Stories from the field:
Starving children in Yemen
Suha* is 8 months old and she was suffering from acute malnutrition when we met her in a health centre in Taiz, Yemen. Her mother, Mariam*, 26, has two children, and her husband is unemployed, so getting enough food is a daily struggle. The family’s usual meals consist of bread, tea, fried dough and sometimes rice but they can’t afford any vegetables.
Mariam brought Suha to the healthcare centre supported by Save the Children in a district in Taiz governorate. There, the health workers examined her, taking her measurements and weighing her to check for malnutrition. Once diagnosed, Mariam was provided with nutritional supplies for Suha, and she was also given advice on how to best feed Suha.
Suha’s mother says:
"My name is Mariam and I am 26 years old.
The main cause of our suffering is poverty and (a lack of) food. When a mother gets pregnant, children don’t get enough nutrients.
The situation in this country is not good. These days, prices have increased.
Because of the war there are no jobs. There are many unemployed people.
My husband used to have a job but now he is unemployed.
In this health facility they [Save the Children] have provided me with food supplies for my children, they did all the necessary measurements and I want to thank them for their services.
My hope for the future is to have our own house and for my husband to get employed, my kids to be comfortable and food to be at their reach."
How Save the Children is helping Suha's family and the malnourished children in Yemen:
Save the Children fully supported the primary health care at this health facility, which includes integrated management of childhood illnesses, reproductive health services, and community management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) services, including the Outpatient Therapeutic programme.
Save the Children also supported Therapeutic Supplementary Feeding Programmes (TSFP) and community mobilization, along with training for local health workers.
*Names changed to protect their identity