Providing Relief to Victims of War in Yemen
Yemen has now been in conflict for over two long years. A series of wars stemming from political instability have placed local communities in crisis, leaving 70% of the 27 million population in need of humanitarian assistance. Throughout the country, a staggering 17 million people are food insecure.
As a result of the conflict, many people have become homeless with very little access to food, safe water, fuel, medical supplies and other items critical to their survival. Civilian infrastructure has been damaged through both air strikes and fighting on the ground. As people have lost their homes, they’ve also lost their possessions. Families now lack daily essentials such as blankets, clothes and other everyday necessities.
Due to the lack of hygiene facilities and food, many people have since fallen ill. 14.4 million people do not have access to safe drinking water or sanitation facilities, with children and the elderly the worst affected. The regions of Sana’a, Aden, Taiz and Al-Hudaydah in particular have been very hard hit by the conflict. Almost 100,000 children are starving in Al-Hudaydah which is a sharp increase from 23,000 before the war began. On average, fishing has decreased in Al-Hudaydah by 75% since the war began and food prices have risen by 60%. The reality is that getting food by any means has become a real struggle. The war and its effects on business activities such as fishing, has aggravated the poverty of the Yemeni people and resulted in malnutrition and famine.
To help address the crisis in Yemen, Muslim Hands has been working on the ground distributing emergency food aid to families affected directly by the war in their areas, those who have been physically injured by the conflict and families with no income. Through our local partner Arafah Foundation, we’ve provided 4,356 individuals (600 households) in Al-Hudaydah with food packs to last a whole month, including the following essential dietary items:
- Rice (10kg)
- Cooking oil (3.4L)
- Sugar (5kg)
- Milk (800gm)
- Flour (10kg)
Alhamudlillah, the distributions were completed early this week as we started the first week of Ramadan. Thank you for your support and please remember the Yemeni people in your sadaqah, du’a and Zakat - they urgently need your help. This Ramadan: Save a Life, Save Humanity.
*Statistics: UNICEF, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
