Nearly 80 percent of Yemen’s 30 million population is in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN -- 14 million of them face imminent famine. The organization further reports that total suspected cholera and acute watery diarrhea cases since 2017 number more than 1.3 million. From January to April 2019 the UN is reporting an increase in suspected cholera cases: 280,000 suspected cases and 568 deaths.
Following years of conflict, Yemen is facing economic collapse and one of the most serious cholera epidemics in recorded history. High inflation and restrictions on food and fuel imports, combined with a nearly complete breakdown of the country’s health institutions, have pushed the country to the verge of famine.
How we're responding
Since July 2015, Oxfam and its local partner organizations have provided humanitarian assistance to more than three million people in Yemen.
- We have provided clean water and sanitation to more than one million people, many of them in hard-to-reach areas of the country. Oxfam and our partners are delivering water by truck, repairing water systems, delivering filters and jerry cans, as well as building latrines. For example, through our partner organization Generation Without Qat, Oxfam is providing water to more than 126,000 people inside Taiz city, and supporting 420,000 people in the governorate with water and sanitation services.
- To help prevent cholera, Oxfam works with local organizations to disinfect water storage containers with chlorine, distribute water purification equipment and chemicals to households, construct latrines, and conduct public health campaigns with volunteers who spread cholera messages and encourage good hygiene. To treat those suffering from cholera and other water-borne ailments, we also distribute oral rehydration sachets to help people rehydrate.
- Cash and vouchers to help people buy food, which has become expensive due to high inflation and import restrictions.
- Oxfam provides training and financial support for Yemeni entrepreneurs and farmers
- Advocating for peace: Oxfam is calling for a ceasefire, negotiations to end the conflict, respect for international humanitarian law, and unrestricted imports so that Yemenis can access food, fuel, and other humanitarian aid.
- Arms sales ban: Between 2013 and 2017, 60 percent of Saudi Arabia’s arms imports came from the US. Oxfam is also calling for a ban of sales of weapons from the US to all parties to the conflict in Yemen.
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