After 10 years of war, Yemen is gripped by malnutrition, disease outbreaks, lack of access to health care and other urgent services, and other life-threatening risks to the most vulnerable — all evidence of a full-scale humanitarian crisis.
One in two children under 5 are acutely malnourished; over 537,000 suffer from severe acute malnutrition, a condition that is agonizing, life-threatening and entirely preventable. In addition, 1.4 million pregnant and lactating women are malnourished, perpetuating the cycle of intergenerational suffering.
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) its donors support the implementation of many interventions in Yemen, helping people in the war-torn country get access to health and nutrition services, safe water and education.
UNICEF’s mobile teams are one example of a vital service platform bringing essential health and nutrition services directly to families in remote parts of the country.
The mobile clinic building set up by UNICEF in Dhamar to support families who cannot reach health centers.
Support from the Swiss National Committee for UNICEF has enabled the deployment of mobile teams in several governorates, including Hajjah, Hodeidah, Taiz, Dhamar and Al Dhale`a, reaching the most vulnerable including children under 5 and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
In Hajjah governorate, for example, mobile teams are deployed to work in places where fixed health centers are inaccessible or non-functional.
Despite all the challenges — logistical hurdles, ongoing conflict and the constant need for medical supplies — they continue working with support from organizations like UNICEF and their donors, saving one life after another.
For many families, the mobile teams are more than just vehicles carrying medical supplies and people who share advice on how to take care of their babies. They are a beacon of hope.
Despite impressive achievements and support from local and international partners, these initiatives face many challenges. Insecurity, fuel shortages, funding cuts and disrupted supply chains make it hard to predict how and whether the project will develop, reaching more families in need.
While the mobile teams have dramatically increased health care access in Yemen, not all regions receive the comprehensive care they need due to funding gaps. However, UNICEF, along with its partners, remains optimistic and dedicated to their goals, expanding these services further and building on the success already seen in governorates like Al Hodeida, Hajjah and Raymah.
Right now, the lives of the most vulnerable children hang in the balance as conflicts and crises jeopardize the care and protection that they deserve. Dependable, uninterrupted and effective foreign aid is critical to the well-being of millions of children. Please contact your members of Congress and urge them to support ongoing U.S. investments in foreign assistance.