displacement, uncertainty and the long road that brought her here.
 
“This is more than a stew,” she says. “It carries the taste of home and memories of being together.”
 
The fragrance of garlic, ginger and spice reconnects her to Ethiopia. In this small act of cooking, Kadra preserves something conflict and migration could not take away. She also shares that connection with other migrant women around her, offering comfort through food and keeping traditions alive far from home.
 
Two years ago, Kadra left Ethiopia alone in search of a better life for her three children, unsure if she would ever see them again. Unaware that she was pregnant, she spent more than a month on the road with over 200 other migrants, often going days without enough food and struggling to find even a little water.

Every year, thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa make perilous journeys to Yemen, hoping to reach opportunities in Gulf countries. Many instead face exploitation, abuse and serious risks along the way.
 
Eventually, Kadra reached Sana’a, where she stayed for six months and gave birth to her baby.
 
In Sana’a, Kadra received support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), including food, shelter and medical care, assistance she says helped her survive a period of profound uncertainty.
 
“Without it, I don’t know how I would have managed,” she says.
 
After unsuccessful attempts to continue onward, Kadra made her way to Aden. Exhausted and with nowhere to go, she slept on the streets for three days before reaching IOM’s Migrant Response Point, where she received clothes, food and a place to rest.
 
She later moved to IOM’s Community Based Care centre, where she found safety, support and a sense of belonging during a time of uncertainty.
 
“When I came here, I felt like I had a family again,” she explains.

In Aden, IOM provides life-saving assistance to migrants like Kadra, including food, clothing, medical care, and safe spaces to rest.
 
The support she received helped her recover and begin contributing to life at the centre, caring for others even while navigating her own uncertainty.
 
Food became part of that.
 
In Ethiopia, she explains, preparing dishes like zigni is often tied to family gatherings and special occasions. Those memories stayed with her. At the centre in Aden, she began recreating those traditions, sharing meals with fellow migrants who, like her, carried memories of home while living in limbo.
 
“Every migrant who comes here has a story,” she says. “A story of struggle, hope and courage. Cooking reminds us that, despite everything, life continues.”

She starts by cooking chopped onions in oil until deep brown, then adds garlic, ginger and berbere, the spice blend that gives zigni its warmth and depth. Diced chicken follows, lightly browned before tomato paste and water are stirred in.
 
The stew simmers for nearly an hour, the flavours slowly coming together into a rich sauce.
 
Beside the pot rests injera, the soft, spongy bread used to scoop up the stew.
 
With practiced movements, Kadra lifts the ladle, stirs the chicken and checks the sauce, tending to the meal with the familiarity of someone returning, through memory, to another kitchen.
 
For Kadra, preparing zigni and injera is more than cooking. It is a way to preserve culture and offer comfort to others who have endured difficult journeys.
 
“Even here, we try to preserve traditions,” she says. “It is important for people to remember where they come from, what we eat and how we celebrate.”
 
Around shared meals, stories are exchanged. Women speak of children left behind, families they hope to see again and futures still uncertain. In those moments, food becomes more than sustenance. It becomes a way of holding onto identity.
 
“Even in difficult times, small things like cooking a dish from home can make you feel human again,” she says.

Shortly after sharing her story and food, Kadra returned to Ethiopia through IOM’s Voluntary Humanitarian Return programme, reuniting with her children and beginning a new chapter grounded in safety, dignity and family.
 
The Community Based Care Centre (CBC) in Aden is funded with generous support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the EU Humanitarian Aid (ECHO). The VHR assistance provided for Kadra and other migrants in vulnerable situations was made possible through the generous support of the UK FCDO.