Balance Sheet for Kinder Jemens in Not e.V. – The year 2022 in retrospect
In January 2022, the Tagesschau once again reported on what is currently the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, because the sad reality is:
In hardly any other country in the world, people are starving as much as those in Yemen. War has been raging in the poorest Arab country for more than seven years now, where virtually all 30 million inhabitants have lost a relative or friend.
According to the United Nations, at least 150,000 people have died since the war began in 2015. Double this if indirect consequences of the war, such as hunger or lack of access to health care are included. Same as before the war, 80 percent of the population is dependent on humanitarian aid, and around 400,000 children alone are malnourished.
Amongst the weakest of those suffering are children, who are particularly close to our hearts. That is why we are active in Yemen and are trying to help where we can. In the following, we would like to take note of what Kinder Jemens in Not e.V. was able to achieve in 2021 thanks to your help.
The association works within five districts in Yemen: Taiz, Sanaa, Hudaydah, Dhama, and Ibb. We are supported locally by 5 helpers, including one female and two male doctors. The organization is active within the framework of various projects, which are as follows:
1. The fight against malnutrition in children
In Sanaa, we currently have 72 children in our care, two of whom are suffering from life-threatening malnutrition and another 7 who are in need of some other form of medical care.
83 children are in our care in Ibb, 3 of whom are also currently receiving medical treatment.
In Dhamar we are helping 50 children. Of them, 5 are severely malnourished and 8 others are in various medical treatments.
In Hodeida, we support a total of 49 children with provisions.
In Taiz, 89 children are supported with food parcels, four of them are also currently receiving medical treatment until they recover.
We are currently striving to resume food distribution throughout the country, especially in rural areas. At the beginning of 2020, we had to temporarily put this part of our program on hold, as it had been prohibited by the Huthis in power. In the meantime, our local partner organization “Yemen’s children in need” has received approval and we are trying to distribute food through them again.
2. Street children to school children
Education is not a given for children in Yemen. Often, they have to work to feed their families, which stands directly in the way of school attendance; however, we would like to help ensure that children are not being deprived of their development and education. The eagerness of these children to learn is touching and admirable regarding the difficult circumstances. The importance of regular school attendance needs no words, and pride and gratitude can be read in the children’s faces.
As a stable foundation for their futures, our organization enables children to access school education by supporting families monthly with provisions and necessary school materials. Currently, we support 72 children in Sana’a, 83 children in Ibb, 50 children in Dhamar, and 30 children in Taizz to allow them to attend school.
When we received the food baskets last December, the children in our care proudly showed us their school certificates. The children and their families would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your reliable and continuous help.
3. Individual sponsorships
Our 2021 sponsorship program has resonated with many people. Currently, we have 62 sponsorships supporting a total of 58 children through their ongoing financial assistance. In some cases, sponsors share one child. The monthly costs are about 50 € to 80 € per child. The money is not paid directly in cash to the children or their families. Instead, the child receives the necessary school materials and his or her family receives monthly food packages. In cases where sponsors can only afford a part of the monthly costs, sponsorships are divided or the organization takes over the remaining amount if necessary.
In April 2020, we included little Hikmat in our ‘Malnourished Children’ project; however, at that time we did not know that the little girl was suffering from a malignant tumor. On November 2, 2020, we reported on our Facebook page that Hikmat’s parents came from Hudaydah to the Oncology Center in Sana’a for special examinations of their little daughter’s tumor.
Through our project manager’s contacts with the hospital, we were able to cover the costs for the vital chemotherapy; however, the worries for Hikmat were far from over. In November 2021 (with a current photo of little Hikmat) we were finally able to thank all the supporters, who helped give the little girl a chance to survive.
Sad news is also part of the commitment made for the children in Yemen, and so we mourn the loss of three of our protégés. Despite medical treatment and the greatest efforts from the attending doctors, the children could no longer muster the necessary strength against complications of their severe malnutrition and pre-existing diseases. For the children, who lived in bitterly poor families, our help came too late.
