Introduction
Yemen is a poor country in the Middle East with a “total population of 30.5 million people.” The Yemen Crisis has been ongoing and has affected many families. For many years, this issue has been unnoticed and the world can’t afford not to know about this any longer because so many people are suffering. If more people know about this issue globally, this issue can hopefully end soon and many families would be saved. The Crisis in Yemen is challenging many families and while social media has helped to raise awareness, more should be done to promote this crisis so everyone globally can make a change.
How did the Crisis Start?
Since 2014, many conflicts related to the government and other forces have led to lots of trouble in the country. This led to the destruction of public places such as hospitals and schools. In addition, it”blocked access to basic supplies, and forced 30.6 million people” from their homes and jobs. The article “What you need to know about the crisis in Yemen,” by Mercy Corps also describes that over 24 million people, which means more than half of the country, is in critical condition in need of food, water, and medical aid.
Challenges Families are Facing in the Crisis
The Crisis in Yemen has been caused by many long-term conflicts which have affected many lives and the country’s economy. “More than 3.6 million people have been displaced and approximately 17 million people are in desperate need of food,” says the Mercy Corps. They also described how people are killed and injured every week and this number has risen. Not only has the number risen, but violence has become more severe leading to more displacement and deaths. People have been separated from their families, kids and infants are alone on the roads in desperate need of help. The new rise of COVID-19 has brought even more problems for people when they are already suffering. They already had other diseases and with COVID-19, the risk of famine has increased even more. Right now, the whole country needs humanitarian assistance. Most of the medical facilities are already destroyed by the crisis. The health centers that are open already have an overwhelming number of patients suffering from different illnesses and injuries from the war. This is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world and with COVID-19 plus other diseases, it has become even more dreadful for people in Yemen.
Examples of how kids are starving and the effects on their bodies are here.
What is Already Being Done?
The International Rescue Committee, the UN, Doctors Without Borders, and UNICEF are providing emergency aid, which includes clean water, food, education, and women’s protection to many people in Yemen. They are also providing medical kits to help with the COVID-19 problem. In addition, Mercy Corps is working to connect with communities that desperately need resources. Many people have raised funds on websites such as “GoFundMe” and have sent all the collected money to Yemen. Many people are also sharing on their social media to spread awareness and educate others. This can include links for donations.
How to Solve this Issue?
Even though many people are spreading information on the crisis on their social media, not everyone is taking this seriously. There are still so many countries that are not aware of this at all. The international community should share this crisis and spread awareness to other countries so more people take this seriously. It should also be spread in the news with actual videos from Yemen to show people what is really happening. These kinds of issues are not covered in the news. If it were, people would take it more seriously and more people would know about it.
How to Raise More Awareness?
This issue should be shared in schools so students can volunteer to make posters and spread the word. They can also collect funds from their schools’ clubs and organizations. Actual videos from Yemen should be shown on TV, news, and social media so people see what is going on. Some people won’t believe it until they are shown proof. In addition, more articles and newspapers should be written so the more people read, the more they will learn about this crisis. Also, there needs to be more petitions made on this problem so that the governments from different countries can get involved too.