Sélectionnez votre langue
Yemen: daily battles against poverty and hunger
28 August 2024, Aden, Yemen – Mohamed Khalil a 2-year-old boy from Al-Khawkhah district in Hodeida, suffers from severe acute malnutrition with medical complications. His belly is swollen and his body is frail. When he began vomiting every time he ate, his mother scraped together what money she could from family and friends and took him to Al-Saddaqa Hospital in Aden.
Mohamed’s mother has 4 children, the youngest just 4 months old. She struggles to feed her family. As the prices of basic food items continue to rise, it becomes daily more difficult to make ends meet. “The cost of living is becoming unbearable. We can barely afford enough food for everyone," she says.
Despite these hardships, she is determined that Mohamed gets the care he needs.
"The doctors at the hospital are kind. They provide milk for free, medicines, lab investigations, and meals for me but we still need to pay for additional specialized tests. I don’t know how we will manage. I just want my son to get healthy, but it’s distressing when I can’t afford everything he needs.”
The August 2024 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report revealed that 50% of the population in Yemen’s southern governorates face acute food insecurity. The situation is exacerbated by reduced humanitarian aid and economic decline. The depreciation of the Yemeni Riyal has increased fuel prices and compounded already limited access to food.
The high prevalence of diseases such as cholera and measles, limited access to safe water, and inadequate sanitation contribute to worsening nutritional and medical conditions, while the displacement of populations and loss of livelihoods due to conflict place additional strains on Yemeni families.
Faiza Al-Maktari, a nurse in the nutrition department at Saddaqa Hospital, represents hope for families desperately seeking care for their children. Faiza says her work blends joy and sadness and speaks of “holding a frail baby and watching them recover” as akin to “witnessing a small miracle”.
Her department is stretched to breaking point as increasing numbers of malnourished children from nearby governorates, especially the West Coast region, strain essential supplies, leaving the staff to cope with decreasing resources. Despite the challenges, Faiza remains undeterred. She dedicates time to comforting anxious mothers, offering a listening ear and kind words.
“I try to give them hope,” she says. “Sometimes, a little kindness goes a long way.”
The 7 supported therapeutic feeding centres (TFC), 4 of them embedded in pediatric wards, operating in regions with high malnutrition rates, high levels of internal displacement and severe food insecurity, provided lifesaving services to over 5129 children between October 2023 and July 2024, addressing acute malnutrition cases with serious co-morbidities.
The TFCs offer round-the-clock, lifesaving health and nutrition care for severely malnourished children. Sustaining these services is vital to saving children’s lives. To alleviate the financial burden on families, caregivers receive cash support for transportation, and three meals a day during the admission period, and the costs of lab tests and admission kits are fully covered.
Faiza dreams of a Yemen where no child goes hungry, and families find stability and peace.
“I’m grateful to be here, to help any way I can,” she says. “But I long for a future where our work isn’t so desperately needed.”
Leaving the hospital each day, Faiza carries with her the memories of those she has helped and those she has lost. The memories fuel her resolve to return, day after day, striving to make a difference.
“It’s never easy, but I won’t give up. Not now, not ever.”
In collaboration with the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), WHO is dedicated to enhancing child health and well-being while reducing mortality and morbidity through a protective, integrated approach. WHO supports 101 therapeutic feeding centres across Yemen, covering approximately 80% of the target caseload in the country.
WHO assists the Ministry of Public Health and Population and other partners by providing technical capacity building for case management and supplying essential medical supplies, including pediatric and severe acute malnutrition kits.
Yemen: when the rain hits hard
In war-torn Yemen, torrential rains and flooding have destroyed homes and shelters
6 August 2024: children in an area affected by heavy rainfall and severe flooding in Sana'a, Yemen. Photo credit: Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images.26 August 2024, Sana’a, Yemen – Yemen’s skies have never been so capricious. Late last month, torrents of rain turned into gushing floodwater that swept through towns and villages, leaving a trail of destruction. And now, Yemen’s western and central governorates have been warned to expect yet more heavy rain.
