اختر لغتك
In Yemen, WHO-supported frontliners deliver hope at the start of life
26 October 2025, Aden, Yemen – In the heart of Aden, where conflict, fragility and a crumbling health system converge, 2 health care heroes – Ashwaq Saeed and Hind Hadi – are quietly rewriting the story of maternal and newborn survival. Each day, at Al-Sadaqa Teaching Hospital, they struggle against the odds to give every newborn the best possible start in life.
Ashwaq Saeed, Supervisor of the Midwifery Department and Head of the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Ward, started at Al-Sadaqa as a volunteer. Her role soon evolved into a life-defining mission.
“Midwifery isn’t just about delivering babies,” says Ashwaq. “It’s about being present at the most vulnerable and beautiful moment in a family’s life.”
In a health system where only 50% of facilities are fully functional and maternal and neonatal mortality rates are alarmingly high, Ashwaq’s passion fills a critical gap. She and her team face a near constant scarcity of supplies, workforce shortages and low community awareness, yet she finds ingenious ways to adapt.
“We store surplus supplies for emergencies and we educate mothers whenever we can,” says Ashwaq. But to improve outcomes, she adds, more investment in training and equipment is urgently needed.
In the adjacent neonatal unit Hind Hadi, a nurse with over 12 years of experience, manages the care of premature and critically ill newborns. “We receive babies not just from the emergency department but from across other governorates,” she says. “Sometimes we simply don’t have enough beds.”
Her unit battles overcrowding daily, yet her commitment never wavers. “The joy in a mother’s eyes when her child recovers, it’s indescribable. That’s when I know our work truly matters,”
Ashwaq and Hind’s courage and commitment may fill some of the gaps, but without systemic change, training and resources, these health care workers are being stretched beyond their limits. Frontline dedication alone is not enough.
Recognizing these challenges, the World Health Organization (WHO) has taken a decisive role in strengthening Yemen’s maternal and newborn care through the introduction of Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC), a package of evidence-based lifesaving interventions during delivery and the early newborn period designed to prevent the most common causes of newborn mortality – hypothermia, asphyxia and infections – through low-cost, high-impact practices like immediate skin-to-skin contact, delayed cord clamping and early initiation of breastfeeding.
Under the leadership of the Ministry of Public Health and Population, WHO conducted Yemen’s first EENC coaching for facilitators in June 2022, beginning with Al-Sadaqa Hospital.
Baseline assessments prior to the EENC coaching revealed alarming shortcomings in current practice. Many newborns were being separated from their mothers immediately after birth. Skin-to-skin contact and thorough drying were rarely performed. Harmful routines such as early cord clamping and routine suctioning were widespread.
The WHO-supported coaching proved transformative. Staff knowledge scores for managing breathing babies jumped from 0% to 96%, and for non-breathing babies from 36% to 93%. A total of 28 facilitators and staff from 4 hospitals were trained, including Ashwaq and Hind. Both now serve as EENC champions within their departments.
Hind, who had been managing her unit’s overwhelming caseload with limited equipment, now has the technical tools to respond faster and more effectively to emergencies. Ashwaq, empowered by new techniques and protocols, is pushing for changes in hospital policies and advocating for increased recognition of midwives in her community.
The transformation is human as well as technical. EENC has reinvigorated cooperation between paediatricians, obstetricians and nurses. It has restored a sense of agency to health workers that had long been overshadowed by systemic failure.
Sustaining this progress requires more than one-off trainings. As WHO continues to scale up EENC in other hospitals, including Al Sha’ab, Al Razi and Ibn Khaldoun, consistent supplies of coaching materials and medical equipment, as well as policy backing, are vital. Support is also needed to address infrastructure challenges such as the absence of proper resuscitation spaces near delivery rooms, and to ensure mothers have clothing that allows skin-to-skin contact.
Today, it is frontline champions like Ashwaq and Hind who carry WHO’s vision forward. But they cannot do it alone.
Yemen’s health system is still under-resourced, leaving newborn lives at risk. Sustained donor support is urgently needed to expand lifesaving interventions like EENC across the country. By investing in these local heroes and the systems that support them we not only save lives – we restore dignity and hope to families across Yemen.
Every child deserves the chance to take their first breath in safe hands.
WHO and UAE launch joint programme to reduce malnutrition among Yemenis on Socotra Island
01 June 2025 – The World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the Government of the United Arab Emirates through the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for Humanitarian Work (an affiliate of Erth Zayed Philanthropies), and in close coordination with Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population (MoPHP), has launched a comprehensive programme to combat malnutrition in Socotra, a Yemeni island in the Indian Ocean.
