Yemen - buildings — CAFOD's sister agency Caritas Poland is providing humanitarian assistance including provision of life-saving emergency medical interventions to families in great need in Yemen.

It has been over a decade since violence broke out in Yemen. The situation continues to deteriorate drastically, leaving millions in desperate need of assistance.

This prolonged conflict has resulted in the economy coming close to collapse. Hospitals and public services are vanishing, and most families are living below the poverty line.

CAFOD is working with a local Caritas sister agency, currently responding in the south of Yemen supporting families facing extreme poverty, disease, malnutrition, and the common threat of violence.

Prolonged conflict in Yemen has taken a devastating toll

80% of Yemen’s population is living below the poverty line and are in need of some form of humanitarian assistance.

How your donations are helping

1. Urgent medical assistance

With your help, our hardworking local sister agency has been supporting communities facing hunger and illness in the harsh conditions of the ongoing conflict, providing clean water, medicine and offering emergency medical treatment.

Image 1 - Yemen Crisis Update — Caritas Poland's health officer unpacking a medicine delivery.

Thanks to your generous donations, we have been supporting five vital healthcare centres offering emergency medical assistance and distributing medicine to those in need.

We have also been providing wider health services to communities, focusing on the most vulnerable: women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

Your donations are making a difference

Over 62,000 vulnerable individuals, including women and children, now have improved access to life-saving primary health services.

The medicines supplied have been critical in treating a wide range of urgent health issues, including those caused by the ongoing conflict, as well as treatment for malnutrition, emergency obstetric care, and disease prevention and treatment.

2. Improving maternal and child healthcare

Image 2 - Yemen Crisis Update — Yemeni woman and child waiting to be seen by a doctor at the healthcare centre run by CAFOD's sister agency Caritas Poland.

Thanks to your continued support, pregnant women have been given maternal healthcare before, during and after childbirth.

By offering an experienced local healthcare team, including community midwives, our sister agency has been able to significantly improve rates of safe deliveries and substantially reduce the risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth.

3. Disease prevention

In addition to addressing immediate needs, CAFOD’s local sister agency has been introducing preventative measures to stop the spread of disease that include:

working to restore some of the damaged health facilities
introducing new hand washing stations
the distribution of clean water and soap
raising awareness of good hygiene practices in local areas.

This is also helping to build long-term resilience within communities, ensuring they can withstand the future of this ongoing humanitarian crisis.

What can I do to help?

We continue to support the people of Yemen addressing their urgent needs as well as providing long-term medical support. However, many people are still facing the challenges caused by the ongoing conflict today.

The local humanitarian professionals and volunteers working on your behalf risk their own lives to serve people in need. Together, we stand in solidarity and send our prayers to the people of Yemen.