Short of masks and short of protective gowns, Yemen's overstretched medical workers started dying from COVID-19. Nadia Dhrah — herself a doctor — was dismayed, so she resolved to do what she could to help.
Dhrah, who had set up a tiny business making surgical masks and clothing in 2019, thought her company could meet demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) more quickly than expensive imports amid a deepening currency crisis after years of war.
"Doctors were dying. Suddenly face masks were in high demand. We jumped into action and began producing as much (PPE) as possible," Dhrah, who is in her 40s, said at her factory in Yemen's capital, Sanaa.