Story
CURRENTLY FUNDRAISING FOR: Last 10 Nights Campaign
During the last 10 nights of Ramadan, our goal is to raise an additional $10K for food baskets. $10k CAD will buy 123 iftar baskets (at $65 per basket).
This will provide food to an average of 738 people. These 738 people would have either died of hunger or ended up in hospital with severe malnutrition. These food baskets will be distributed in most refugee camps and remote areas such as Sanaa, Hodaida, and Aden.
——————
Every Yemeni has the right to Food, Clean Water, Safety, Health, and Life...
Every 10 minutes, a child in Yemen dies of preventable causes.This is your opportunity to do something about it. Here's why you need to give whatever you can to this cause:
Yemen is facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. The country has been plagued by over 5 years of instability, poor governance, lack of rule of law, under-development, environmental decline, and widespread poverty.
Women and children are dying not directly because of the war, but because of starvation and disease as a result of blockades on food and humanitarian supplies. Cholera has affected over 100,000 Yemenis this year alone, while COVID-19 cases and deaths are on the rise at an alarming rate.
After years of war and deprivation, Yemeni immune systems have declined severely. As a result, 1 in every 4 people who contract COVID-19 are dying from the virus while the healthcare system in Yemen collapses before them.
#Rights4Yemen - the back story:
This campaign is a collaboration between journalist, activist, and author Zainab Rights, and grass-roots organization Goals 4 Yemen.
In 2017, a group of youth launched Goals 4 Yemen in Toronto and Florida. This entailed 2 simultaneous one-day soccer tournaments which collectively raised $36,000 for milk powder, food and vaccinations against cholera in Yemen. We have held 2 more men's soccer tournaments and a ladies fitness event (Fit4Yemen) since then, raising $100,000 for Yemen collectively. Zainab Rights, who had been heavily involved in charity and journalism of the Yemen crisis since 2015, was involved in the organization of the first Goals4Yemen in Florida, and was the host of Fit4Yemen.
Due to COVID-19, we had to cancel our scheduled soccer tournament for Summer 2020 but for us, this was no excuse not to continue to raise funds towards a cause we care about so deeply. We launched a collaboration between Zainab Rights and Goals 4 Yemen, and called it #Rights4Yemen. Our goal is to not only raise money, but to raise awareness about the situation in Yemen and get 100% of donations into the hands of those who need it most.
Here's why you shouldn't just donate anywhere:
Yemen is a land devastated by corruption, with major organizations and NGO's profiting off of the people's pain, diluting aid and taking overheads of up to 40% and in some cases, even over. Many organizations lack transparency, and discriminate aid by region, religion and sect. The recent narrative around Yemen has focused more on political turmoil than the actual suffering of the Yemeni people who are being affected by famine and disease each and every day.
With all ports and even airspace blockaded, aid that reaches Yemen by even well-meaning organizations are often left to rot at the border. Even when aid does make it into the country or is bought locally and distributed between cities, there is high risk of diversion and corruption. From quadrupling transportation prices between cities to outright buying and selling aid, organizations are faced with obstacle after obstacle, deterring them from getting aid to the people of Yemen.
We've extensively vetted organizations for legitimacy in order to choose the right one for this campaign. Our process involved:
1) Vetting for financial reports, partners on the ground, route of money once donated, how aid is bought/distributed, areas of distribution & on-ground partners via email/phone/Zoom
2) Investigation of the organization and/or their partners on the ground by our local contacts in Yemen. Investigation included verification of activities & aid, and checking for malpractice including division/refusal of aid to a specific gender/ethnic group/religion/sect
Why we're choosing to donate through World Without Barriers (WWB)
We are pleased to partner with WWB as they work with Yemeni volunteers from inside Yemen to continue to help distributing life saving humanitarian aid and essential services.
WWB has a 100% donation and a zero admin fee policy.
Due to the humanitarian crisis, retailers in Yemen have had to close their shops, leaving warehouses belonging to wholesalers stockpiled. WWB's volunteers visit such wholesalers and purchase in bulk. Volunteers transport the goods to storage for sorting. Distribution takes place with photo and video evidence for the donors.
A summary of WWB's work in Yemen:
Providing assistance and medical support to hospitals and Medical Care centres by providing them with life-saving medication.
Food Baskets were distributed to 7000 Yemeni families in the capital city of Sana’a and its outskirts. Places such as Aden, Lahige, Shabwa, Albaida’a, Thamar, Alhadida, Taaz, Hadramut and Hudaida received food baskets.
Milk was provided to thousands of babies undergoing starvation.
Thousands of cholera vaccines were administered.
Many blankets, mattresses and pillows were distributed to cities affected by cold winters.
1000 school bags were distributed to children to encourage them not to give up on their education.
Where your money is going when you donate through our #Rights4Yemen campaign:
Your money will be used towards the purchase and distribution of:
Food parcels
Baby milk
Medical supplies