Conflict-affected countries like Yemen suffer disproportionately from climate change due to their already undermined capacities, limited resources and fragile infrastructure. The effects of ongoing conflict strain their ability to respond and adapt to these challenges, increasing public health risks, population displacement and economic instability. Despite their minimal contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, these countries face the harshest consequences.
In Marib, over 8400 internally displaced families found themselves suddenly homeless after the destruction of 6700 shelters. Relentless rain turned streets into rivers, washing away homes, livestock and livelihoods. In the western governorate of Hodeida the situation was equally dire. As entire communities were submerged the death toll climbed steadily, with at least 36 lives lost and 564 injured.
Public infrastructure, including health facilities and roads, has been washed away. Emergency mobile medical and outreach teams are urgently needed to provide essential health services to people in rural areas affected by floods. Where health facilities did survive the flooding, they struggle with electricity shortages and the destruction of medicines and equipment.
Fuel is urgently needed by hospitals to generate electricity, health authorities are requesting essential medicines, and clean water is one of the top priorities to avoid further outbreaks of water-borne diseases in the midst of Yemen’s already widespread cholera outbreak.
The streets of Sana’a are waterlogged and littered with debris. Stagnant water is rising, and with it the risk of diseases like dengue, malaria and cholera. Without immediate intervention, many flood-affected cities face increased public health risks.
In the coming months, increased rainfall is forecast, with the central highlands, Red Sea coastal areas and portions of the southern uplands expected to receive unprecedented levels in excess of 300 millimeters.
Figure 1: Flood forecast by district.
Source: Agrometeorological Early Warning Bulletin, FAO – August 2024.Before the conflict, agriculture and food security thrived on seasonal rain. Yemen’s diverse topography, ranging from coastal plains to mountainous regions, allowed for a wide range of agricultural practices. Rainfall was relatively predictable, and farmers could rely on traditional rainwater harvesting techniques such as terracing and cisterns.
Today, the infrastructure that once supported this efficient water management has been damaged or destroyed and heavy rains often lead to devastating floods, compounding the already dire humanitarian situation. In recent years, increasingly deadly flash floods have destroyed homes, shelters and vital public services, increasing the exposure of Yemen’s population to risks and facilitating the spread of diseases.
National and sub-national health clusters are working to coordinate relief efforts and the timely delivery of aid while focusing on integrating health, nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene services into the response.
“Addressing the impact of rain in Yemen requires a multi-sectoral approach. Immediate humanitarian and health aid is crucial to provide relief to those affected by floods and other climate-related disasters,” said Dr Arturo Pesigan, WHO Representative in Yemen.
“Long-term strategies must focus on rebuilding infrastructure and restoring traditional water management systems, improving health risk preparedness and enhancing the resilience of communities against future climate shocks. International support and climate justice are essential to help Yemen recover and adapt to the changing climate.”
The humanitarian response has been swift but the scale of the disaster is overwhelming. Aid organizations – already stretched by the ongoing conflict, funding shortages and growing access constraints – are scrambling to provide emergency relief.
The needs of Yemen’s population are staggering, and the complexity of the situation grows daily more difficult.
Health workers in Yemen risk arduous journeys to reach 45 000 vulnerable women and children
19 August 2024 – Navigating rough roads and being chased by wild animals are among the challenges health workers face when reaching vulnerable people in Yemen’s remote villages.
The deterioration of the health system amid Yemen’s ongoing acute humanitarian crisis has resulted in many people being denied access to health care. They are dying from conditions that are easily treatable in other contexts.
In Lahj, a remote district in southern Yemen, internally displaced people and host communities face harsh circumstances. The problems caused by poverty and challenging weather conditions are compounded by the spread of diseases such as measles, dengue and COVID-19. This remote area lacks health services, and travel to the nearest health facility is expensive, out of most people’s reach.
