7 Things You Should Know About Yemen's 7 Years of Conflict
Protracted armed conflict, economic collapse and the breakdown of national systems and services have left 70 percent of Yemen's population — including more than 11 million children — in need of humanitarian assistance.
Watch the video to learn more about the world's largest humanitarian crisis:
1. Over 10,000 children have been either killed or maimed since the start of the conflict.
2. More than 2 million children are out of school; over 2,500 schools are unfit for use.
3. Only 51 percent of all health facilities are functional; they face severe shortages of medicine, equipment and staff.
4. Over 70 percent of girls are married before they turn 18.
5. More than 2 million children under the age of 5 are acutely malnourished with 400,000 suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
6. 1.7 million children have fled their homes, forced to live in harsh conditions.
7. Over 1.5 million people do not have access to safe water. More than half are children.
UNICEF is on the ground in Yemen, working with partners to protect children's lives and help them recover from the impacts of violence.
"Funding is critical. We can draw a clear line between donor support and lives saved," said UNICEF Chief of Communications James Elder, following a recent visit to Yemen. "But even with increased support, the war must come to an end. We urge parties to the conflict who have been fighting for too long, and those who have influence over them, to stop the fighting ... Yemen is the most difficult place in the world to be a child. And, unbelievably, it is getting worse."
UNICEF and partners are providing vital services to children and families in Yemen. To continue this lifesaving work until mid-2022, UNICEF urgently needs $235 million. Please donate.
Learn more about how UNICEF is helping children in Yemen.
Top photo: Maryam holds her 9-month-old daughter, Anisa, who is being treated for severe acute malnutrition at UNICEF-supported Hamdan Hospital, Sana’a, Yemen on October 11, 2021. More than 2 million children under age 5 in Yemen are acutely malnourished. © UNICEF/UN0536621/Haleem. Video edited by Tong Su for UNICEF USA.
