After 5 years of ongoing conflict, economic instability and food shortages in Yemen, the country continues its standing as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “a higher percentage of people face death, hunger and disease [in Yemen] than in any other country”. Over 24 million Yemenis, 4 out of every 5 people, are in need of humanitarian aid right now.

Across Yemen, deaths caused by cholera have skyrocketed. There are 3.6 million internally displaced people around the country, living in host communities and collective living sites. 83% of the collective sites have no health services, 39% report water deficits and 43% have no toilets. These conditions have led to more than 1.9 million suspected cases of cholera, and more than 3,500 resulting deaths since the beginning of the outbreak in 2017. New suspected cholera cases emerge every day, with more than 110,000 suspected cases of the waterborne disease in 2020 alone.

Food shortages caused by conflict, high levels of unemployment and damaged infrastructure have resulted in 20.1 million people facing food insecurity. Malnutrition rates among women and children in Yemen remain among the highest in the world, with more than a million women and 2 million children requiring treatment for acute malnutrition.

On top of this, the country is struggling to deal with the global COVID-19 pandemic. With so much existing damage to infrastructure like hospitals, it has been difficult to contain the spread of the disease.

GlobalMedic has been responding in Yemen since 2017, primarily with Family Emergency Kits to provide clean drinking water, hygiene items and solar lights. We also distribute Emergency Food Kits, with culturally appropriate, shelf stable food items to support families affected by the ongoing crisis.