There is a severe hunger crisis facing Yemen. Low funding for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is causing ration cuts and in some cases, the complete cancellation of food aid programs. In a country where 1 in 3 people suffer from chronic hunger, this shortfall of donations is a disaster in the making.
Maria Santamarina of the World Food Programme in Yemen recently sent me stories of some of the people there who benefit from food programs. As Santamarina pointed out, 7.2 million people in Yemen live in a total poverty trap. Reading some of the stories below, you will see the many challenges people face there ranging from high food prices, lack of education, poor nutrition, or lack of employment opportunities.
To lift the people of Yemen out of poverty, there has to be a development program and food has to be the foundation. Last year, the U.S. Senate issued a resolution to keep Yemen from becoming a failed state. This escalating hunger crisis will move Yemen very quickly down that path.
The stories printed below, courtesy of Maria Santamarina of WFP, focus on nutrition support to mothers and children who are most vulnerable to high food prices.
Keep in mind when reading that if the low funding for the World Food Programme continues, it will means the reduction or outright cancellation of the food programs featured in these stories.
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