Children in Yemen are victims of the adults’ war
In war-torn Yemen, children are killed or seriously injured by stray bullets, shrapnel or land mines. We're trying to help as many as we can. Little Lamees had the shrapnel removed from his leg - but not everyone is so lucky.
A child walks through the ruins of bombed buildings in Yemen.
War kills and wounds children every month
The protracted civil war in Yemen claims new innocent victims every day. The fabric of society has collapsed and large sections of the population are faced with hunger, repeated displacement, and active warfare.
Every day, mothers and fathers in Yemen live with the fear that their children will be seriously injured, either by the stray bullets of civil war or by shrapnel and buried mines. And with good reason: Every month, children are killed by active warfare. More are seriously wounded.
Wisam's daughter Lamees was just one and a half years old when she was hit by shrapnel from a missile attack.
The family has barely enough to get through the day, so there was no money to pay the hospital bill to have the shrapnel removed from Lamees' leg.
I used to earn 31,000 Rial (about €100) a month. Now we have nothing. I help out wherever I can. But I don't earn enough to feed my children every day.
Wisam, Lamees' father
Without work, Wisam cannot support his children
With donated funds, our local staff managed to cover the operation and the subsequent hospital treatment. So now Lamees can run and play with her two siblings again.
Still, the family had to pay a heavy price. Wisam was sacked because he had to look after Lamees while she was in hospital.
"I used to earn 31,000 Rial [about €100] a month. Now we have nothing. I help out wherever I can. But I don't earn enough to feed my children every day," Wisam says.
Great need for food, water, and mine clearance
Millions of people in Yemen, like Wisam and his family, depend on humanitarian aid to survive. That's three-fourths of the population.
We have a massive presence in Yemen, where our local staff distribute food and water, provide shelter and protection, clear mines, and work on durable solutions.
At the same time, we provide life-saving surgery and hospital treatment to children injured in the war. But the need is enormous. And the lack of international attention and support means that many children with war injuries are not getting the treatment they need.
That's why we're working to step up our efforts for children in Yemen.
Thousands of children live crippled by the bullets of war because they never get the hospital treatment they need. We are trying to help them all, but right now we urgently need funds to do so.
Mettine Due, DRC Danish Refugee Council Programme Coordinator in Yemen
Thank you for your support!
Yemen's families are caught in a civil war where hunger and armed attacks claim new innocent victims every day. Without the support of people like you, we couldn't:
✓ Provide children with life-saving surgery and treatment for war injuries
✓ Distribute food and water to thousands of people every month
✓ Provide shelter and protection to families living as refugees in their own country
✓ Ensure sanitation and build sustainable water supplies
✓ Support families to become self-sufficient