Written by Reina Wong and edited by Alice Shu and Abigail Romero
Yemen, a country located in the Middle East with a current population of 28.5 million people, is currently facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Something must be done.
Since 2014, Yemen has been at war because Houthi agitators, Shitte rebels with connections to Iran with a past of rebelling government, overpowered Yemen’s capital, Sana’a. The rebels were asking for reduced fuel prices and a new government. After failing to come to an agreement, they raided the presidential palace, causing President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his administration to resign. The President and his administration revoked their resignation in 2015 and returned to Aden and violence has been ongoing since then. There have been over 15,000 casualties.
Yemen is now the poorest country in the Middle East and North African region, with over 80% of the population needing help and/or assistance. They have one of the highest child malnutrition rates in the world; 42% are at risk of malnutrition, 60% are dehydrated and don’t have water, 70% do not have soap and toiletries, and 85% need humanitarian assistance. They are also in the midst of dealing with the cholera epidemic and the current coronavirus pandemic has intensified the lack of healthcare access and the extreme poverty most people live in. Only 49% of health centers aren’t operating because many do not have the essential equipment, lack hospital staff, or do not have the money. Approximately 18 million people have very limited access to sanitation and water. Many health staff have not been paid for about two years and they aren’t the only ones not getting income: teachers have gone unpaid as well and millions of children's education are at risk. Two million children are not in school, with girls more at risk of losing education at 36% compared to the boys at 24%. More than 2000 schools cannot operate due to damages or occupation by armed groups, and the rate for children who need educational help has gone up from 2.3 million to 4.7 million in two years.
Yemen is desperately in need of our assistance. Here are some ways that you can help:
Share the news! - By letting others know, you inform more people about what’s happening and how they can help. You can help others spread the news as well.
Donate! - You can donate to certain organizations to help. These organizations include Save the Children, the International Rescue Committee, etc.
Play FreeRice! - FreeRice is a multiple-choice game where correct answers give a donation of ten grains of rice. It’s a great alternative if you cannot donate.
Download ShareAMeal! - ShareAMeal is an app where you donate just $0.80 to feed a child for just one more day.
By taking action, you can help the people of this country get better access to everyday essentials, such as food, water, and hygiene products. The slightest action may make a huge difference for the people of Yemen.
Sources:
Cover Photo by Saif Albadni on Unsplash
Photo by Addicted04 on Wikipedia
War in Yemen | Global Conflict Tracker. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2020, from https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/war-yemen
(n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2020, from https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disaster/yemen-humanitarian-crisis/
Yemen crisis. (2020, December 03). Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/yemen-crisis
Crisis Overview. (2020, March 12). Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://www.unocha.org/yemen/crisis-overview
Yemen – The world's worst humanitarian crisis. (n.d.). Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://www.wfp.org/yemen-crisis
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