“This is the thing I’m meant to do in my life. To stay and help my people.”

A message from Mona, UK-Med’s Head of Mission in Yemen

I lived with my family in the city of Ta’iz in Yemen when the war broke out. We fled from the fighting, moving to Ibb. When the frontline moved again, my family said, “this is the last destination, we have to leave Yemen”. I insisted, “This is the time to stay and to help.”  

Mothers and children, they are the first victims in this war. Yemen was a poor country before, but you can imagine the situation has become worse and worse with seven years of conflict. There is a blockade so food can’t come in. Half the children in Yemen are at risk of acute malnutrition this year.   

The hospitals designed to care for those children are left without basic supplies and medicines. Many skilled doctors and health staff have had to leave because of the fighting. The situation is very bad. Many of the people rely on international NGOs for healthcare.  

For the last ten years, I have been working for aid organisations to help the Yemeni people. I have helped UK-Med to set up an office in Yemen and now we need to bring the medical teams in. Will you help get the people in Yemen the healthcare they need, by giving a gift today?  

I have seen the difference your gift can make. The first UK-Med team arrived in Yemen in August 2020 and they supported five health facilities with COVID-19, training one hundred health staff – anaesthesiologists, doctors and nurses – working across 13 governates. It was a hopeful start, but we must do more. Will you give frontline Yemeni health staff the training and support they need to save lives?   

The frontline of the war splits the north and south of the country, with 80% of the people living in the north. Because of the context and so few funds, there are very few international charities working there. UK-Med is the first charity to be granted permission to work in the north in six years and we must help the people living there. 

With your help, we can bring in a team of highly experienced NHS surgeons, anaesthetists and nursing staff to Yemen, to provide trauma training and support surgical services. We know when UK-Med brings together the best of the NHS, humanitarian and local health expertise we save lives – but we can only do that with your help.  

The war in Yemen, we say it is the forgotten war. The world has forgotten us. Nobody is talking about Yemen. But people must know the suffering of those people in Yemen, so they can help. That is why I’m asking for your help. Please don’t forget the people of Yemen. 

Give a gift today and make sure the people of Yemen get the healthcare they need.