Welthungerhilfe Steps Up Emergency Response in Yemen
According to Welthungerhilfe’s assessment, the situation in Yemen is dramatically worsening despite current peace efforts.
Bonn, 05/02/2019 According to Welthungerhilfe’s assessment, the situation in Yemen is dramatically worsening despite current peace efforts. According to the latest UN figures, nearly 16 million people are going hungry, despite international aid deliveries. This is more than half the population. Around 2 million children under five are already undernourished. Without further assistance, about 250,000 Yemenis will face the risk of famine.
“The situation people face is worsening by the day. We fear that Yemen may be hit by a famine. The current peace talks are important, because only a political solution can put a lasting end to the suffering of the population. Financial support from the international community is important, and we need more flexibility, so the money can be used where it is most urgently needed. There should also be more pressure on the different authorities on the ground, so aid organisations have better access in the country. The upcoming international donor conference on 26th February must send a clear message”, stresses Mathias Mogge, Secretary General of Welthungerhilfe.
Welthungerhilfe is extending its support, due to the ongoing suffering of the population. About 4,400 people will receive food vouchers over the coming four months. The recipients will be families that had to leave their villages due to the fighting, and the host families that have taken in refugees under the most difficult conditions, although they were already poor themselves.
Welthungerhilfe has been active in Yemen since May 2017, in collaboration with its French Alliance2015 partner, ACTED, and it has supported more than 11,600 people in need, through cash assistance and food vouchers.
Welthungerhilfe is one of the largest private aid organisations in Germany; politically independent and non-denominational. It is fighting for "Zero Hunger by 2030". Since its establishment in 1962, more than 8,900 overseas projects in 70 countries have been supported with 3.53 billion euros. Welthungerhilfe works on the principle of empowering people to help themselves: from rapid disaster relief to reconstruction and long-term development cooperation projects with national and international partner organisations.
