Yemen Emergency Appeal

The worst place in the world to be a child right now is Yemen.

What’s going on in Yemen?

11.3 million children are in need of immediate aid. This is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

Triple Threat

Children are dying and being injured in airstrikes and ground fighting – there have been 18,000 airstrikes since March, and 2,398 children have been killed. Many more have been injured, like eight-year-old Razan who was hit by flying shrapnel during an airstrike and has almost lost her left eye.

There is a real threat of famine. Families are down to one meal a day as food gets harder to find and more expensive. 1.8 million children under the age of five are acutely malnourished and are therefore at a greater risk of death.

There has been a total collapse in basic services – hospitals have been bombed, rubbish collection has stopped, and water and sewage pipes have been damaged. More than half of all health facilities have closed or are only partially functional. One child dies every ten minutes from treatable diseases including cholera and diphtheria – children need more than paracetamol and plasters to survive.

Despite the violence, our dedicated teams continue to operate in nine provinces in the North and South. But, moving both people and aid into and within the country, is difficult and there are high-security risks to both our staff and children and families we’re supporting.

Please donate today to provide the most basic life-saving interventions for children.

You can save lives today

Save the Children is the largest agency on the ground in Yemen right now. You can help the relief effort and save children in Yemen by giving a donation today.

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Nusair *,11 months old, is currently being treated for severe acute malnutrition by Save the Children. His mother was afraid to take him to the hospital because of the bombing and rumours that her neighbourhood had been planted with landmines.

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Raja'a*,seven, was injured and her mother, brother and sister were killed when an explosive missile destroyed their home. She is still affected psychologically by the horrific experience. She is receiving emotional support at a child-friendly space run by Save the Children.

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Triplets Hassan*, Ali* and Jamal* were brought into al-Sabeen Children’s Hospital in Sana’a, Yemen, suffering from cholera. When children like these are malnourished, their bodies are weak and immune systems low, making them more susceptible to illness and infection.

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She’ll Bear the Scars Forever

Eight-year-old Razan* will bear the scars of Yemen’s civil war forever. She was hit by a big piece of flying shrapnel as she ran from shelling during an air strike in Hodeidah. She sustained terrible injuries to her left eye.

She suffered at home in intense pain for 5 days because her family couldn’t get her to a hospital that could treat her eye. Her eye got so bad that she completely lost her sight.

Falling bombs are making even short journeys nearly impossible.

Razan’s family was finally able to find someone to take her to the hospital, where a member of the Save the Children team referred her for emergency surgery. She was then sent to a private hospital in Sana’a. We don’t know if she will regain her sight.

Across Yemen, children like Razan need your help. They need properly equipped hospitals, medicines and doctors and nurses to help them recover from what they’ve been through.

Save the Children is on the ground, delivering critical help to children and, right now, we are ramping up our response to do even more. But we need your support today.

Donate now to save children in Yemen.

*Name changed to protect identity.

Stories From the Field

Our team on the ground are working day and night to help children caught in the Yemen conflict.

Humanitarian team member Hassan Basha reports from the field:

“Yemen is a perfect storm of humanitarian, protection and economic crises. The fighting has had a devastating impact across the country; the level of destruction brought upon infrastructure, houses, hospitals, schools, and other public services have sent the country back decades in time. 

In Yemen, children’s bodies are pulled from the rubble of bombed-out buildings. One moment they are running around, playing at a wedding. The next moment they are lying in hospitals soaked in blood, missing a limb, or missing their families. 

In Yemen, children are trapped inside their houses, caught in cross-fire, or traumatized by bombs, landmines, and bullets.

In Yemen, a bus full of children gets hit by an airstrike and it is deemed a ‘legitimate target’.”

Pharmacist Yasmeen* had this to tell us: 

“There is a lack of medicine due to the conflict. Now, doctors are often asked for medicine for anxiety, as it’s common for children and mothers to be afraid of airstrikes and explosions.

The villagers who live in remote areas used to visit the health facility regularly, but since the war they miss regular visits. They say that they can’t afford the bus fees and they can’t walk. 

The people who can get to the health facility often arrive at a very late stage in the illness as they don’t have money to pay for the transport. At this point the illness is often very hard to treat, especially with the shortage of medicine. 

We suffer from a lack of staff in the health facilities, as they haven’t received their salaries in two years. Many of my colleagues have left to work in Sana’a or abroad, which has put even more pressure on those of us who are left behind.”

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Donate now to save children suffering from cholera in Yemen.