Emergency Match: Help rush supplies and life-saving aid to those who need it most.
John,
What we are seeing in Yemen is unlike any tragedy witnessed before. COVID-19 is ripping through the country. And at the same time, conflict is escalating, with civilians bearing the brunt.
URGENT UPDATE:Already the world's worst humanitarian crisis, Yemen is facing a new catastrophe as funding for life-saving programs looks set to run out in a matter of weeks.
Without additional funding, millions of vulnerable Yemenis could lose access to health care, as well as water and sanitation services that are essential for mitigating the spread of COVID-19. And 2.5 million malnourished children may lose life-saving nutrition support.
The need has never been more urgent. Working around the clock, our teams continue to deliver emergency health care and nutrition to those displaced by conflict. There are 400+ IRC aid workers on the ground in Yemen.
"Yemenis have already endured 5 years of war, malnutrition rates here are among the highest on the globe, and with the additional threat of COVID-19, the situation could not be more grave."
— Tamuna Sabadze, the International Rescue Committee's Yemen Country Director
COVID-19 is spreading unchecked through Yemen's war-weary civilian population. Due to a lack of testing capacity, slightly over 1,000 cases have been officially confirmed. But with 0.01% of the population having been tested for the virus, actual figures are far higher.
With the peak of infections predicted for July and August, the worst is yet to come and humanitarian assistance is needed now more than ever.
