RI: Protecting Yemen's Children from Famine

The five-year long conflict in Yemen was labelled the world’s worst humanitarian crisis before the pandemic. Now, the outbreak of COVID-19 is pushing families to their breaking point.

Since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in April, infections have surged across the country against the backdrop of a worsening conflict, water and food shortages, and a subsequent cholera outbreak. To make matters worse, with half of the country’s hospitals and health clinics damaged or destroyed by war, many requiring urgent medical attention will be unable to access it.

Our partner UNICEF reports that by the end of 2020, the number of malnourished Yemeni children could increase by 20 percent, pushing 2.4 million children to the brink of starvation.

Relief International is working nonstop to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by providing essential protective gear, emergency healthcare services, and accurate information about symptoms and prevention measures. We are also continuing to provide life-saving food aid and other support, which thousands of families have come to rely on to survive.

These are just a few of the ways that Relief International is responding to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the world’s most fragile setting. However, we cannot do this important work alone – especially as humanitarian funding for Yemen has fallen significantly this year, covering only a fraction of the needs on the ground.

Help support our life-saving work in Yemen and many of the world’s most fragile settings by making a donation today.

Imagine not being able to put food on the table for your child.

In Yemen, nearly 20 million people – two thirds of the population – don't know where their next meal will come from. Now, as the country confirmed its first case of COVID-19, millions more could starve if the virus continues to spread. Our teams on the ground are already reporting higher rates of malnutrition among women and children.

For fifteen-month-old, Jamila*, she has woken up hungry almost every day of her life. When our staff first met her, she weighed only 11 pounds – nearly half the expected weight for a healthy fifteen-month-old, which is 21.2 pounds. Our teams quickly diagnosed her with severe acute malnutrition and closely monitored Jamila’s weight while she received a 60-day supply of Plumpy’Nut, a peanut-based paste that scientists have found to be the most effective way to treat severe acute malnutrition in children. One month later, Jamila weighed 23 pounds, regaining all of the weight she had lost.

This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of people like you.

Already the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen has historically imported 90% of all food into the country. However, since the outbreak of COVID-19, our partner the World Food Programme has reported that delays in food shipments and humanitarian aid will worsen an already dire situation, putting an additional 20 million additional people at risk for severe hunger.

Before the outbreak of COVID-19, Jamila’s family struggled to afford food and healthcare services, often forcing them to choose one over the other. Now, after nearly six years of violent conflict, the threat of COVID-19 may push her family and millions of others to their breaking point. We cannot allow this to happen.

We are currently ramping up our response to COVID-19 in Yemen while working to maintain our current health and nutrition programs to ensure children like Jamila receive the vital services they need to survive. However, we cannot do this alone. We need your support now more than ever to ensure that Jamila and families like hers continue to receive the life-saving aid they need to survive.

*Name changed for protection