Dear Friend,

The situation in Yemen is truly devastating. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, five years of brutal conflict have devastated the lives of tens of millions of people. Families are exhausted and desperate, with their homes destroyed by bombing, their hospitals smashed to pieces, and many doctors and nurses have fled the country. People have nowhere to turn for help. Without clean water, sanitation, or a functioning healthcare system, the people of Yemen are extremely vulnerable to a deadly outbreak of COVID-19. And this week our worst fears have been confirmed: the country is reporting an explosion in coronavirus cases.

The people of Yemen can’t protect themselves from COVID-19. Years of war, poverty, and water-born diseases like cholera have created the ideal conditions for the virus to spread. At 23%, the case fatality rate in Yemen is alarmingly high: 1 in every 4 infected people dies, compared to the global average of 7%. Many medical teams are dangerously exposed too, with a horrifying lack of protective equipment such as gowns, masks, and disinfectant. An estimated 16 million people will be infected, more than half of the country’s population.

This is a humanitarian crisis beyond our worst nightmares.

Our teams on the ground are working tirelessly to keep people safe and provide support to the most vulnerable. But now more than ever, we urgently need your help.

 Can you help us to provide desperately-needed care to the most vulnerable people?

 Thank you very much,

Jérôme Bobin

Executive Director

Humanity & Inclusion Canada.

P.S. Yemen is just one of the 55 countries in which HI teams are working to protect the most vulnerable people. Since the pandemic began, we have quickly adapted 148 projects to respond to Covid-19 and launched 18 brand new projects. We are continuing to develop our emergency response as the situation evolves