A dark blue heart with the words One Woman Can inside it

One woman. Infinite impact.

When one woman can access the resources and opportunities she deserves, she can pull not only herself, but others around her out of poverty and crisis. Join us and invest in women around the world.

Four years on, Yemen war leaves country reliant on humanitarian aid

In four years the country has seen the worst cholera outbreak in history, a declaration of famine, and a crippled economy.

March 26 marks four years since the escalation of conflict in Yemen in 2015.

In four years the country has seen the worst cholera outbreak in history, a declaration of famine, and a crippled economy. There have been almost 20,000 airstrikes, over 70,000 people have died, 4 million have had to leave their homes behind, and now 80 per cent of the population requires humanitarian assistance – an increase of 10 per cent since 2018.

“We are in a position right now to say that things cannot get worse,” says Johan Mooij, CARE Yemen’s Country Director. “A beautiful country has been destroyed by four years of fighting and economic collapse. Ten million people are at real risk of famine; half of health services don’t function; people are bombed, shelled and hit by landmines every day.”

After four years of fighting and economic decline most people in Yemen have become reliant on humanitarian aid to survive. Without the food, water and healthcare provided by humanitarian agencies, the 65,000 people currently living in famine would be at least a quarter of a million, and cholera and disease would be rife. 600,000 people have lost jobs since 2015, with the agricultural sector particularly badly affected.

“Millions of families have lost their livelihoods,” says Mooij. “And women are having to fend for their families’ survival, having lost husbands and male relatives to the fighting. Not only are they grieving for the people they loved who have been killed or who have disappeared, but they also have to find ways to feed their children and make sure they have clean water to drink and medicine if they are sick. This kind of situation is almost impossible to imagine.”

Women are having to fend for their families’ survival, having lost husbands and male relatives to the fighting. Not only are they grieving for the people they loved who have been killed, but they also have to find ways to feed their children and make sure they have clean water to drink.

Johan Mooij

CARE Yemen

A triple burden for women

Ateqah is a 33-year-old mother living in Jabal Yazid district of Amran governorate in the north of Yemen. Her husband left and she has not seen him since – she doesn’t know whether he is alive or dead. She lives with her two sons and one daughter and their 70-year-old grandfather.

“I couldn’t find anyone to help take care of my family,” she says. “I searched for work but I don’t know how to find it. Some of my neighbours helped us and provided us with two rooms and a toilet – they give us some food and water every day. Every day I go to collect water from the well. We live here with nothing. God only knows our situation.”

Women often have a triple burden of providing income and food for families, as well as suffering from domestic abuse.

There has been an increase in gender-based violence and women often have nowhere to turn, as protective societal structures collapse. There are only six women’s shelters in the whole of Yemen, and UNFPA estimates that there are 120,000 women and girls at risk of violence.

Samer lives with her husband, father-in-law, daughter and son in a small village 8.5km away from the Yemeni capital city of Sana’a.

“One day my husband was starving,” says Samer. “I could not bake anything because I was suffering from a high fever. My husband’s hunger made him extremely angry and he beat me nearly to death.”

Samer survived, but there are many women who face this kind of abuse on a daily basis.

In response to this ongoing crisis, CARE is reaching around one million people per month in Yemen. As well as providing humanitarian assistance and protection, CARE is also running women’s and youth economic empowerment projects, helping people to generate income and giving them dignity and hope for the future.

But despite these efforts, what’s really needed is peace.

Says Mooij: “If this war continues the people of Yemen will not see an end to their suffering. We desperately need a peaceful end to this deadly conflict, and we call on the international community to do everything in their power to ensure this happens.”

Media Contact:
CARE has spokespeople in Yemen available.

Contact: Darcy Knoll, Communications Specialist, CARE Canada, darcy.knoll@care.ca, 613-228-5641 

MAKE MARCH FOR WOMEN

More than 32 million women and girls around the world are facing humanitarian emergencies. They deserve a humanitarian response system that fully upholds their rights and addresses their needs. We believe the rights of women and girls can’t wait.

add your name
News releases and statements

CARE Statement on Recent Violence in Haiti

Read More
News releases and statements

IPC Report: Half of Gaza Experiencing ‘Catastrophic’ Hunger, Famin...

Read More
News releases and statements

CARE warns: Babies and toddlers in North Gaza dying slow and painful d...

Read More