What is happening in Yemen?
What is life like for children in Yemen?
Now in its tenth year, the conflict in Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the world, has left a trail of devastation. Homes have been destroyed, families displaced, and schools and hospitals reduced to rubble. The lives of millions of Yemenis have been changed forever.
A ten-year-old child in Yemen will have known nothing but war.
The conflict has caused significant loss of life and injury, displacing 4.8 million people and leaving more than 19 million people – over half of the population – in desperate need of protection and life-saving assistance.
Thousands of children have lost their lives and suffered life-altering injuries. They have been forced from their homes – many, multiple times – and cut off from food, healthcare, and other essential services.
Recent regional conflict dynamics have exacerbated the situation. The impact of the security threat in the Red Sea is hampering aid efforts, as disruption to trade is pushing up prices and causing delays in shipments of life-saving goods.
Three years ago on the 2nd of April, a truce agreement was made, stating all conflict parties must stop the fighting, in a first step towards lasting peace. But three years on, hopes of a brighter, peaceful future for children are dwindling.
Huge instability remains and unless urgent action is taken, children will continue to pay the highest price.
We need more funding, more diplomacy and a definitive ceasefire agreed. We must see an end to this decade-long conflict once and for all.
Although the fighting has slowed over the past three years, hunger, poverty, and deprivation continue to plague Yemeni families, with children bearing the greatest brunt.
- Today, 10.8 million children urgently need life-saving assistance for food, clean water, healthcare, and education.
- Nearly half of all children under five are now facing malnutrition.
- Two out of five children are out of school.
Over the past ten years, many children have lost everything. Some carry their favourite toy or book, others a blanket.
But you can’t carry security, a stable income, a safe place to play or learn, or someone to fight for your rights.
That’s what Save the Children is there for. We’re there before, during, and after a crisis.
By supporting our Emergency Fund, you can help protect the lives and futures of more children in crisis.
The struggle for education
HANGING IN THE BALANCE
With the war entering its tenth year, the impact on children’s learning and wellbeing is severe.
Today, over 4.5 million children in Yemen are out of school. This figure raises serious concerns not only about the wellbeing and future of those children but also about the future of the entire country, as education is a vital pillar of the country's potential for recovery.
The challenging economic situation in Yemen, which has been a major contributor to the crisis in education, has also increased protection risks, with parents and caregivers adopting harmful coping mechanisms, such as child labour and child marriage.
READ MORE: For full details of the challenges facing children's education in Yemen, see Save the Children's report, Hanging in the Balance: Yemeni Children's Struggle for Education
Landmine survivors
Yemen remains one of the most heavily contaminated countries in the world with landmines and explosive ordnance.
In 2024, 106 children were among 260 civilian casualties from explosive remnants of war (ERW) and landmines.
Save the Children’s report, Watching Our Every Step, analysed data from 2018 to 2022 and found that one child was killed or injured on average every two days in Yemen by landmines or other explosive devices.
Maha*, 10, is just one of many survivors.
MAHA'S* STORY
Maha*, 10, has lived with her family – including her 16-year-old sister Maya* – in Taiz, Yemen since being displaced from her village due to conflict.
In October 2022, the sisters’ lives were changed forever when they stepped on a landmine while collecting firewood for cooking. Even though Maha* was rushed to hospital for surgery, she lost her left eye, had her right hand amputated and injured her right leg.
Maha*, 10, holding a picture that she drew during a workshop for injured children organised by Save the Children. Photo: Ahmed Albasha / Save the Children.
Maha*, 10, holding a picture that she drew during a workshop for injured children organised by Save the Children. Photo: Ahmed Albasha / Save the Children.
Maha* loves going to school, however, the incident has made going to school difficult. Maha* has been able to attend a workshop for injured children organised by Save the Children and, as she has recovered, has started going to school again alongside her sister using crutches.
If I could write a letter to the most powerful person in the world, I would tell him: stop the war.”
In the future, Maha* wants to become a doctor so that she can help children who have been impacted by landmines too.
READ MORE: How children are overcoming climate change, conflict and other crises to continue learning
Overcoming malnutrition
Conflict, economic instability, and restricted aid access are fuelling Yemen’s malnutrition crisis, making basic nutrition unattainable for millions, while insecurity obstructs life-saving aid delivery.
This year, more than 17 million people will experience acute food insecurity in Yemen – almost half the country’s population.
