Nine-month-old Nour is treated for malnutrition at a UNICEF-supported health center in Sana'a, Yemen.
Yemen

This Ramadan, Children in Yemen Are Struggling to Survive

More than 70 percent of Yemen's population, including 12.9 million children, need humanitarian aid. UNICEF is working to save lives.

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The holy month of Ramadan will be particularly difficult this year for families in Yemen, home of one of the world's worst humanitarian crises

Eight years of conflict, economic meltdown and the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed the country to the brink. Basic services have collapsed, leaving more than 23.4 million people, including 12.9 million children, in need of humanitarian assistance.

An estimated 2.2 million children under 5 in Yemen are acutely malnourished

An estimated 2.2 million children in Yemen are acutely malnourished, including nearly 540,000 children under 5 who are suffering from severe wasting, which can be fatal if left untreated. To protect Yemen's most vulnerable children, UNICEF health workers are on the ground, screening children for malnutrition and referring those in need to health centers, where they can receive the treatment they need to survive.

Case manager Ali Al-Raymi, below, visits impoverished families in Sana'a, Yemen, helping malnourished children like 9-month-old Nour, who weighed only 11 pounds when he first met her in 2022. 

UNICEF-supported case manager Ali Alraimi visits 9-month-old Nour and her family in Sana'a, Yemen.
© UNICEF/UNI366603/Abaid

"When Nour was born, she was weak and wasted, and her health kept worsening from day to day because of our poor living conditions," said her mother, Souad. Al-Raymi referred Nour to the Maeen Medical Complex for emergency treatment.

Nine-month-old Nour is checked by medical staff at a health center in Sana'a, Yemen.
© UNICEF/UNI366566/Abaidi

At the health center, Nour was screened regularly, and slowly nursed back to health with therapeutic food and nutritional supplements. Soon, she began to take her first faltering steps.

 "I feel happy that my baby regained her health and started moving, toddling and playing," said Souad. "She used to feel tired all the time because of her poor health. It's an indescribable feeling as you watch your child recover from an illness that ravaged its body." 

Health worker Hana’a holds 8-month old Jouri in UNICEF supported health facility of AlHussainya, Hudaydah, Yemen, September 2022.
© UNICEF/UN0705148/Al-Haj

There is a painful silence in health centers where children too weak to make a sound are being screened and treated for severe acute malnutrition. Above, Hana’a, a health worker, holds 8-month old Jouri at the UNICEF-supported health facility of AlHussainya in Hudaydah, Yemen. Jouri was diagnosed with severe wasting and referred for treatment.

Severely malnourished children are treated with Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a shelf-stable, nutrient-rich peanut paste packaged in individual servings. Below, a child diagnosed with severe wasting is fed RUTF at Al-khatabiah health facility in Tur Al-Bahah, Lahj governorate, Yemen. UNICEF is the global leader in RUTF procurement, purchasing and distributing almost 80 percent of the world's supply. 

A child who has been suffering from malnutrition, is fed Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food at Al-khatabiah health facility in Tur Al-Bahah, Lahj governorate, Yemen.
© UNICEF/UN0722231/ALfilastini

UNICEF is on the ground, working to keep Yemen's children safe and healthy: You can help

Yemen's youngest children are not responsible for the violent conflict unfolding around them, but they are paying the highest price. UNICEF has been on the ground since the crisis began, taking every measure possible to protect the health and rights and safety of millions of Yemeni children. But UNICEF can't do it alone. There is an urgent need for individuals, organizations and governments to come together and take action to help give children in Yemen and those struggling to survive around the world a safe and happy childhood.

This Ramadan, as thoughts turn to those less fortunate, partner with UNICEF by donating your Sadaqah to bring much-needed relief to children in Yemen and around the world.  Please donate. 

 

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TOP PHOTO: Nine-month-old Nour received treatment for malnutrition at a UNICEF-supported health center in Sana'a, Yemen. 
© UNICEF/UNI366577/Abaid