In war-torn Al Dhale’e in the south west of Yemen, every day can be a fight for survival. With almost half of healthcare facilities in the country inoperative or running at far reduced capacity through staff loses and a lack of medicine and supplies, urgent action is needed to bring these services back online. ACTED, alongside a consortium of partners funded by DFID, is providing health centers in southern Yemen with the staff, supplies, and equipment they need to help the most vulnerable in the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century.
Filling the gap
Al Dhale’e Governorate has been one of the regions of Yemen hardest-hit by the country’s ongoing civil war. Today, it is still a major frontline as the conflict enters its fourth year. 610,000 people, or nearly 80% of the governorate’s population, are in need of humanitarian assistance. Not only is malnutrition rampant, but Al Dhale’e has only 10 healthcare workers for every 10,000 residents – only half of the Inter Agency Standing Committee’s (IASC) minimum acceptable standard.
Before ACTED’s intervention, the Amal Health Center was a missed opportunity; a health center perfectly positioned within a population center that could serve thousands of Yemenis, yet unable to do so due to under staffing and a lack of supplies. Working through a consortium of national and international partners, including the YFCA, ADRA, and Handicap International, ACTED has worked to provide staffing and resources to the Amal Health Center and 13 others like it across southern Yemen. Support included: providing highly-trained staff, adequate supplies of medicines, and modern laboratories to better equip them to fight back against illness and malnutrition amongst the most vulnerable populations.
Given widespread acute malnutrition in Yemen, every day that the center is open the teams carry out life-saving work on children aged under five years.
Small steps towards a better future
Since this program began, the Amal Health Center has become an integral part of the healthcare system not just in Al Dhale’e but in neighboring Ibb governorate as well, serving an area with a catchment of nearly 30,000 people. On average the center sees 100 patients a day, and has provided lifesaving nutrition support to thousands of Yemenis over the past year. Though this center can only serve a fraction of the more than half-million people in need in Al Dhale’e, centers like this one save lives and give hope for a brighter future for Yemen.
Health centre staff providing support for local community members, especially those with children.
This project was made possible through the support of the Department for International Development (DFID).
*Project names and locations have been changed to ensure the security of staff and patients.