Without food, the body slows down, bones weaken, periods can be affected, and the risk of hypothermia increases. What comes next is a slow, cruel, and preventable death.

In Yemen, years of ongoing conflict and climate emergencies have resulted in a widespread hunger crisis, escalating violence, and a collapsing healthcare system.

Conditions for displaced families in Yemen’s Abs District are grim. Shelters are flimsy and makeshift and hunger is extreme, fueled by the suspension of food assistance.

"Sometimes I lose hope myself and feel that death is near,” Zainab, a mother of six, shared with our teams in Yemen. She has been displaced multiple times and is the sole caretaker of her family. Most nights, her children go to bed hungry, uncertain when food will come again.

9.6 million women and girls like Zainab are facing severe hunger in Yemen right now. Another 1.3 million pregnant and breastfeeding women in Yemen are malnourished.

As the primary provider of lifesaving sexual and reproductive healthcare in Yemen, UNFPA teams are working tirelessly to provide medical exams, lifesaving services, and medicines — supporting women and girls desperately in need. Last year, we reached over 1.5 million women and girls in Yemen with care. This year, the needs of women and girls surviving hunger are greater than ever.

A midwife from a UNFPA mobile health clinic assesses a pregnant woman at a displacement camp in Marib, Yemen. The mobile clinic is no longer operational due to funding cuts.

Funding cuts have forced 40% of essential services to close. This puts 72 health facilities, 34 safe spaces, eight shelters, and five specialized health centers at risk and 2 million women and girls without access to lifesaving care.

Women and girls are counting on us for lifesaving care. Please, will you make a gift to deliver essential supplies and services to women and girls surviving hunger, displacement, and violence in Yemen and around the world?

Thank you for being there for women and girls. Together, we can create a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every woman and girl can reach her fullest potential. 

— USA for UNFPA