Omani leaves for Yemen with his aid consignment

Muscat: Given the current situation, most people would rule out a trip to Yemen. Nasr Al Jadhamy, though, isn’t like most other people.
The 44-year-old left for the Sultanate’s western neighbour on Wednesday, just a couple months after a harrowing journey to the town of Seiyoun in Yemen’s Hadhramawt Governorate, which saw him transport 56 tonnes of relief supplies, such as milk powder, diapers, blankets and rice, to those affected by the ongoing conflict.
This time around, he’s accumulated more than 60 tonnes of goods, and has organised two trucks to take all of it to Yemen.
“We will travel to Salalah, and then onwards to Thumrait,” said Al Jadhamy, while speaking to the Times of Oman.
“I will be flying to Salalah after that and will then drive to the Yemen border, where I will secure clearance for these trucks.”
The last time Nasr travelled to Yemen, he was made to wait for six days before receiving permission to cross the Yemeni border. Fortunately, this time around, things are a bit simpler.
“Before leaving the last time, I received a letter from the governor of Hadhramawt, which allows me to freely travel in and out of Yemen,” he revealed.
“After I have secured the clearances, I will be travelling back to Muscat, and from their onward to Cairo and fly into Seiyoun. The trucks will meet me there.”
Although he did risk travelling to the war-torn nation via road the last time around, Al Jadhamy’s existing spinal condition means the journey might take a toll on him.
“I had a much better contribution to the relief efforts this time,” revealed Al Jadhamy.
“I had a lot of help from the expat community as well, who did not hesitate to help their brothers and sisters in Yemen. These supplies will be distributed not just among the refugees in Seiyoun, but in the surrounding villages also.”
Although his endeavours might make many sit up and take notice, this is just Nasr’s way of life: he’s been donating and collecting goods—enough to fill a shipping container on each trip—for underprivileged people in Tanzania for over nine years now, and has been organising Ramadan relief efforts for them for seven of those years.
“A lot of people have come to me and asked me why I do these things, but the reality is that this is simply the right thing to do,” he said. “We have been blessed with so many advantages, so it is very important for us to give back to those who have little. We are judged not on the basis of what we keep for ourselves, but what we do for others.”
“I consider this a part of my duty, and I travel to these places because I want to see the goods I have collected reach the people who need them the most,” he added. “In these places, there are many hardworking, knowledgeable people, but they don’t have the facilities to rise in life, so it falls to us to ensure that those who are less fortunate are taken care of.”
Al Jadhamy has learned much from his efforts to help those in need. “There will always be those looking to take advantage of your good work for their own selfish needs, so you must be careful about who you trust,” he said.
“You must always stick to what you believe is right,” explained Al Jadhamy. “People will always continue to make fun of you and question what you are doing, but if your principles are correct, you must ignore them and continue your good work.”