Yemen: Supporting war-torn orphaned families

Communities in the region are struggling to survive. When winter then arrives, men, women and children are left worrying how they’ll make it through the coming months. Displaced families, orphaned children and communities battling poverty have little to no shelter and barely any food of their own.

That’s why, here at Islamic Relief, we work to ensure that local families have the lifesaving support they need. Last year, we supported 1,495 families (10,465 people) in war-effected Taiz providing essential winter packages, prioritising individuals with special needs and those left displaced by conflict.

Each package provided two blankets (weighing 4kg each), two mattresses and essential clothing including socks, gloves, hats and scarves. Such simple essentials provided a critical lifeline to men, women and children in need.

One of the many people you helped was Um Mohammed – a mother of two orphans. Following the loss of the family’s breadwinner, the family had been living inside one room in Taiz city for a long time. With no income to support themselves, they are dependent on the support of others including organisations such as Islamic Relief.

Um Mohammed can barely manage to pay the rent of the small room her and her family live in. She cannot rent a larger house, so she keeps the windows open to let the air move in the room:

“I open the windows to get fresh air but the cold weather tortures us in the small room and especially the children… What’s more, my child suffers from paralysis in his leg and hand. We borrowed money to treat him, so we cannot buy blankets and mattresses.”

With financial demands and a child with special needs, the family struggle financially. Of course, there is very little money for food. In fact, on many occasions the children have gone to sleep hungry.

However, your lifesaving donations provided Um Mohammed and her children with the critical support they needed during the harsh winter months last year:

“May Allah bless Islamic Relief. They helped us to overcome the suffering of cold weather. We do not have any income and if it were not for Islamic Relief, our conditions would be worse than this. I thank Islamic Relief for their support of orphans’ families.”

Alhamdullilah, you helped save lives! Um Mohammed and her family are just a few of the thousands of people in the region who we supported last winter. This year however, there are millions of families like theirs who are in need of critical aid to keep warm and survive the harsh weather conditions.

We may all share one winter, but our lives are worlds apart.

By donating to Islamic Relief, you can help save lives this winter.