My name is Mo, I am currently a student studying at college in Manchester and am also an aspiring footballer playing for many premiership clubs; more importantly I am someone who is trying to raise awareness and generate help for a cause that is close to my heart.

After reading Marcus Rashford’s letter today; I was blown away with the response he received. I feel like I need to raise my voice. I am by no means a professional football player like him, but I do have many privileges that other people could only dream of. I am a British citizen, but my family come from Yemen, so I have been able to hear first-hand about the depth of this humanitarian crisis in this war-torn country. Yet no matter how much I listen, I could never truly understand the extent of suffering that 24 million people experience daily as their horrific reality is something we could never comprehend. I have finally come to accept that, but I refuse to believe that we can’t be the answer to the cries of the 20 million food deficient people, to the 19.7 million needing basic healthcare and to the 18 million in need of basic necessities of water and sanitation.

Our country is facing a horrific pandemic - much like the rest of the world, however we are not facing this disease alongside the other devastating factors that a country like Yemen faces.

We can all watch videos and read articles of the onslaught people face. We can all mourn and be momentarily fazed...Yet the stark reality is - we are 4000 miles away from this crisis and for many within moments of clicking a button all is forgotten about these people. The humanitarian crisis remains the worst in the world, driven by years of conflict, economic collapse and a pandemic; with millions of lives already lost; lets not have their deaths be in vain but instead spark a change which may not have happened otherwise; lets be the voice for the voiceless.

It is without question many of us may not have the financial capability to solve such a complex issue but we can use our freedom of speech to raise awareness and force those higher up to deal and support Yemen with its current situation. This problem may ultimately be greater than our money by uniting with one another and showing we stand with each of the 24 million sufferers we become their hope, their light at the end of the tunnel, and their answer. It is time for us to speak up, to help influence a change, a change which cannot come any quicker. There’s still time to take action to help save a nation, a nation that is home to 28 million people before it ‘gets deleted from the map’. We cannot prolong this crisis any longer and its imperative we understand that, as each day passes, we risk more lives being lost. The UN estimates that 130 children under the age of 5 die everyday from hunger and disease in Yemen – and the situation is becoming more dire every day, due to COVID-19.

Currently half of Yemen’s health facilities are dysfunctional with a quarter of the country’s districts having no doctors. How can this country be expected to survive the onslaught of coronavirus? Let us not turn our backs on these people and leave them in the dark when they need us most.

I am not so naive to think that I can change the fortunes of the country. However, I can at least try. I want to help raise some funds for Yemen – a forgotten country in amidst this global disaster.

So I thought what can I do? In a time that is financially challenging for most people surely, I could ask people to donate just a penny for every kick up I can complete in a row? It’s the least I can do and the least you can do.

Please watch the video to see how much money I can hope to raise.

If you are unable to donate any funds at this time, that is more than understandable – but if you could share the page and at least raise awareness.