Nevertheless, Yemen’s war still gets limited attention from the international media. To try to change that, Roberts has been using her smartphone to keep audio diaries of her experiences providing emergency aid to civilians. Those diaries form a compelling account of daily life under the threat of ongoing airstrikes.
In one recording, Roberts describes the anxiety created as a Saudi war plane begins circling over the town she is staying in. "Lunchtime - and it’s overhead. It tends to happen at least once an hour," she tells her audio recorder. "This place makes me concerned about aeroplanes generally. Because you know if you hear a plane flying overhead - you’re just waiting for the bomb to drop."
On another day, Roberts is working in a clinic in the mountains of North Yemen when a 6-year-old boy is brought in. "[He received] shrapnel to his eye, this morning," she explains. "It means he’s lost his eye. He’s being very brave, lying on his bed, still covered in blood, unfortunately. His mother’s talking to him." In spite of the circumstances, she notes that the emergency room is still being kept in good order.
The cleaners are busy, which makes me happy that they are cleaning up everything that’s on the floor - despite the fact that it’s a very makeshift emergency room."
But for Roberts, the first priority is still to reach a stage where ordinary Yemenis are able to leave their homes in safety. "Obviously people have huge needs - the health needs, injuries that need treating - but if they have to stay inside because they are so afraid, there’s not very much we can do to help them.
