Yahya (name changed) lives in one room with his family and all their possessions. They need to walk for two hours to reach wells, which contain water that may be unsafe and carry water-borne diseases. (Photo: Gabreez/Oxfam)
After ten years of war, Yemen remains the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
Almost 4 million people have been displaced by the fighting and two out of every three people – more than 21 million in total – are in need of humanitarian assistance. We are delivering essential aid but we urgently need your help to do more.
A brutal and devastating conflict
21 million people – more than a third of Yemen’s population – need emergency aid, more than in any other country in the world.
The people of Yemen are experiencing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The conflict between a Saudi-led coalition of Gulf countries and the Government of Yemen against the Ansar-Allah movement (also known as the Houthis), which escalated in March 2015, caused more than 12,000 civilian deaths before a ceasefire agreed in April 2022. Schools, hospitals, roads, and other critical infrastructure has been decimated by the conflict, and the Yemeni economy has collapsed – leaving essential commodities like food out of reach for most families. As a result, millions of Yemenis remain displaced from their homes and at risk from hunger and disease.
When war broke out in Yemen, Mofadal and his family were forced to move. They lost all their belongings during the journey. Mofadal’s wife struggled to breastfeed, in the stressful conditions. As the family was forced to move time and time again, Mofadal could not find a regular job. (Photo: Jehad Al-Nahary/Oxfam)
More than half of Yemenis do not have enough to eat.
More than 2.7 million children are acutely malnourished, and nearly half of all children under 5 years old suffer from stunting or acute malnutrition.
Malnutrition and widespread destruction of the country’s health services and water infrastructure have left Yemen acutely vulnerable to communicable diseases, including cholera.
Medical supplies are in chronically short supply and only half of health facilities are fully functioning. Millions of people are scattered in camps for displaced persons with little food and poor hygiene.
Our response
We work across Yemen to provide clean water, sanitation and hygiene. We deliver cash and vouchers, and help people earn a living. Since July 2015 we have reached more than 3 million people across the frontline.
We provide the most vulnerable people with cash to cover their basic food needs. We also provide cash grants to small businesses and farmers, as well as providing cash for work projects that allow people to be paid for rehabilitating essential infrastructure such as roads and water systems.
We provide clean water and sanitation, including in hard-to-reach areas, through providing water by truck, repairing water systems, delivering filters and jerry cans, and building latrines. We distribute hygiene kits for the most vulnerable households and organize hygiene awareness programs.
We work to ensure that civilians are well protected, and work with civil society organizations in both the south and the north to ensure that the voices of women and youth are heard when it comes to the peace process.
Help us do more, donate now
We are on the ground distributing life-saving aid, but we urgently need to reach more people and we can’t do it without you.
Yemen faces the triple threat of war, disease and hunger. Violence and economic collapse have left millions facing chronic hunger. For most Yemeni women, men and children, life remains a daily struggle.
