What is life like for children in Yemen?

Now in its tenth year, the conflict in Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the world, has left a trail of devastation. Homes have been destroyed, families displaced, and schools and hospitals reduced to rubble. The lives of millions of Yemenis have been changed forever.

A ten-year-old child in Yemen will have known nothing but war.

The conflict has caused significant loss of life and injury, displacing 4.8 million people and leaving more than 19 million people – over half of the population – in desperate need of protection and life-saving assistance.

Thousands of children have lost their lives and suffered life-altering injuries. They have been forced from their homes – many, multiple times – and cut off from food, healthcare, and other essential services.

Recent regional conflict dynamics have exacerbated the situation. The impact of the security threat in the Red Sea is hampering aid efforts, as disruption to trade is pushing up prices and causing delays in shipments of life-saving goods.

Three years ago on the 2nd of April, a truce agreement was made, stating all conflict parties must stop the fighting, in a first step towards lasting peace. But three years on, hopes of a brighter, peaceful future for children are dwindling.

Huge instability remains and unless urgent action is taken, children will continue to pay the highest price.

We need more funding, more diplomacy and a definitive ceasefire agreed. We must see an end to this decade-long conflict once and for all.

Although the fighting has slowed over the past three years, hunger, poverty, and deprivation continue to plague Yemeni families, with children bearing the greatest brunt.

• Today, 10.8 million children urgently need life-saving assistance for food, clean water, healthcare, and education.
• Nearly half of all children under five are now facing malnutrition.
• Two out of five children are out of school.

Over the past ten years, many children have lost everything. Some carry their favourite toy or book, others a blanket.

But you can’t carry security, a stable income, a safe place to play or learn, or someone to fight for your rights.

That’s what Children Helping Hands is there for. We’re there before, during, and after a crisis.

A sign reading 'Danger! Landmines" at a semi-destroyed school that's contaminated with landmines in Taiz, Yemen. / Children Helping Hands

By supporting our Emergency Fund, you can help protect the lives and futures of more children in crisis.

The struggle for education

HANGING IN THE BALANCE

With the war entering its tenth year, the impact on children’s learning and wellbeing is severe.

Today, over 4.5 million children in Yemen are out of school. This figure raises serious concerns not only about the wellbeing and future of those children but also about the future of the entire country, as education is a vital pillar of the country's potential for recovery.

The challenging economic situation in Yemen, which has been a major contributor to the crisis in education, has also increased protection risks, with parents and caregivers adopting harmful coping mechanisms, such as child labour and child marriage.

Saleh walking with friends at school in Lahj, Yemen / Children Helping Hands

MAHA'S* STORY

Maha*, 10, has lived with her family – including her 16-year-old sister Maya* – in Taiz, Yemen since being displaced from her village due to conflict.

In October 2022, the sisters’ lives were changed forever when they stepped on a landmine while collecting firewood for cooking. Even though Maha* was rushed to hospital for surgery, she lost her left eye, had her right hand amputated and injured her right leg.

Maha*, 10, holding a picture that she drew during a workshop for injured children organised by Children Helping Hands. Photo: Ahmed Albasha / Children Helping Hands.

Maha* loves going to school, however, the incident has made going to school difficult. Maha* has been able to attend a workshop for injured children organised by Children Helping Hands and, as she has recovered, has started going to school again alongside her sister using crutches.

"If I could write a letter to the most powerful person in the world, I would tell him: stop the war.”

Maha*, 10, landmine victim in Yemen.

In the future, Maha* wants to become a doctor so that she can help children who have been impacted by landmines too.

OUR RESPONSE.

Despite extreme insecurity, access constraints and the displacement of communities, Children Helping Hands, together with national and international partners, is delivering a large-scale, multi-sector humanitarian response across Sudan and in neighbouring countries hosting refugees.

In 2025, we reached over 4.4 million people, including more than 3 million children, with life-saving and life-sustaining assistance across Sudan. This support spans health, nutrition, water and sanitation, child protection, education, food security and livelihoods.

• We are running mobile health clinics in areas hosting displaced families and supporting health facilities that remain operational.
• We are supporting families to access safe water and basic sanitation in displacement sites and conflict-affected communities.
• We are screening children for malnutrition, providing therapeutic nutrition treatment for those who are severely malnourished, and supporting mothers with infant and young child feeding.
• We are offering psychosocial support to help children cope with trauma and regain a sense of safety and stability.We’re providing cash grants to families to help them buy food, medicines and other essentials to address the worsening food insecurity situation.
• We’re providing cash grants to families to help them buy food, medicines and other essentials to address the worsening food insecurity situation.
• We are supporting schools and learning spaces, providing learning materials, and setting up temporary education activities in areas hosting displaced families.
• We also offer games and activities for children in safe spaces, such as dancing, drawing and sports to overcome their negative experiences. These safe spaces and play activities also relieve pressure off parents and help them to manage their stress.

We will continue to adapt our response as needs evolve, while advocating for improved access and protection for civilians.

Children Helping Hands has worked in Sudan since 1983 and provides programming for children and families affected by conflict, displacement, extreme poverty and hunger.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Children and their families are in desperate need.

Donate to help us respond quickly to support children living in crisis in countries like Sudan and around the world.

Children are bearing the greatest brunt of this conflict. It is crucial for all parties involved to prioritise the protection of children and to take all necessary measures to safeguard their lives, rights and futures. This includes guaranteeing safe and uninterrupted humanitarian access.

But to truly protect children’s lives and futures, it is critical that we see an end to this fighting.