Socotra is facing malnutrition challenges driven by food insecurity, as well as repeated outbreaks of cholera, measles and dengue fever. Health and nutrition services are critically under-resourced, placing children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women at extreme risk of preventable illness and death.
The island’s more than 83 000 residents are served by 32 health facilities which are under immense strain. It lacks a central public health laboratory, a functional drug warehouse and a medical prepositioning system, all of which are essential for timely emergency response and sustainable health care delivery.
The fragile health system suffers from a lack of skilled health personnel, essential medicines and emergency readiness mechanisms. Maternal health indicators are alarming, with 92.7% of pregnant women anemic and antenatal care attendance low. Around 37% of children have yet to receive a single vaccine dose. The global acute malnutrition (GAM) rate stands at 10.9% and the severe acute malnutrition (SAM) rate at 1.6%, indicating a serious public health emergency.
“This programme reflects a joint commitment by WHO and the UAE to improving the health and well-being of vulnerable populations, particularly mothers and children, while reinforcing healthcare systems in crisis-affected areas. In partnership with national authorities, we are working to create more resilient, equitable, and responsive health services for the people of Socotra, establishing a foundation for long-term health security on the island and contributing to a stronger and healthier Yemen,” said Acting WHO Representative in Yemen Dr Ferima Coulibaly-Zerbo.
The initiative began with a baseline health and nutrition survey conducted between 24 and 30 May 2025. Over the next two, years the project aims to reduce mortality related to poor health and malnutrition by 20% through an integrated health system strengthening approach. The project aims to:
enhance maternal and child health service coverage in 80% of health facilities within the next 24 months;
strengthen outbreak preparedness and disaster risk reduction by equipping health care facilities and build staff capacity so they can respond effectively to epidemic-prone diseases and cyclone-related emergencies;
establish a multisectoral health and nutrition coordination platform that enables quarterly strategic planning meetings between WHO, UAE, MoPHP and partners;
generate real-time evidence-based data through the baseline health and nutrition survey conducted between 24 and 30 May 2025; and
strengthen routine health information reporting/ system to track progress on service utilization, morbidity and mortality.
“H.E. Mohamed Haji Al Khouri, Director General of the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for Humanitarian Work, stressed the UAE’s humanitarian and global responsibility to develop communities and enhance critical health services. “This stems from the enduring humanitarian legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. We are determined to effectively address food and health challenges faced by women and children in Socotra, in collaboration with the WHO,” he said.
Al Khouri explained that the Khalifa Foundation, an affiliate of Erth Zayed Philanthropies, would work with the WHO to develop appropriate solutions to nutritional and health challenges using a new survey based on current data. “The joint initiative aims to reduce maternal and child mortality caused by malnutrition through a comprehensive plan of action. This will enhance maternal, infant, and child care services, and improve emergency preparedness and response to epidemics,” he added.“
For media inquiries, please contact:
WHO Yemen Communications Team
Email:
About WHO
Since 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been the United Nations agency dedicated to advancing health for all, so that everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health. WHO leads global efforts to expand universal health coverage, direct and coordinate the world’s responses to health emergencies and connect nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.
World Immunization Week 2026: WHO calls for every generation to be protected in Yemen
24 April 2026, Aden, Yemen – The World Health Organization (WHO) is marking World Immunization Week 2026 with the theme, “For every generation, vaccines work.”
Observed from 24 to 30 April, the week highlights the lifesaving power of vaccines. This year’s campaign amplifies a simple message – “Your decision makes a difference. Get vaccinated”.
Vaccines have been protecting people from preventable diseases for more than 200 years. Over the last 50 years alone, vaccines have saved more than 154 million lives- the equivalent of six lives every minute, every day, for five decades. Vaccination has contributed to a 40% improvement in infant survival globally, enabling millions of children to live healthier lives, free from preventable disease. In Yemen, as elsewhere, vaccines are one of the most powerful tools in public health. Despite ongoing challenges, including), A sustained outbreak of Polio Variant type 2 (cVDPV2) has persisted since 2021, underscoring ongoing immunity gaps.
In 2025, a total of 31 VDPV cases were reported across Yemen representing a substantial decline from the 187 cases reported in 2024. Measles remains endemic in Yemen, with a persistently high disease burden reported since 2020. In 2025 alone, the country recorded 27,560 confirmed measles cases and 218 associated deaths nationwide. Vaccination remains a critical pillar in protecting children and communities across the country from vaccine‑preventable diseases such as Measles, Polio, Diphtheria, Pertussis and tetanus.
