As the Yemeni civil war reaches its seventh year, crucial programs that provide shelter, food, healthcare, and water to the most vulnerable Yemeni populations have been cut or defunded. Before the cuts, over fourteen million were dependent on that relief and were actively benefiting from it. Unfortunately, as foreign aid from the international community dwindles, only 10 million will receive those resources leaving more than four million people without immediate humanitarian relief.
Furthermore, as the Covid-19 pandemic rages on, the Yemeni diaspora has sent less money and other resources back home due to restrictions on goods and job losses in the past year. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has stressed the grave risk this poses, especially to children who are often the most reliant on these remittances.
Sadly, a recent report from the World Health Organization stated that about 2.3 million children under five in Yemen could face acute malnutrition by the end of 2021. Even worse, health experts warn that about 400,000 of those 2.3 million could face severe acute malnutrition and are likely to die without the proper care.
In sum, a total of sixteen million people in Yemen could go hungry in 2021. While Yemen has been struggling against famine for the past two years, up until now - through the efforts of international aid, humanitarian organisations, and the hard work of the population on the ground - it has been able to stave off the very worst. However, as the situation begins to worsen, the international community, instead of upping their efforts, are drawing away; seen in the UK recently announcing its intention to cut aid going to the country by £77 million. Now, more than ever, the population of Yemen is in need of our help.
To learn more, please read:
https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1085292
https://unocha.exposure.co/ten-things-you-need-to-know-about-yemen-right-now
Author: Sergio Gomez; Editor: Xavier Atkins
