Humanitarian Relief for Yemen

In 2017, the UN declared Yemen the world’s largest humanitarian disaster — fast-forward three years to 2020, and the situation in Yemen was more dire. Thanks to your generous donations, we were able to accomplish a lot in 2020, including distributing food baskets, launching income-generation projects, helping in the fight against COVID-19, conducting flood relief efforts, supporting orphaned children, donating winter clothing, and distributing school supplies.

In 2020, famine continued to sweep across the country and more and more families fell below the poverty line. According to the UN, an estimated 13.5 million Yemenis are currently at risk of starvation, and close to 17,000 people are already living in famine conditions. In November 2020, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that Yemen is now in imminent danger of the worst famine the world has seen for decades.

Thanks to your generous donations, in 2020 we distributed food baskets to 19,862 families to sustain them for ONE month, totaling 139,043 people — of which 70,912 are children. During major holidays, such as Feast of the Sacrifice, we distributed 2+ kilograms of meat per family — providing 4,587 families (32,109 people) with much-needed protein nourishment.

According to the UNDP, an estimated 79% of families in Yemen live under the poverty line. At the Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation, our goal is to provide sustainable aid by providing Yemenis across the country with means to create their own income.

Thanks to your generous donations, in 2020 we launched two main income-generation projects — donating sheep to 155 families and roosters and hen to 300 families to provide these families with a sustainable mean to access nourishment and increase income.

The year 2020 was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, Yemen’s healthcare system was already collapsing due to the weakened economy and war, and COVID-19 exacerbated the situation by increasing pressure on an already-strained healthcare system. According to the UN, Yemen’s COVID-19 case fatality rate, at 28%, remains much higher than the global average, and experts believe that most cases were not reported.

Thanks to your generous donations in 2020, we donated medical supplies to COVID-19 isolation centers and hospitals — including 1,500 COVID-19 reagent kits, 11,600 gloves, 1,000 bottles of hand sanitizer, 5,000 headcovers, 3,000 medical face masks, 1,024 face shields, 200 protective suits, 10 reusable medical respirators, 10 reusable medical shoes, and 20 AC units. We also donated tens of thousands of locally-made masks to those who cannot afford them.

In 2020, Yemen was hit by unusual floods in both April and August. A report on the April 2020 floods indicated that more than 100,000 people across the country were impacted by the torrential rains and flooding — with many missing and countless families losing their homes and livelihoods.

In August 2020, Yemen faced even more torrential rains and extreme flooding, which damaged infrastructure, destroyed homes and shelters, and led to deaths and injuries. According to UN reports, an estimated 300,000 people lost their homes, livelihoods, income, belongings, and food. Figures from Yemen’s Ministry of Health and Population indicate that 131 people have died due to the floods and 125 were injured across northern governorates alone. An additional 106 homes and businesses were destroyed and another 156 were damaged.

Thanks to your generous donations in 2020, we were able to assist flood-stricken areas by, first, conducting an assessment of the flood’s impact and identifying which areas and families need food and shelter and, later, our team provided those families with the help they need — whether it is food baskets or clothing.

Many children in Yemen are robbed of their childhoods due to the ongoing war and, sadly, the war in Yemen has led to the death of thousands across the country — leaving many children orphaned. Local organizations estimate that there are 1.1 million orphaned children in Yemen who need financial support for essential items such as food, clothing, and school costs.

Thanks to your generous donations in 2020, we were able to provide financial support to 364-400 families that are caring for orphaned children across the country.

Winters in the highlands of Yemen are very cold — with temperatures dipping to below 0 °C (32.0 °F). In many areas, temperatures go to – 6 °C. There are an estimated 3.1 million internally displaced people with no protection against severe temperatures in the country — and, unfortunately, most families in need lack the funds to purchase what they need to stay warm in the winter.

Thanks to your generous donations in December 2020, we were able to donate 379 blankets to internally displaced families in the highlands of Yemen.

Many schools in Yemen have been damaged due to the war, and many families are not able to provide essential school items for their children. According to the UN, an estimated 2 million children in Yemen are out of school and another 3.7 million are at risk of dropping out.

Thanks to your generous donations in 2020, we were able to reach 2,518 children in areas across the country — from the highlands of Hajjah to the desert areas of Al-Jaw — and provide them with much-needed school bags and supplies.

In 2020, we were able to massively scale our aid efforts in Yemen, thanks to you and your generosity. These accomplishments would not have been possible without you. With your donations, thousands of families were able to put food on the table, orphans were able to get the financial support they need, health workers fighting COVID-19 were able to get essential medical supplies, thousands of children are able to attend school with the supplies they desperately need, and more. We worked in various areas, most are difficult terrains. Our commitment to reach the hardest hit and those who are hard to reach will continue in 2021.