Half of Yemen’s children are malnourished. 2.3 million children under five suffer from acute malnutrition, including 500,000 in life-threatening condition.
Food aid is dwindling. Major aid cuts in 2024 left millions without enough to eat, worsening an already dire crisis. The new 2025 global aid cuts will have an even more catastrophic impact, putting many more lives at risk.
NUSAIR'S* STORY
When Nusair*’s family were displaced due to conflict in Yemen, his mother Suad* didn’t have enough money to buy him nutritious food. He soon suffered from malnutrition.
Before he was skin and bones and he was weak.”
Nusair* was treated at a Save the Children-supported clinic. Now three years old, he has made a full recovery.
Nusair* with his mother Suad* at home in Yemen. Photo: Abdo Al Dhawi / Save the Children.
Nusair* with his mother Suad* at home in Yemen. Photo: Abdo Al Dhawi / Save the Children.
My baby now is healthier and normal like any child after medical support provided by Save the Children.
After having lunch, he loves to play with his friends. He likes to go out with his father everywhere and he loves to ride his bicycle.
What is Save the Children doing in Yemen?
Save the Children has been supporting children and their families in Yemen since 1963. When the conflict in Yemen started in 2015, we significantly increased our humanitarian response.
In 2024, we reached 2.3 million people, including 1.5 million children with life-saving support in health and nutrition, food security and livelihoods, clean water and sanitation, education and protection. You can read more about how we support children's education, health, protection and resilience below.
Children in Yemen paint a mural on the walls of a school as part of the Flowers for Children campaign. Photo: Al-Baraa Mansoor / Save the Children.
Children in Yemen paint a mural on the walls of a school as part of the Flowers for Children campaign. Photo: Al-Baraa Mansoor / Save the Children.
EDUCATION
We tackle the barriers that can reduce children’s access to education through measures including:
- The provision of non-formal education to children out of school.
- Supporting children at risk of dropping out.
- Supporting teachers’ professional development.
- Providing learning materials, cash and voucher assistance to families to help them overcome the financial barriers that keep children out of school where feasible.
Safa'a, 6 months, is fed by her mother Samah at a Save the Children supported health centre in Taiz, Yemen. Photo: Save the Children.
Safa'a, 6 months, is fed by her mother Samah at a Save the Children supported health centre in Taiz, Yemen. Photo: Save the Children.
HEALTH
Our health and nutrition response focuses on effective and evident child survival and health interventions plus safe access to water, sanitation, and hygiene and emergency food or cash assistance to ensure a healthy start in life for affected children.
In addition to providing basic health services, we also focus on neonatal care, reproductive health for women, and treating children who have been injured or maimed by the conflict.
Children playing at a Save the Children supported social centre in Taiz, Yemen, where children and young adults play games and learn new skills. Photo: Save the Children.
Children playing at a Save the Children supported social centre in Taiz, Yemen, where children and young adults play games and learn new skills. Photo: Save the Children.
PROTECTION
The work of our child protection response falls under two areas: preventive and responsive.
We work with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour to integrate child rights and child safeguarding, case management, and psychosocial support into social workers' agendas.
We also support community-based initiatives to strengthen the local community’s ability to respond to the protection needs in its own area.
READ MORE: Discover the power of a safe place to play
40-year-old Sama, a mother of four, in a sewing lesson at a Save the Children supported community centre in Taiz, Yemen. Photo: Al-Baraa Mansoor/Save the Children.
40-year-old Sama, a mother of four, in a sewing lesson at a Save the Children supported community centre in Taiz, Yemen. Photo: Al-Baraa Mansoor/Save the Children.
RESILIENCE
We work to enhance the resilience of vulnerable children and their families by improving household income through:
- Providing conditional and unconditional cash assistance.
- Creating sustainable livelihood opportunities such as smallholder farming.
- Enabling access to health, nutrition, water and learning services.
- We also support the rehabilitation and construction of livelihood assets and public institutions (including health facilities, community water systems, and schools).
How you can help
Children in Yemen have endured unimaginable suffering. They have been killed and injured, sometimes on their way to school or while simply playing outside. The conflict has robbed them of safety and stability, leaving deep emotional and physical scars.
We must keep working together to reach children with critical support in Yemen and protect and empower the country’s next generation.
You can help by donating to Save the Children’s Emergency Fund today which exists to help children wherever and whenever a crisis hits. It helps us prepare better, respond faster and protect children for longer. By supporting our Emergency Fund, you can help protect the lives and futures of more children in crises.
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