Yemen: Supporting war-torn orphaned families

For families in Yemen, life couldn’t be more different to ours.

High rates of poverty have been exacerbated by conflict, leaving a staggering four out of every five people in need of humanitarian aid.

Communities in the region are struggling to survive.

When winter then arrives, men, women and children are left worrying how they’ll make it through the coming months. Displaced families, orphaned children and communities battling poverty have little to no shelter and barely any food of their own.

That’s why, here at Islamic Relief, we work to ensure that local families have the lifesaving support they need. We supported 1,495 families (10,465 people) in war-affected Taiz providing essential winter packages, prioritising individuals with special needs and those left displaced by conflict.

Each package provided two blankets (weighing 4kg each), two mattresses and essential clothing including socks, gloves, hats and scarves. Such simple essentials provided a critical lifeline to men, women and children in need.

One of the many people you helped was Umm Mohammed – a mother of two orphans.Following the loss of the family’s breadwinner, the family had been living inside one room in Taiz city for a long time.

With no income to support themselves, they are dependent on the support of others including organisations such as Islamic Relief.

Umm Mohammed can barely manage to pay the rent of the small room she and her family live in. She cannot rent a larger house, so she keeps the windows open to let the air move in the room:

I open the windows to get fresh air but the cold weather tortures us in the small room and especially the children… What’s more, my child suffers from paralysis in his leg and hand. We borrowed money to treat him, so we cannot buy blankets and mattresses.

With financial demands and a child with special needs, the family struggle financially. Of course, there is very little money for food. In fact, on many occasions, the children have gone to sleep hungry.

However, your lifesaving donations provided Umm Mohammed and her children with the critical support they needed during the harsh winter months:

May Allah bless Islamic Relief. They helped us to overcome the suffering of cold weather. We do not have any income and if it were not for Islamic Relief, our conditions would be worse than this. Thank you Relief for supporting orphans’ families.

Alhamdullilah, you helped save lives.

Umm Mohammed and her family are just a few of the thousands of people in the region who we support during winter and throughout the year.

Thank you for your generous donations.

You truly are life-savers.