More than 3 million people have been forced to flee their homes because of the four-year conflict – and 22 million Yemenis are vulnerable and in immediate need of humanitarian assistance. Half the country is on the brink of starvation as access to food diminishes every day across the country.

Here's What You Need to Know:

1. When did the crisis in Yemen begin?

2. Where are Yemenis fleeing to?

3. What is the UN Refugee Agency doing to help in Yemen?

4. How are Yemen’s children being impacted by the conflict?

5. What are some of the biggest challenges facing people in Yemen?

When did the crisis in Yemen begin?

The current crisis in Yemen began in 2015. Over the last four years, a sharp increase in violence has left nearly 80 percent of the population in need of humanitarian aid. Even before the current crisis, Yemen ranked among the world’s worst in malnutrition rates.

Where are Yemenis fleeing to?

Although more than 3 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of the crisis, fewer than 200,000 have found refuge in neighboring countries. The crisis in Yemen is a crisis of internal displacement. Many have found safety in nearly unlivable makeshift shelters cobbled together with scrap wood and plastic tarps or in abandoned structures without basic necessities like running water and toilets.

What is the UN Refugee Agency doing to help in Yemen?      

UNHCR is on the ground offering support, providing cash assistance, core relief items and emergency shelter kits. In total, 1.2 million internally displaced people received core relief items or cash assistance in 2018. UNHCR also leads on protection and support services for more than 280,000 refugees who fled neighboring countries to Yemen and remain in the country despite the conflict and are particularly at risk.

How are Yemen’s children being impacted by the conflict?

The conflict in Yemen has stolen millions of childhoods and threatens to leave an entire generation displaced and suffering from trauma. More than 50 percent of people forced to flee are under the age of 18. Nearly 400,000 children suffer from severe malnutrition. And sadly, the UN has verified that more than 6,700 children have been killed as a result of the conflict. 

What are some of the biggest challenges facing people in Yemen?

Personal and food security remain two of the biggest challenges facing people in Yemen. Indiscriminate attacks on civilians continue to threaten lives. On average, nearly 100 civilians were killed per week in 2018. Children accounted for one-fifth of those deaths. Malnutrition and hunger also remain a serious concern – every day, 16 million Yemenis wake up hungry, due to the economic collapse and lack of access to food caused by the raging conflict.

Resolve to help refugees in 2019...

Monthly giving is the most convenient, effective and efficient way you can help people fleeing conflict. Start making a lifesaving difference today. Please become USA for UNHCR’s newest monthly donor.