by Katy Cottrell, Sona Circle

The situation in Yemen has been described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis with various threats to the safety, security and well-being of the population hitting Yemen all at once.

Firstly, a five-year long war has caused the deaths of over 12,000 civilians and extensive damage to infrastructure including roads and hospitals. Yemen was then hit with the fastest growing cholera outbreak that has ever been recorded, and a famine which has put 8 million Yemenis at risk of starvation.

On top of all this, coronavirus has reached Yemen, and as a result of airstrikes (enabled by supplies to Saudi Arabia from the UK and US) only half of Yemen’s 3,500 medical facilities are fully functioning.

With different areas of Yemen being controlled by different parties, it is difficult to get a picture of how Yemen has truly been affected by the disease or trace those who have been infected. For example, whilst the Yemen government has declared 900 Covid-19 cases, rebels have said that only 4 cases have been detected in their territory. As a result of this ‘perfect storm’ of disasters, more than 80% of Yemen’s population is currently in need of emergency aid.

However, there are many organizations that are currently working in Yemen to provide emergency life-saving aid right now. You can show your support by donating to their Yemen crisis appeals, which are linked in this article.

1. The International Committee of the Red Cross

Working to deliver food, clean water, medical assistance and essential household items such as blankets and soap to those in Yemen. In 2019, they provided more than 5 million Yemenis with clean water, and 650,000 Yemeni people with food aid. The link to support the Red Cross can be found here.

2. Oxfam

Providing agricultural assistance, clean water and sanitation services to those in Yemen. They provide families with food vouchers and have developed cash for work programs to simultaneously provide food assistance and to support local businesses.

Oxfam is also currently working to educate communities about the spread of Covid-19 and how they can protect themselves from the virus. The link to support Oxfam can be found here.

3. Save the Children

Working to combat the effects of the famine in Yemen by treating malnourished children and pregnant or breastfeeding women. They also provide psychosocial assistance to help young people cope with the humanitarian disasters they have witnessed.

Additionally, as a result of up to 75% of schools being destroyed by airstrikes in some areas of Yemen, Save the Children are running temporary learning programs so that children don’t miss out on an education. The link to support Save the Children can be found here.

4. The International Rescue Committee

As well as providing food, medical aid and improving access to education for Yemeni children, The International Rescue Committee are calling for a ceasefire between parties involved in the Yemen Civil War so that aid can be effectively delivered to those who require it. The link to support the IRC can be found here.

This is just a snapshot of the substantial efforts being carried out by humanitarian organisations in Yemen. At Sona Circle, our work involves supporting refugees living in the UK to find employment opportunities and share their stories.

We believe that refugees from around the world, who have experienced trauma and disaster, like that currently occurring in Yemen, deserve the dignity to participate in paid employment in their host countries.

If you would like to support the work that we do, you can visit our website at www.sonacircle.com and donate to the Sona Circle refugee employment fund, where 100% of donations go directly to creating employment opportunities for refugees.