This article is focused on the following UN Sustainable Development Goal:
Shiite rebels who demanded cheaper fuel prices and a new government took control of Yemen's capital city, Sana'a, in 2014, sparking the beginning of the country's civil war. In January 2015, after unsuccessful negotiations, the rebels took control of the presidential palace, forcing the President and his administration to resign. Yemen's food crisis is the direct result of civil war, with the economy having shrunk by half since 2015 and more than 80% of Yemenis now living in poverty. Food has become out of reach for many individuals due to rising prices and declining salaries.
Over the past seven years, millions have been forced to leave their homes, and 73% require urgent humanitarian assistance. To avoid starvation or the impending danger of it, families are left with little alternative but to turn to desperate and hazardous coping mechanisms. Many people cut back on their food intake or even miss meals. They prioritize feeding their kids before themselves when they have limited resources. Some send family members to beg or sell their possessions to pay for food. These severe levels of hunger and food insecurity affect women unfairly. They prioritize eating after children and other family members or use the money for other requirements around the house. Early marriage has always been a serious issue in Yemen, however, since the conflict, has escalated. Young girls are being married off to reduce the number of mouths to feed, or as a source of income to feed the rest of the family.
According to UNICEF: The humanitarian situation in the country is poised to get even worse between June and December 2022, with the number of people who likely will be unable to meet their minimum food needs in Yemen possibly reaching a record 19 million people in that period, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF alerted, following today’s release of a new Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) analysis on Yemen. At the same time, an additional 1.6 million people in the country are expected to fall into emergency levels of hunger, taking the total to 7.3 million people by the end of the year, the agencies added.
23.4 million people in Yemen are now in need of humanitarian assistance (UNHCR).
Malnutrition can cause extreme damage to a child's growing body, it can affect their cognitive and physical development if left untreated. Malnutrition weakens the immune system, making children and adults more susceptible to infections and disease, and many people living in poverty do not have access to proper healthcare, meaning many health issues are often left untreated. According to UNICEF nearly 2.3 million children under the age of five are acutely malnourished and 400,000 of these children are expected to die from severe acute malnutrition.
So what can we do to help? Save the Children has been working in Yemen since 1963. They have been responding to the Food crisis in Yemen since 2015. They are currently located in 11 regions in Yemen, doing everything they can to help solve this humanitarian crisis, by providing healthcare, food, education, etc. The organization has been able to help 4 million children since 2015. All donations are accepted and could help change the life of a child in Yemen.
Remember, change starts with you.
Council on Foreign Relations. “War in Yemen.” Global Conflict Tracker, 2021, www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/war-yemen. Accessed 19 Oct. 2022.
“Donate to Yemen’s Crisis.” Save the Children, www.savethechildren.org/us/where-we-work/yemen. Accessed 19 Oct. 2022.
“Yemen Crisis Explained.” Www.unrefugees.org, 14 July 2022, www.unrefugees.org/news/yemen-crisis-explained/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2022.
“Yemen Facing “Outright Catastrophe” over Rising Hunger, Warn UN Humanitarians.” UN News, 14 Mar. 2022, news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1113852. Accessed 19 Oct. 2022.
“Yemen on the Brink: Conflict Is Pushing Millions towards Famine.” Oxfam International, 20 Oct. 2019, www.oxfam.org/en/yemen-brink-conflict-pushing-millions-towards-famine. Accessed 19 Oct. 2022.
“Yemen: Acute Hunger at Unprecedented Levels as Funding Dries Up.” Www.unicef.org, 14 Mar. 2022, www.unicef.org/press-releases/yemen-acute-hunger-unprecedented-levels-funding-dries. Accessed 19 Oct. 2022.
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