Image source, Sadam Alolofy/Unfpa Image caption,

Mona with her baby boy, Jarrah, at her house in Mahweet, north-west Yemen

By Charlene Anne Rodrigues

BBC News

When Mona's contractions hit, a camel became her lifeline.

Mona, 19, expected the 40km (25-mile) journey to the hospital would take four hours from her home on top of rocky mountains. But with no roads - suffering labour pains and in bad weather - it took seven hours instead.

"With every step the camel took forward, I was torn apart," she said.

When the camel could go no further, Mona dismounted and trudged the final leg of her journey on foot with her husband.

In north-west Yemen's Mahweet province, Bani Saad hospital is the only surviving health facility for thousands of women. From Mona's house, in Al-Maaqara village, the facility can only be reached through treacherous mountains on camels or by foot.

While clinging to her ride, Mona feared for her safety and that of her unborn child.

"The road was rocky," she said, recalling the "physically and mentally exhausting trip".