Tackling hunger in Yemen

Ten million people in Yemen – almost half the population – live in the shadow of hunger. 44% of Yemenis are food insecure, a figure which has doubled in the last two years.

In one of the Middle East’s poorest countries, an Islamic Relief project is tackling hunger in Hodeida, Abyan and Lahj, where around 3,400 families will receive nutritional support, including supplementary food and mobile health clinics.

Infant malnutrition is a huge problem, with almost one million children under the age of five acutely malnourished. Malnutrition can cause weak bones, stunted growth and even brain damage, so it’s crucial to catch it in the early stages. Working with the government health department, we are training 100 health professionals and volunteers to spot the early signs so that children can be treated, and we’re also promoting the nutritional benefits of breast-feeding.

Poverty is a major cause of food insecurity in Yemen – while drought does affect the growth of crops, rising food prices make it difficult to afford food even when it is available. Islamic Relief is helping families tackle both root causes, training 1,200 vulnerable farmers and fishermen to make their livelihoods drought-resistant and giving them seeds and other essential tools. The new techniques and tools they receive are all environmentally friendly, critical in an area beset by drought and climate change-related disasters, which in turn cause hunger.

To help raise families’ income so they can afford food, we’re helping women to start earning, as well as giving 800 young people skills training to help them start small businesses. We hope to lift them out of a vicious cycle of poverty and hunger from early on in life.

It’s an all-round project which tackles hunger and food insecurity from every angle – nutrition and healthcare, poverty and livelihoods, drought and climate change – and we pray for its success. Thank you for making it possible.

To help fight hunger around the world, please donate to our Food Solutions.

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