After nine years of conflict, the needs in Yemen remain immense. Over half of the country’s 18.2 million people require some form of humanitarian assistance due to violent conflict, economic collapse, and climate disasters.

Women and girls continue to bear the brunt of the crisis. An estimated 80% of the 4.5 million people displaced in Yemen are women and children and around 25% of displaced households are headed by women.

As war escalated and health facilities were barely standing, Zahra, a pregnant woman, faced a life-threatening situation. She was acutely malnourished when she prematurely gave birth to her third child — a dangerous but common condition affecting pregnant and breastfeeding women in Yemen.

When she fell pregnant a fourth time, she was again acutely malnourished and underweight. Her body grew increasingly weak and was prone to diseases. After collapsing with abdominal pain and bleeding one morning, she was rushed to a nearby but poorly equipped clinic.

Zahra was advised to have an ultrasound to check for complications, but the family had no means to pay for one. But then a nurse told her about the UNFPA-supported hospital offering free reproductive health services.

“I was so relieved,” said her husband Anwar. The medical team treated Zahra’s malnutrition, performed the ultrasound, and conducted a series of medical tests. Zarah safely delivered a healthy baby with the help of the medical team.

Over 2.7 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are projected to require treatment for acute malnutrition this year. To help more women like Zahra safely deliver their babies, more gifts are needed to continue delivering lifesaving maternal health care.

Will you make a gift to deliver lifesaving care to the pregnant women, mothers, and their newborns in Yemen and wherever help is needed most?

Thank you for being there for women and girls.

— USA for UNFPA