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Yemen Humanitarian Crisis

A Yemeni woman sits outside a tent with four children.

CARE Yemen / Abdulrahman Alhobishi

CARE Yemen / Abdulrahman Alhobishi

Emergencies

After nearly a decade of conflict, Yemen remains one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. According to the UN, two-thirds of Yemen’s population - 21.6 million people - are in dire need of humanitarian assistance and protection services.

About the Yemen crisis

Millions of Yemenis have been displaced due to conflict

A decade of conflict and economic decline in Yemen, compounded by years of underdevelopment and the collapse of institutions and infrastructure, has led to a deep humanitarian crisis that continues to cast a shadow on the well-being and protection of Yemeni people.

Yemen faces the world’s fourth-largest internal displacement crisis. An estimated 4.5 million people, or 14% of the population, are currently internally displaced, many of whom have been displaced multiple times over several years. Based on UN estimates, three quarters of the country’s internally displaced population are women and children.

Malnutrition threatens Yemenis, with women and children facing the highest risks

The country is experiencing a severe food security crisis, affecting an estimated 17.6 million people—over half of the population. Of these, six million are expected to face catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

Women and children in Yemen are at high risk of malnutrition, facing a dire crisis. Approximately 2.7 million pregnant and lactating women require urgent treatment for acute malnutrition. Additionally, nearly half of all children under five suffer from moderate to severe stunting, with around five million needing treatment for acute malnutrition.

The decade-long war in Yemen has disproportionately affected Yemeni women and girls. They face heightened risks of violence, exploitation, and abuse, while struggling to access essential healthcare, particularly maternal and child health services. Hunger and famine, direct consequences of the conflict, can only be eradicated by ending the war.

Over 50% of Yemen's population need humanitarian assistance.

Of these, 76% are women and children.

How to help Yemen: What CARE is doing

CARE is working tirelessly to reach those in need across war-torn Yemen. While humanitarian organizations like CARE are reaching an unprecedented number of people, the challenges remain immense. People in hard-to-reach areas, either behind front lines or displaced, are difficult to access, hindering our efforts to deliver life-saving aid.

Every year, CARE reaches over one million people with water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. This includes rehabilitating water systems, providing hygiene kits, and conducting hygiene training. CARE works with communities to promote hygiene and prevent the spread of deadly diseases like cholera and COVID-19.

We distribute food, cash, and vouchers to approximately 1.5 million people, enabling them to buy essential supplies for their families and meet their basic needs, including agricultural requirements.

We improve access to primary healthcare by rehabilitating health facilities and deploying mobile clinics. By training and equipping midwives, rehabilitating maternity wards, and providing home delivery kits, we ensure women have access to essential reproductive health services.

We empower children and youth through improved access to education and training, rehabilitating classrooms, improving school sanitation, and providing vocational training and grants.

We support women’s economic empowerment by improving their access to financial means, equipment, technical advice, and training to establish small businesses.

CARE Yemen continues to promote localization by strengthening and expanding partnerships, particularly with women-led organizations, and building a diverse network of local NGOs, CSOs, networks, and initiatives.

With funding from USAID, CARE is working to rehabilitate the well in the Beer Naser area of Alshaikh Othman District in Aden Governorate by constructing a pump room and installing a new solar-powered water pump. Photo credit: CARE Yemen / Hian Kendry

CARE has served communities in Yemen for decades

CARE has been present in Yemen since 1992, and as a result we know the country very well and are a trusted partner among communities we serve. CARE is among the major international aid agencies continuing to deliver humanitarian services under extremely challenging circumstances, focusing on making sure that people in the most affected and hard-to-reach areas have access to emergency supplies and assistance to meet their basic needs, as well as empowering them to rebuild their lives and become self-reliant.

CARE works in 14 governorates across Yemen, providing lifesaving food, cash, livelihoods, water, and sanitation services to those in need, including internally displaced people (IDPs).

Our interventions start at the community level where we respond to emergencies, strengthen resilience, and give voice to the most marginalized groups, especially women and girls. In addition to our emergency interventions, CARE’s programs work along the continuum of the nexus, where early recovery, resilience building, and longer-term development are integral parts of our programs.

*Last updated November 2024

Empowering communities in Yemen

In the face of conflict and deepening crisis, humanitarian efforts have offered a lifeline to the people of Yemen.

A doctor helps a young child.