To address critical health needs and protect the most vulnerable, WHO and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) teamed up to implement public health outreach activities. Children and pregnant women were the main target groups. Integrated services spanned essential health care for childhood illnesses, malnutrition, reproductive health services, COVID-19 vaccination and measles, rubella and polio vaccination for children.
Between April 2023 and March 2024, over 9305 mobile health teams were deployed. The teams treated more than 22 000 children and 23 000 women across 107 districts, identifying critical health needs and providing life-saving interventions.
To save vulnerable lives, health workers travelled from village to village.
Hana’a Awadh, a 36-year-old health worker, faced incredible challenges reaching communities in need, travelling with her mobile team for many hours in temperatures above 45 °C.
“The journeys were arduous,” she explains. “We travelled along tough roads but the vehicles can only take us so far. Then we must walk through terrain populated by wild animals such as dogs and snakes where there is hardly any shelter.”
Before joining the mobile team, Hana’a was a nurse at Al Fiosh Health Centre’s therapeutic feeding centre in Lahj where she identified malnutrition cases aged 6 months to 5 years and after measuring the mid-upper arm circumference would prescribe treatment as needed.
Efforts to overcome vaccine hesitancy
The mobile teams included health educators who play a vital role in efforts to overcome vaccine hesitancy, countering rumours and ensuring community acceptance of vaccinations.
The health educators visited homes to address concerns, dispel rumors and hand out educational materials in the form of flyers and stickers, highlighting the objective benefits of the outreach activity and how it could support families.
“This contributed to a notable increase in families’ acceptance. We offer services that would otherwise be inaccessible due to high transportation costs,” says Hana’a.
Health educators in the outreach activity explained to people why it is vital to get vaccinations, and how they risk lives by rejecting them.
It took the threat of losing of her child for Noor to realize how crucial vaccinations are. Noor, the mother of a young boy, and her family were fearful of vaccinations because of the rumours claiming vaccinations are harmful that had spread locally.
“You will kill your child! Each time I mentioned vaccinations, this was what I heard,” explained Noor. “But I was watching him get sicker each day.”
“I feel sorry for the times I believed those who told me that vaccinations were harmful. This belief nearly cost my son’s life,” says Noor.
“He was about to die, and I wanted to die after him. Thankfully, I listened to the doctors and got him vaccinated, and gained him back. Now I’m an advocate for vaccinations.”
Acute malnutrition surges in Government of Yemen-controlled areas with extremely critical conditions reported in West Coast areas
Diseases, high food insecurity, and limited access to safe drinking water are driving up acute malnutrition among vulnerable children
ADEN, Yemen, 18 August 2024 – Acute malnutrition is rapidly increasing in Government of Yemen (GoY)-controlled areas, with the West Coast experiencing “extremely critical” levels for the first time, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Technical Working Group in Yemen said today.
According to the latest IPC Acute Malnutrition Analysis, the number of children under the age of five suffering acute malnutrition, or wasting, rose by 34 per cent compared to the previous year across the GoY-controlled areas, affecting over 600,000 children, including 120,000 children who are severely malnourished. The sharp rise is driven by the compounded effect of disease outbreaks (cholera and measles), high food insecurity, limited access to safe drinking water, and economic decline. Additionally, in the same catchment area, around 223,000 pregnant and lactating women were found to be acutely malnourished in 2024.
The most severe level under the IPC Acute Malnutrition (IPC AMN) classification, extremely critical acute malnutrition (IPC AMN phase 5), applies to areas where the prevalence of acute malnutrition exceeds 30 per cent. For the first time, this level was reported in Hodeidah southern lowlands (Al Khawkhah and Hays districts) and Taizz lowlands (Al Makha district) during the period from November 2023 to June 2024. In Hodeidah, the prevalence of acute malnutrition soared to 33.9 per cent from 25.9 per cent year on year.
