Supporting orphans in Yemen

Orphans in Yemen need extraordinary care due to their painful reality and their sensitive situation on various levels, and it is no secret to anyone that children come at the forefront of human groups that always require special attention and careful follow-up in all areas, especially in times of wars and conflicts, where children are exposed to a tremendous number of psychological pressures and physical and moral deprivation.

With the increasing activities of “KS Relief” in Yemen following the conflict that has been going on for more than seven years, the reality of Yemeni children – especially orphans – is clearly evident in a way that calls for urgent intervention in order to support them and strengthen their steadfastness, as the available numbers and statistics indicate the reality of Yemeni orphans And their families – which amounted to more than a million orphans – to the extent of the tragedy they are experiencing.

“IRVD” with the support and funding “KS Relief” launched the project of “Supporting Yemeni orphans and strengthening their resilience” in several Yemeni governorates, through which the focus would be on a complete program in the context of supporting orphans in Yemen, through the sponsorship system and the restoration of rehabilitation, integration and empowerment of orphans in Yemen.

The latest statistics indicate that there are more than 1.1 million orphans in Yemen, and a previous report on orphans in Yemen states that 60 percent of them cannot complete their education, three percent of those with special needs, and four percent suffer from psychological problems, while nine in 100% of mothers of orphans suffer from chronic diseases and disabilities, and 70% of orphan families lack the necessary health services, and they are unable to buy medicine and bear the cost of treatment in hospitals.

In addition, orphans are the most affected groups as a result of the recent war in Yemen, which has caused a large number of children in general to suffer from many psychological problems that cannot be easily treated in the short term. Also, most of the orphans are not currently enrolled in school, but have had to work for providing their basic requirements, and some of them resort to begging and others to theft, not to mention that some Houthi militias have recruited these orphan children to forcibly fight in their ranks.

In general, the idea of ​​the project of supporting orphans in Yemen depends on providing integrated care for the families of orphans, and economic recovery, through providing shelter and food, as well as educational means for orphans, access to services and ensuring their regularity in education, and the project also includes providing psychological and health care for orphans.

The project also works in general to improve the conditions in which orphans and their families live in light of the difficult conditions in the country, in order to preserve them from displacement, deviations and extremism, and to reunite families so that they do not disintegrate and become vulnerable to loss, and in order to establish them in their original areas as much as possible.

During the month of March, a cash sponsorship was distributed to nearly 300 orphan children, as communication takes place through groups on a daily basis at the association’s office, and the sponsorship is delivered to them, documented on paper and in the media. A medical examination was also performed for about 300 orphan children in the center that was contracted with, and a procedure was conducted. The necessary examinations and dispensing of medicines, as 15 children were examined daily, and the cases of children who had chronic disease were followed up, and then they were referred to specialized doctors.

In addition, psychological support activities were implemented targeting all orphaned children, and a psychological support team was present, choosing a suitable place, implementing purposeful mental and movement activities, motivating competitions and distributing symbolic gifts for children. Psychological cases of children were also followed up, where sessions were held for orphans with a psychiatrist. A girl was referred to the center and her psychological sessions were followed up.