The organization decided to continue supporting the families for the time being with a monthly food basket to guarantee a daily meal for the siblings of the diseased and thus prevent the life-threatening consequences of malnutrition.
Background information on projects 1-3:
Projects 1-3 allow people in need to receive food baskets through various means. The content varies slightly from family to family; however, the main staples remain the same and include flour, rice, cheese, dried milk, pasta, beans, and cooking oil. Prices and margins are negotiated between each trader and our project management at a wholesale market in Sana’a. Our distribution procedure is based on personalized purchasing vouchers, thus preserving the dignity and individuality of the people, as well as preventing the misuse of the donations and guaranteeing that the money is used for the intended purpose. The current supply situation in Yemen is extremely dramatic and has deteriorated further due to blockades of access routes, seaports, and airports as well as ongoing fighting and the accompanying massive price increases. The current price of monthly food baskets for our supported families currently depends on the supply situation and is currently between 65 and 80 euros.
The families that are currently being supported with these monthly food baskets would like to say ‘THANK YOU’ for your support, with the photos sent in the newsletter.
4. The Thuraya Children’s Hospital
We already touched upon the Thuraya Children’s Hospital in the last NewsLetter. We have requested approval from the local authority for the construction and operation, and we are in contract negotiations with the Health and Population Authority. We firmly expect to be able to start construction of the children’s clinic in 2022, in cooperation with our partner organization. The completion of the children’s clinic will take place in three stages to maximize the benefits for the local population and to remain in line with the receipt of donations. The construction and operation of the “Thuraya Children’s Hospital” will be much more cost-effective compared to hospitals in developed countries, and therefore we as a small non-profit organization will be able to make this hospital a reality. A detailed project plan and the current status of implementation can be found here on our website.
In 2021, another year with many changes and restrictions in various areas of life lies behind us. The still ongoing pandemic changed the usual carefree everyday life of children in Germany. Children miss out on learning together at school and spending free time with friends. This shows how abruptly life can change through no fault of one’s actions, be it a pandemic, or elsewhere in the interplay with natural disasters or political conflicts, often with even more disastrous consequences. Children are always hit hardest by disasters and the sad changes they bring. All the more reason to provide help, especially for the weakest. And you can help us do this!
To highlight some of the achievements to donors, also because they are new to us to this extent: Many fundraising campaigns ran in 2021 via Facebook, and we were able to raise over €20,000.00 through this platform. Thank you at this point to ALL who participated in fundraising.
Last year, we were also able to gain a significant distribution via the Betterplace platform. 489 individual donations were received, an increase of 59%. 11 permanent donors deserve our special thanks for supporting us through this portal.
Despite the terrible proxy war being fought on the back of the poorest country in Arabia, Yemen remains a fascinating country with warm and hospitable inhabitants who desperately hope for peace and a safe and better future for their children. Let us work together to make Yemen a happy “Arabia Felix” again.
We are a small association, and yet we try to draw attention to the need for urgent help for the children in Yemen without broad advertising. Our main focus and claim to ourselves is that EVERY donation is given to the children and their families, who are in dire need of help, in FULL. Therefore, we would like to thank all those who have placed their trust in our work over the past year, helped support us financially, and draw attention to the plight of children in Yemen by sharing our appeals for donations on social media, with acquaintances and friends.
For our protégés and for the helpers of our partner association in Yemen, we wish that the war in Yemen will come to an end in 2022 and that your human solidarity will contribute to the fact that the children in Yemen will continue not to be forgotten.
Our guiding principle:
Help in Yemen. Now. On the spot.
Humanity is not an impossibility. Help us to help
and donate to the children in Yemen. Every donation directly helps the children on site.
Children without hope are people without a future. Donate hope.
Important note – the photos of the children will be shown on our Facebook page, webpage, and in our NewsLetter, with the consent of the families. With these photos, they show their gratitude and the changes made possible by your donation.
Contact
Children of Yemen in Need e.V.
Am Wasserbogen 43, 82166 Gräfelfing, Germany
https://kinder-jemens-ev.com/
All donors will receive a donation receipt – All donations are fully tax deductible.