Life-saving food supplies reach children of Yemen

23 May 2011

The first delivery of British aid to help thousands of children in Yemen avoid hunger and malnutrition has reached the north of the country.

The relief convoy - delivered by UNICEF Yemen this weekend - includes supplies to treat 3,000 children under the age of five who are suffering from severe acute malnutrition in the Sa'ada region.

The three truckloads included:

• Life-saving food supplies, such as 'Plumpy Nut'
• Scales to weigh children who are underweight
• Antibiotics, micronutrient supplements and other vital medication

Half of all under fives in Yemen are currently severely malnourished, and in some areas over one in 15 die before their fifth birthday. Current violence and political instability threaten to drive down conditions across a country already severely affected by years of conflict and poverty.

More deliveries of UK aid are to follow to help relieve the humanitarian crisis.

UK Minister of State for International Development, Alan Duncan said:

“With some of the worse rates of malnutrition in the world, many children are suffering as a result of the humanitarian crisis in northern Yemen. British-funded supplies are now helping to save lives in Sa’ada, thanks to the delivery of this emergency aid, including medicine and food supplements.

"But the suffering here is extensive and established. That is why we have just confirmed additional British support for UNICEF to tackle malnutrition in tens of thousands more children affected by the conflict.”

The delivery is part of UNICEF Yemen’s emergency response plan, geared to provide all 15 districts in the conflict-ridden governorate of Sa’ada with malnutrition management services.