Yemen is presently going through a tough time as about 10 million children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations children’s fund (UNICEF).
Reports confirm that the current level of hunger in Yemen is unprecedented and causing severe hardship for millions of people. Also, 17 million people in the country are food insecure resulting into lack of food to eat. More than half of the estimated figure are children. The rate of child malnutrition in Yemen is one of the highest in the world.
In additon, the nutrition situation continues to deteriorate. A recent survey showed that almost one third of families have gaps in their diets, and hardly ever consume foods like pulses, vegetables, fruit, dairy products or meat. More than 10 million pregnant and nursing women and children under 5 need support to prevent or cure malnutrition.
In reaction to this, UNICEF has called for help on its official facebook page saying that most children in Yemen lacked basic medical care, adequate nutrition, fresh drinking water, suitable sanitation and education. It stated that urgent help is need to secure the lives of the malnourished children.
Further more, the post went on to say that UNICEF was working with local authorities across the war-torn country — and with local and international aid organizations — with a view to helping as many children as possible. UN agencies have repeatedly warned that Yemen’s three-year-long conflict has decimated the country’s public health sector which is also part of the cause of the ugly situation.
History explained that impoverished Yemen has remained in a state of civil war since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa. Also, in 2015, a Saudi-led Arab coalition launched a massive air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and shoring up Yemen’s embattled government. These are parts of the factors affecting the country’s growth and development.
Reports also confirm that more than half of all families are buying food on credit, up by almost 50 percent compared to pre-crisis levels. Salary payments for public sector employees have been suspended since September 2016, affecting nearly 30 percent of the Yemeni population who depend on government salaries and pensions.
UN officials stated that more than 10,000 people have been killed in the ongoing war, while more than 11 percent of the country’s population has been displaced as a direct result of the conflict. This is also a call for peace to reign. Every society needs peace to survive.
Some international organisations are assisting Yemen and also Save the Children in Yemen is currently distributing food and operating mobile health clinics – “we are consulting and treating 54,160 children under age 5 for malnutrition and supporting more than 820,000 people with food.” However more urgent assistance is needed to save the lives of the innocent children.
