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Tareq* in Yemen

Yemen's children are growing up through one of the world's largest humanitarian crises

Seven years of war left over 12m children needing assistance, and up to 60% of children in Yemen know someone who has been injured.

With health facilities closed or partially functioning due to war, millions were left vulnerable to coronavirus

Our work in Yemen

We've been working in Yemen since 1963, with programmes focusing on health, nutrition, child protection, food security and livelihoods, education, and water and sanitation.

Your vital donations helped us to:

  • provide life-saving treatment for malnourished children
  • train health care workers in malnutrition prevention
  • tackle deadly diseases, such as cholera and diptheria
  • send PPE to health centres, so staff can keep themselves and patients safe from COVID-19
  • raise awareness of how to stop the spread of COVID-19 in communities
  • deploy mobile health clinics to hard-to-reach areas

Thanks to your support, we've provided health services for more than 5.9m children.

Our nutrition response has provided preventative treatment as well as life-saving support for more than 2.4m children.

How we helped Noor*

 Malnutrition survivor Noor* (11 months) visits hospital for a checkup with her mother Safiya* 31. Photo: Hadil Saeed  / Save the Children

Malnutrition survivor Noor* (11 months) visits hospital for a checkup with her mother Safiya* 31. Photo: Hadil Saeed / Save the Children

At just 4 months old, Noor* was fighting to survive. Struggling from severe acute malnutrition, she found it difficult to move. Her worried mum, Safiya* took her to Save the Children supported hospital where Noor was given the treatment and nutritious food she needed to recover.

Now 6 months later, Noor* has gained weight and loves to play and sing. Her mum especially loves it when she sings to her.  

*Names changed

4.6m children were in need of child protection assistance. Your vital donations helped us to:

  • run safe spaces where children can learn and play
  • provide psychosocial support after horrifying experiences
  • raise awareness about violence and exploitation.

Thanks to your support, we've helped more than 630,000 children find a safe place to play and recover.

How determined Tareq* has continued his studies

Tareq*, 12, injured by a missile, Hodeida, Yemen

Tareq*, 12, injured by a missile, Hodeida, Yemen

Conflict has changed Tareq’s life, but he is determined to keep learning.

"I wish to go back to school after a year of absence," says Tareq. 

Tareq is a 12year-old boy, living in the Hodeida governorate in Yemen. When his family home was hit by a missile, he was badly injured by the shrapnel. "The sound (of the missile) was getting closer and closer until it reached my bedroom. I was terrified at the time. Suddenly, I found myself unconscious and I couldn’t feel or touch my body anymore. I fell into a coma for a few days. Then I woke up to see that my hand was amputated and I was in extreme pain," says Tareq.

Tareq was referred to a Save the Children supported rehabilitation centre and was given lifesaving treatment and rehabilitation for his injury. Tareq has now recovered from his physical injuries but is still dealing with the psychological impacts and is often scared.

Despite everything he has experienced, Tareq is determined to keep learning. “I love my school and hope to catch up with it this year, especially after a long absence due to the war and my injury.”

You were there for Tareq when it mattered most. But there is so much more to do. Thousands of children still need life-saving care, shelter and the chance to return to doing the things they love.

Up to 75% of schools are destroyed in some areas. Your vital donations helped to:

  • set up temporary learning spaces and support education in refugee camps
  • distribute essential supplies such as school bags and uniforms 
  • run catch-up classes for children who've missed school
  • tackle the financial barriers that can reduce children's access to education.

Thanks to your support and alongside our partners, we've helped over 700,000 children to get an education.

As so many children have had their education disrupted by the conflict and the pandemic, we run extra classes to help them catch up.

Salem’s* Story

Salem*, 13, sits in front of his school in Taiz, Yemen

Salem*, 13, sits in front of his school in Taiz, Yemen

Salem* is 13 years old, and lives in Taiz, Yemen. He dreams of being a doctor one day but, he, along with many other children in Taiz are facing challenges with their education. Many schools have been damaged in the long conflict and simply aren’t safe for children to go to.  

I wasn’t doing well at school because there are no blackboards there and no activities. The playground was destroyed, the blackboards were all broken,” says Salem.

We are currently working with affected schools offering them vital school room supplies such as blackboards, desks, stationary and bags. With support from donors like you, we’ve been able to help get children like Salem back into school, where he can get back to studying. 

Studying is important so we can build our future, so hopefully later on we become doctors. Because children are the future of the country,” says Salem.

Food insecurity affects 20.1m Yemenis (67% of the population), including 10.3m children. Your vital donations helped us to:

  • feed children and pregnant/breastfeeding mothers at risk of malnutrition
  • give families cash and vouchers for food and medicine to boost local markets.

Thanks to your support, 2.3 million people - including 1 million children - have received food or cash since 2015.

We also provide food to women and girls who have experienced abuse, and to children who have been separated from their families.

A mother’s strength, and the worries of war.

 Nusair* giggles as his mother holds and plays with him in Yemen.

Nusair* giggles as his mother holds and plays with him in Yemen.

"When I prepare the breakfast, I pray that we will be able to have lunch, and when lunch comes I wonder what to have for supper. And when you go to sleep you start thinking about what you are going to feed them tomorrow or where you are going to get it from," says Suad*

In August 2018, 11-month-old Nusair* was treated for malnutrition in a Save the Children supported clinic. After his treatment, his family were forced to move to a much more remote area as conflict in their neighbourhood escalated and they were no longer safe. When Nusair started to get poorly again, his mother Suad couldn’t afford the trip to the hospital and was struggling to buy him nutritious food to nurse him back to health.

Thankfully,  after a follow-up visit our team referred Nusair back to the hospital, covering the costs of transport and providing nutrition-rich food to help Suad take care of her family.

Like any mum, Suad will always worry for her children. But for now, aged three, Nausair is a healthy and happy little boy. “He is now gaining more weight and his health is good. He doesn’t suffer from any disease. He is walking normally, interacts and responds with everyone in the family. After having lunch, he loves to play with his friends. He likes to go out with his father everywhere and he loves to ride his bicycle,” says Suad.

While conflict continues, thousands of mothers like Suad are experiencing the heartbreak of seeing their children suffer. You can help ease the burden and help more children like Nausair have the chance to play freely and without hunger.

Our Emergency Fund

Our Emergency Fund not only enables us to respond immediately when a disaster strikes, it also allows us to respond to the countless ongoing crises around the world that don't hit the headlines.  

Page updated July 2023

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