Today in Yemen almost 2 million cases of children under the age of five are suffering from acute malnutrition, with over 300,000 suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

Only 15% of children are eating the minimum acceptable diet for survival, growth, and development.

According to WFP the current level of hunger is causing severe hardship for millions of people. Despite ongoing humanitarian assistance 17 million Yemenis are food insecure in 2024. Child malnutrition in Yemen is among the highest in the world, with almost 2.2 million Yemeni Children under the age of five acutely malnourished, including 538,000 children severely malnourished.

And 60,000 children suffering from critical medical complications as a result of svere acute malnutrition. (WHO)

High levels of malnutrition are compounded by lack of food, poor feeding practices at home, sub-optimal functioning of the health, water and sanitation systems, disease outbreaks and deteriorating economy. Around 80 per cent of Yemenis are estimated to be in debt and struggling to pay for food, water, transportation, and vital health services. With the deepening economic crisis, more and more children are being pushed into acute food insecurity and many more children fall into life-threatening severe acute malnutrition.

What ISRA UK is doing

To assist those at great risk ISRA UK is supporting nutrition intervention programmes in Yemen to prevent and treat severe acute malnutrition in children. Children within the programme are given the nutriment supplements needed to build their immune system and give them a chance of surviving.

Over a course of six months a child is monitored constantly with bespoke food and health plan. From induction, the child is weighed & measured with their progress constantly monitored. The children receive monthly health checks from doctors and nurses, their weights and sizes recorded to optimise progress and intervene if lack of progress is noted