Malnutrition children U5yr & PLW in Yemen

More than eight years into the conflict, the Yemeni people have been suffering from severe economic decline and the burden of ongoing hostilities. The health care system remains a victim of conflict in Yemen, where poverty, hunger and unsafe drinking water have taken a heavy toll. The already dire humanitarian situation in Yemen has been exacerbated by the outbreak of successive diseases such as cholera and diphtheria. Malnutrition and monkeypox, which discovered some cases infected with this disease, which added a burden on Yemeni society in general and the health sector in particular, in light of the lack of the most basic health services.

As a result of the instability, non-stop war and the collapse of the economic situation, the rate of poverty and unemployment with no end. The rate of internal displacement in search of a livelihood increased, which led to the spread of malnutrition and very quickly among children, nursing mothers and pregnant women. The situation of Yemeni children and families is expected to worsen, With an expected 24 million people, half of whom are children (80% of the population) in need of humanitarian assistance, protection and basic health care assistance. He further stated that 10 million people need food assistance to survive and seven million are malnourished, making the situation in Yemen the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

The Yemeni society and the health sector are also facing a major problem in meeting the health needs, despite their magnitude, at a time when the health system is on the verge of collapse. Most of the health facilities were either partially damaged or completely destroyed due to the conflict, and health workers have not been paid for several years. There is also a shortage of medicines and medical equipment. Outbreaks of epidemic diseases and waterborne diseases such as cholera and diphtheria, and the recent outbreak of monkeypox virus show how severe public health the current situation is.

One of the most important health problems is malnutrition, which is already considered a critical threat in Yemen. Good nutrition and access to adequate food remain a challenge for a child's survival. There is consensus about the direct causes of malnutrition and food insecurity in Yemen, which include poverty, illiteracy, lack of clean water supplies, low levels of breastfeeding, and dependence on imported cereals as basic materials, which became difficult to obtain in light of the Russian-Ukrainian war, which exacerbated the economic and humanitarian situation in Yemen. . The conflict in Yemen, which clearly plays a role in exacerbating malnutrition, has escalated dramatically for nearly eight years, and is exacerbating an already severe and long-running humanitarian crisis. Therefore, conflict and insecurity remain the main drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition that have pushed the most vulnerable families to the brink of starvation.

In turn, SORD raised its project entitled: "Save lives 3025 children U5yr & 1,360 PLW in Yemen ." The proposed project aims to contribute to the reduction of deaths and diseases associated with acute malnutrition for children under five years of age, pregnant women and nursing mothers in targeted areas with high rates of acute malnutrition. During the first quarter of 2022, children under five and pregnant and lactating women suffering from severe acute malnutrition were provided with appropriate supplementary feeding. Community awareness was raised among pregnant women, nursing mothers and girls of childbearing age regarding the prevalence of malnutrition, both for the child and the mother, the importance of good nutrition for mental and physical health, and how to use available resources in order to overcome or reduce malnutrition. More details about the achievements of the project can be found on our side and based on the available capabilities we have made significant progress compared to the percentage of cases recorded by the team in the field. During the second quarter of the year 2022 AD in the Al-Ara Center in the Hamdan District, Sana’a Governorate
Where 22 cases of recovery from malnourished children were recorded, including 12 females and 8 males. 115 malnourished boys and girls were checked in, 44 of them from Sam and 71 from Mam.

While primary health services were provided to 128 lactating women and 133 pregnant women, in addition to educating 213 women about measures to prevent malnutrition and methods of hygiene and proper healthy nutrition.
Also, the necessary examinations were carried out and conducted for 130 cases of various diseases that were treated and transferred to the stage of recovery and recovery. Out of the number of 1080 sick cases that visited the center during the month of June 2022 AD.