Yemen has been locked in a terrible war for the past three years. This war has killed thousands and pushed throngs of already impoverished people toward starvation. Millions of Yemenis face each day with uncertainty, not knowing if they will have food for the day.
At the beginning of 2020, Yemen experienced another uptick in fighting. This renewed conflict displaced 40,000 people. In one province, frightened families fled a displacement camp. Homeless once again, they spoke of walking three days without food and water.
There seems to be no rest from violence and crises for some of these poorest people on earth. Nearly 80 percent of Yemen’s population is considered in need of aid. The country has some of the highest malnutrition rates in the world.
Impact of COVID-19 in Yemen
The recent COVID-19 pandemic adds more uncertainty to the situation in War-Ravaged Yemen. Many countries ordered lockdowns to limit the spread of the disease. But this is nearly impossible in a country like Yemen where the majority of people live hand to mouth. For the poor in Yemen, the virus presents impossible scenarios: stay at home and starve, or leave home to try to earn a meager living and risk contracting the virus. A CAM contact shared, “The hospitals do not have the capacity to handle this. They are turning people away. We are trying to teach people how to take care of the sick in their homes . . . their homes will end up being the ICUs.”
Life-giving food for suffering Yemenis
With such a bleak track record, one could begin to think there is no hope for Yemen. But God has not forgotten Yemen, although much of the world has. Despite the roadblocks, dangers, and difficulty, CAM contacts are able to reach into the country’s rugged hills and valleys with life-giving food.
Najah,* a widowed food recipient, shared, “I lost both my home and my husband as a result of a rocket falling in our neighborhood. I escaped death along with my two young daughters.” Najah now struggles to survive with no place to stay and no money to feed her children. She says, “Before I received the food parcel, I used to walk long miles and collect whatever wild plants or herbs I could find and cook for my children. The parcel I received from you was a lifeline for me.”
The gift of clean water
The crumbled infrastructure and healthcare system of Yemen is taking its toll on people’s health. To help alleviate the spread of waterborne diseases like cholera, CAM supplies rainwater harvesting systems and water filters for homes throughout the country. The combination of a large storage tank, a water filter, and education on preventing the spread of disease helps fill many people’s need for pure water. It also relieves them of the need to spend hours each day searching for clean drinking water.
Our contacts recently delivered a water system to an elderly lady. But when they arrived to install it, they didn’t see the tank. The lady pointed to her neighbor’s house and said her neighbor needed the water tank more than she did. Our contacts shared, “Her neighbor cried tears of joy because she will finally get rid of her biggest and most important problem—bringing water from the well.”
How can you help?
We welcome your support as we continue to meet needs in Yemen. With God’s help, we want to do what we can to share the love of Jesus in this dark and difficult part of the world. Our goal for this mailing is $1,500,000. Your support will help meet needs through food parcels, water systems, and other desperately needed aid. God bless you!
*Name changed to protect identity.
To help support the Yemen Silently Starves program, please click below to give a one-time gift.