WHO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and Population and with the support of partners including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), continues to strengthen routine immunization services, expand integrated outreach and enhance sensitive Vaccine preventable disease surveillance across the country.
Recent progress in 2024-25 underscores the impact of sustained immunization efforts in Yemen. Nine outreach rounds reached 542,183 children, including 119,702 zero‑dose children. Through the HEER response, 2.1 million children received measles–rubella (MR) vaccination, while four nOPV2 polio campaigns successfully protected 1.4 million children under five years of age, achieving 100% coverage. These achievements were further reinforced by system‑strengthening efforts, with more than 18,832 immunization staff trained to improve service delivery, and 800 polio and VPD personnel enhancing their capacities in surveillance, outbreak investigation, and specimen management.
“Vaccines save lives, protect futures and strengthen communities,” said WHO Representative in Yemen, Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain, “This World Immunization Week, we call on all families, communities and partners to play their part to ensure every child in Yemen has access to vaccines to safeguard them from a wide range of preventable diseases. Protecting every generation starts with the action we take today.’’
Vaccination is essential at every stage of life. From early childhood adolescents, pregnant women and older adults, it reduces the risk of severe illness and death and are among the most cost-effective tools to safeguard public health, reducing families’ financial burden by protecting them from the effects of diseases.
This World Immunization Week, WHO calls for strengthened collective action to build trust, promote accurate information and ensure equitable access to vaccines for all. In Yemen, protecting future generations depends on creating sustainable systems that reach every child, everywhere with vaccines.
Your decision makes a difference Ensure people of all ages receive their vaccines.
Media contacts
WHO Yemen Communications
Email:
About WHO
Founded in 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) is the United Nations agency dedicated to promoting health, keeping the world safe and serving the vulnerable. WHO leads global efforts to expand universal health coverage, coordinate responses to health emergencies and advance well-being for all.
World Bank and WHO Strengthen Yemen’s National Emergency Response
22 April 2026, Aden, Yemen – Amid persistent public health threats driven by years of conflict, fragile infrastructure, disease outbreaks and limited access to essential health services, coordinated emergency response is more critical than ever in Yemen.
Participants collaborate during a WHO-supported PHEOC training in Aden, strengthening coordination and decision-making for effective emergency response
To help address gaps, the Ministry of Public Health and Population, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), conducted a training of trainers (ToT) on public health emergency operations centres (PHEOCs) from 15 to 24 December 2025, with support from the World Bank through the Emergency Human Capital Project (EHCP) and from the Pandemic Fund through the Pandemic Preparedness and Response Project.
The training brought together 35 participants, including 9 females, representing key positions such as PHEOC staff, point of entry staff and risk communication and community engagement unit staff. The training aimed to equip participants with the knowledge, practical skills and confidence to lead emergency operations and coordinate responses to public health threats using the WHO Incident Management System.
The interactive training programme, delivered in Arabic, combined theoretical modules with hands-on exercises. Participants learned about the fundamentals of public health emergency management, the core components of PHEOCs and different operational modes. Practical sessions included tabletop exercises, case studies and a multi-day functional simulation exercise covering events such as cholera and measles outbreaks and flooding.
The exercises enabled participants to apply emergency management frameworks, develop situation reports and practice decision-making under simulated crisis conditions.
A key feature of the training was the collaborative design and execution of the simulation exercises. Participants worked in groups to develop scenarios and response matrices. Peers observed and provided feedback. The exercises enhanced the critical thinking, problem-solving and coordination skills needed to respond effectively to emergencies.
Hands-on simulation exercises build practical skills in data analysis and emergency management to respond rapidly to public health threats
Pre- and post-training assessments showed significant knowledge gain. Participants’ average score, measuring their understanding of PHEOC operations, increased from 57 percent before the training to 79 percent after the training. Feedback from participants highlighted the functional simulation exercises as the most beneficial component of the training.
“This training is a vital step in strengthening Yemen’s capacity to detect, assess and respond rapidly to public health emergencies,” said WHO Representative in Yemen Dr Sayed Jafar. “It demonstrates the Ministry’s commitment to building a resilient health system, supported by WHO and the World Bank.”
Immediate outcomes of the ToT include a roster of trained PHEOC facilitators, Arabic-adapted training materials, and stronger capacity to conduct future simulation exercises. In the medium term, the training will support the development of national PHEOC guidance, standard operating procedures and emergency response plans.
The training underscores Yemen’s commitment to public health emergency preparedness and the continued importance of collaboration between the Ministry, WHO and the World Bank to strengthen national capacities and protect communities from health crises.
