With over 24 million people affected, Yemen has been ranked as the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. That is about 80% of the entire population. The country is currently in a horrifying loop of emergencies. The first starting in 2015, when a struggle for power disrupted the nation. This meant the already struggling country was now being bombarded by acts of war. Civilian’s homes were turned into a battleground. Then, in 2020, COVID-19 made a bad situation worse. With schools and hospitals closing, and supplies and food being scarce, the living conditions have become something close to hell. Many healthcare workers have no pay or protective gear, children can no longer go to school which directly affects their futures, and natural forces like desert locusts and floods only do more damage to the country’s sources of food.
As of May 2020, 5.8 million more children have been unable to attend school. This brings the total up to 7.8 million Yemeni children without access to education. With the rate of malnutrition only rising in children, it has been predicted that the coronavirus could bring the total number to 2.4 million. When taking into account the people displaced by the war and the failing infrastructure of the country, it is clear that the situation is dire.
Ramesh Rajasingham, Director of OCHA’s Coordination Division, said that in 2019 civilian casualties were down by about 35%, and civilian fatalities were down by around 50%. This is thought to be because of the Stockholm Agreement, an agreement between the two parties fighting for power. As of January 16, 2020, more than 12 million citizens had access to food assistance and 7 million had access to clean drinking water. However, we are unsure how those numbers have been affected by COVID-19 and the restriction on travel.
What's important to remember is that these numbers represent real people, real families, a real country with culture and history worth protecting. Donating to established organizations and continuing to raise awareness of the crisis may be the best way to help at the moment. KeepEarth is selling stickers and will be donating 100% of the profit to the crisis.