Yemen: A decade of conflict devastating children's lives
For ten years, children in Yemen have faced relentless violence.
Yemen, a nation on the southernmost part of the Arabian Peninsula, has long been one of the poorest countries in the Middle East.
In March 2015, a long-running political crisis escalated into violence, with devastating consequences for the people and children who live in Yemen.
In 2025, one child was killed or injured every day in Yemen.
But these aren't just statistics. Behind each number is a child like Nadin*, 13, whose life was forever changed in May 2025.
Nadin's* story: From trauma to hope
Nadin* was attending a wedding celebration with friends and family when shelling struck the house near the frontlines. About 25 people were inside. Seven were injured - mostly women and children. Nadin's injuries were so severe that doctors had to amputate her leg.
"When I woke up from surgery and found out my leg was gone, I cried a lot," Nadin remembers. "I was in shock and kept screaming, 'Give me back my leg, why did you take it?' But now I thank God that I'm still alive and better off than others who were injured or those who lost their lives."
Nadin* feels better after she received psychological support
For Nadin's father Mohammed*, 47, signing the consent form for amputation was the hardest moment of his life. "I couldn't bear it and ran out of the hospital," he says. "But when the doctors clarified my daughter might die if I hesitated, I signed it with a heart full of pain."
After the surgery, Nadin withdrew completely, refusing to speak to anyone. The turning point came when Save the Children arranged for her to share a hospital room with two friends who were injured in the same explosion. This companionship, combined with group mental health sessions, helped Nadin begin to heal.
Now, after months of Save the Children's support, Nadin is recovering. She speaks openly about her experience and faces the future with remarkable optimism.
"I dream of healing and continuing my studies so I can become a doctor and help patients, especially children, because they need support," Nadin says. "I also want to inspire other children by sharing my story and telling them to stay strong and believe in themselves because no matter how difficult their experience is, they will overcome it in the end."
How Save the Children is responding
Save the Children is providing integrated protection and education support to conflict-affected children across Aden, Lahj, Taiz, and AlDhale' in Yemen.
For children like Nadin who have been injured by explosive weapons, we provide:
Immediate emergency care: We covered the cost of Nadin's emergency surgery and subsequent medical procedures.
Mental health and psychosocial support: Our specialist team worked with Nadin through months of trauma recovery, helping her process her experience and rediscover hope.
Physical rehabilitation: We've coordinated physical therapy and are providing Nadin with a prosthetic limb so she can walk again.
Family support: We provided cash assistance to cover essential expenses and transportation costs while Nadin's parents stayed with her during treatment, separated from their other eight children for seven months.
Essential aid: Nadin's family continues to receive food baskets and shelter materials.
Education continuity: We're working to ensure Nadin can return to school and catch up on the education she missed.
Our broader child protection programme focuses on preventing and responding to child rights violations, providing direct support to children facing abuse, neglect, or exploitation, and delivering mental health care to help children recover from traumatic experiences.
Health and nutrition
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
- provide maternal mental health training to health workers to help them support mothers to cope with their stress and anxiety
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.
Keeping children safe
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.
Food, safety and livelihoods
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.
Education
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.
What you can do
Children in Yemen urgently need support to recover from trauma, access healthcare and education, and rebuild their lives. Your donation can help Save the Children provide life-changing care to children like Nadin.
Donate now to support our work protecting children affected by conflict in Yemen and around the world.
Frequently asked questions about children in Yemen
How long has the conflict in Yemen lasted?
The armed conflict in Yemen has continued for ten years, starting in 2015. It has caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with 4.8 million people displaced and over 19 million in need of assistance.
What are the main dangers children face in Yemen?
Children in Yemen face daily threats from shelling, explosive weapons, unexploded ordnance, recruitment by armed groups, and attacks on schools and healthcare facilities. The conflict has also devastated essential services, leaving children without adequate healthcare, nutrition, or education.
What support does Save the Children provide to injured children in Yemen?
Save the Children provides comprehensive care including emergency surgery, mental health and psychosocial support, physical therapy, prosthetic limbs, cash assistance for families, and ongoing support to help children return to school and rebuild their lives.
How can I help children affected by conflict in Yemen?
You can support Save the Children's work in Yemen by donating to fund emergency medical care, mental health support, education programmes, and essential aid for conflict-affected families.
*Name changed for protection purposes
Page last updated January 2026