From July to October 2024 – lean season months when there is minimal agricultural activity, all 117 districts in the GoY-controlled areas covered in the survey are projected to experience "serious” levels of acute malnutrition or worse (IPC Acute Malnutrition phase 3+), and Mawza district in Taizz lowlands is also projected to slip into the extremely critical level (IPC AMN phase 5).
“The report confirms an alarming trend of acute malnutrition for children in southern Yemen,” said UNICEF Representative to Yemen, Peter Hawkins. “To protect the most vulnerable women, girls and boys, an investment in and scale-up of prevention and treatment efforts are more critical than ever. We will continue to do everything we can including building on the existing multisectoral response to fight the life-threatening forms of malnutrition so that children can survive and grow to their full potential.”
"The alarming rise in acute malnutrition among children under 5 in GoY areas underscores the severe impact of disease outbreaks, high food insecurity, and poor access to essential services. FAO remains committed to supporting the sustainable restoration and diversification of agricultural livelihoods to help address the urgent needs,” said Dr. Hussein Gadain, FAO Representative in Yemen.
Yemen, mired in a protracted conflict and economic collapse, has been battling with some of the highest malnutrition rates in the world. The ongoing conflict, economic instability, and recurrent disease outbreaks continue to be the primary drivers of the country’s malnutrition crisis.
Hodeidah and Taizz, the areas with the highest prevalence of acute malnutrition had already been facing the highest rate of stunting, or chronic malnutrition. This implies that repeated deprivations are also aggravating chronic malnutrition among children in these areas.
“WFP is currently forced to provide smaller-sized rations and these findings should be a wakeup call that lives are at stake," said Pierre Honnorat, Representative and Country Director for WFP in Yemen. "It is critical to step up support to the most vulnerable who could sink deeper into food insecurity and malnutrition if current low levels of humanitarian funding persist.”
Dr Arturo Pesigan, WHO Representative to Yemen, stated, “The rising level of acute malnutrition in children aged under 5 years in Yemen also indicates that diseases are of concern. Integrated health and nutrition services, including childhood illness management and to ensure up-to-date immunization and appropriate feeding practices, are crucial to address health and nutrition emergencies. This is in addition to ensuring access to sufficient nutritious food and safe drinking water. Humanitarian actors and the international community must take immediate action to safeguard the future of Yemen’s children.”
Childhood diseases, along with outbreaks of cholera and measles, coupled with limited access to safe water and sanitation services, are driving up acute malnutrition rates in Yemen.
Severe food insecurity and poor feeding practices, including suboptimal breastfeeding practices, are further worsening the situation among vulnerable children in the GoY-controlled areas.
The four United Nations agencies call for urgent and sustained international support and immediate action to address the root causes of acute malnutrition, by strengthening existing social protection, health, food and water, sanitation, and hygiene systems.
At the same time, an end to the nearly decade-long conflict and the restoration of peace is critical to address the challenges and build the resilience of Yemeni people devastated by the lack of basic services, repeated displacements, and shattered economic and social systems.
Notes to Editors
The IPC Technical Working Group comprises UN agencies, NGOs and the government.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children in Yemen, visit http://www.unicef.org/yemen
Follow UNICEF on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
About FAO
The FAO Country Representation in Yemen has been operational for 40 years. Since the beginning of operations in the country, FAO has provided support to farmers, herders and fishers and has supported the improvement of agricultural production and productivity. Today, FAO is also working with the Yemeni authorities to support sustainable restoration and diversification of agricultural livelihoods.
Follow FAO Yemen on Twitter
About WFP
The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
Follow WFP on Twitter
About WHO
Since 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been the United Nations agency dedicated to advancing health for all, and engaging all for health so that everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health. WHO leads global efforts to expand universal health coverage, guide 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.
Follow WHO on X, Facebook, and Instagram
For more information, please contact:
Megumi Iizuka, Chief of Communications and Advocacy, UNICEF Yemen
Email:
Ahmed Al-Adimi, FAO Yemen Communication
Email:
Jasmin Lavoie, WFP Yemen
Email:
WHO Yemen Communications
Email:
