Participant plays on a slide outside one of War Child’s centres in Yemen.
Where we work

Yemen

War Child continues to deliver life-saving child protection services, education support, vocational skills training and cash relief to children and their families in war-torn Yemen. 

The crisis in Yemen has been deemed one of the worst of our lifetime.  

Over 7 years of brutal conflict has left over 20 million people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. Over half of these are children.

The onslaught of COVID-19, has only exacerbated an already dire situation, leaving Yemen’s economy, education and healthcare systems fragile. Widespread unemployment, internal displacement, food insecurity and a lack of access to shelter, sanitation, healthcare and education, has plunged even more families into crisis. More than 2 million children are currently out of school, putting them at increased risk of child labour and recruitment by armed groups. 

Despite sporadic ceasefires and peace talks, there does not seem to be an end in sight. The war no longer dominates the headlines, but the situation continues to deteriorate and the need for humanitarian assistance continues to grow. War Child is committed to operating in this challenging environment to deliver life-saving interventions to support children and their families.  

Scale of the challenge

  • 12.4 M

    Children in need of humanitarian assistance.

  • 2.3 M

    Children under five suffering from acute malnutrition.

  • 4 M

    People internally displaced as a result of protracted conflict.

Our work in Yemen 

War Child has been in the North of Yemen since 2016 and was the first international NGO here. Since then, we have delivered projects in Sana’a and in Aden, delivering cash relief, food and access to other life-saving essentials to children and their families who have lost their livelihoods as a result of ongoing conflict. Since these initial projects, we have expanded our programmes to also deliver education and child protection across the country. Currently, War Child’s programmes are being delivered in Taiz and Aden.

 

In 2022 War Child’s programmes include:

  • Supporting children’s education through the rehabilitation of schools and the provision of school furniture and learning equipment.
  • Training teachers as well as supporting teachers no longer paid by the government due to economic collapse.
  • Providing catch-up classes for out of school children allowing age-appropriate education to be delivered outside of traditional school settings and in a shorter timeframe, such as through a condensed curriculum or intensified timetables.
  • Running community centres and child-friendly spaces and training caregivers with the tools to support their children's mental wellbeing at home.
  • Identifying and working with individual vulnerable children facing specific risks to their safety and wellbeing as well as training and mobilising community-based child protection committees to enhance community understanding of child protection risks and their ability to respond to these long after War Child projects have ended.
  • Providing legal and ID documentation to children and their families who have been internally displaced so they can access public services such as schools.
  • Providing families with cash relief to support incomes and ensure vulnerable children are able to attend school.

 

Participant Hamas at the War Child centre in her village.
The impacts of COVID-19 on Hamas’ family left her unable to go to school. This story is all too common for families in Yemen, who must place daily survival over their children’s education. Credit: Arete.
Last year I stopped going to school. My father used to earn a good salary every month but because of coronavirus, his salary was cut and we could no longer afford the basic things we needed, including my mother's medicines. Thanks to War Child, I can go to school now. It is wonderful and there are many fun games.
Hamas, Yemen.

We never give up on children like Hamas.

War Child's work to protect, educate and provide for Yemeni children and their families is more urgent than ever. With your help, we can continue to be there for children like Hamas and his family when they need us most.

Please, donate today.

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