Humanitarian Relief for Yemen

Dear friends of Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation – 

The need on the ground in Yemen continues to be great, and the response from the international community wholly insufficient. We have had to scale back the scope of our services in response to funding cuts, but we continue to do what we can to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen. 

Between January and March 2024, we were able to accomplish the following: 

Addressing severe malnutrition 

This project serves children hospitalized for severe malnutrition in Koaedenah-Hajjaa, Aljarahi-Hodeidah, Alsokhna-Hodeidah, Jabal Sabir-Taiz, Jabal Habashi-Taiz, Almatamah-AlJawf, and AlSadah-IBB.  As many children who are discharged from the nutrition treatment centers relapse, YRRF provided 1000 children in the above areas with monthly nutritious food for 6-months to ensure that they don’t relapse.  It is estimated that one in five children under the age of five are acutely malnourished in Yemen.

Ramadan Food Basket

Yemen faces a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with over 20 million people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance and more than half of the population confronting severe food shortages. Over 2.3 million children under five suffer from acute malnutrition. In the Midst of these crisis, the World Food Programme (WFP) in December 2023 suspended food aid distribution to about 9.5 million, exacerbating an already dire situation.

This Ramadan started on March 10^th and ended on April 9th, YRRF distributed food baskets to about 3500 families throughout Yemen.  Each food basket contained 25 kilograms of flour, 10 kilograms rice, 5 kilograms sugar, 4 liters oil, 12 cans of beans, 1 kilogram powdered milk, and kilogram dates.

 Well

YRRF started a project to dig a well in Zawia village that suffers from lack of drinking water. The village relies on some remote wells that were dug unprofessionally as a source of water. Often, the people of the village have to pay for water and most families cannot afford to pay for water.

The project aims to provide clean water to 2525 people (1290 families) in the village and the surrounding areas including displaced families in 8 other villages. The project will coordinate with local authorities and community services to create awareness about the importance of clean water and its impact on public health. The well will have a solar operated pump.

 Winter clothing and Blankets

YRRF distributed 4,000 pieces of winter jackets, sweaters and blankets in the high mountains of Yemen. 

Orphan support 

There are over one million orphaned children in Yemen.  YRRF supports 365 orphans monthly across Yemen with funds that they use for their basic needs — food, shelter, educational expenses, and healthcare. 

Income Generation Projects 

Between January and March 2024, thanks to support from Zakat Foundation, YRRF distributed 450 sheep/goats, 540 egg-laying hens, 60 roosters and covered vaccines and operating expenses. Each family received either 9 chickens and a roster or 3 sheep. We also provided feed and veterinary services. In all, 210 families, 1,470 individuals, benefitted from this income generation project.  The majority of the beneficiaries were women, a total of 126 households headed by women.

YRRF provided for the supply and material for establishing a bakery for 3 women.  YRRF continue to sponsor 20 women completing a midwifery 3-years training program in areas with zero trained midwives – when these women graduate from the program, they will be able to provide critically needed maternal health services in their communities. 

Promoting Childhood Vaccination

The demise of the health system in Yemen has led to severe consequences on the health indicators for the population, and especially children.  Moreover, anti-vaccine rumors during COVID-19 led to fears of the vaccines.  The vaccination coverage in Yemen declined resulting in the emergence of vaccine preventable diseases outbreaks.  In 2023, 27% of children aged under 1 year were fully immunized. 

In response to these alarming issues, Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation, through a project funded by a Seattle based organization, started a campaign to increase awareness among the Yemeni public about the dangers of vaccine preventable diseases and promoting vaccination. We established social media channels (Safe Childhood) and developed vaccine education material that is specific to Yemen and takes into account the cultural norms. Please visit our social media handles to see our work.

Our wish for reminder of 2024 

Please consider a recuring gift to the work we do on the ground in Yemen. You can make a tax-deductible donation anytime on our website or on our GlobalGiving page.

P.S. Make sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitterand LinkedIn and share our updates with your friends and family. 

Links:

• Yemen Foundation Page