The Yemen crisis is considered one of the worst humanitarian crises in human history. For the past seven years, we have witnessed the people of Yemen suffer from conflict, food scarcity, hunger, starvation, and now a global pandemic.
Unfortunately, the pandemic has only worsened the crisis to almost untenable proportions.
Here are 3 facts about the Yemen crisis that you should know:
Conflict Has Crumbled Yemen's Infrastructure
Imagine not carrying out the daily tasks that we all take for granted, such as having a livelihood or going to school. Since 2015, the conflict in Yemen has decimated the country's infrastructure. As a result, the Yemeni people do not have open schools, lack access to roads, don't know where to find food, and more.
24 Million Yemenis Need Humanitarian Assistance
Due to conflict and famine, a majority of Yemenis are going hungry to the brink of starvation. A staggering 80% of Yemen's population needs humanitarian assistance to survive. The majority of Yemenis suffering are women and children. According to UNICEF, 30,000 children in Yemen die yearly of malnutrition as one of the most important underlying causes.
Yemen's Vaccination Rates Are Low
Yemen's vaccination rate is so low that the pandemic has made the situation dire for civilians. Reuters reports that only 0.6% of Yemenis are vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Why is this happening? Yemenis can't access health care. Since the start of the conflict in 2015, only half of Yemen's health care facilities are still operating. With people already weakened by famine and hunger, children are especially vulnerable to preventable diseases like measles and polio.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has written that a child under the age of 5 dies every 10 minutes, on average, of preventable causes.
How can the world help? First, we must take on the responsibility of providing humanitarian assistance. We committed to bringing relief to Yemen as we have for the last two decades. We pledge to bring immediate food relief, long-term sustainable agriculture, and clean water. Join us in protecting our Yemeni brothers and sisters.