By December 2016, Yemen was on the brink of collapse after 19 months of brutal civil war in which civilians, hospitals and schools were targeted. More than 20 million people were in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. Some 17 million people – more than half of the population – did not have enough to eat, and seven million were at risk of famine. Public services had broken down and an estimated 14.8 million people could not access basic health care. More than three million people had fled their homes in search of safety and were living in makeshift accommodation or sheltering in public buildings.
Despite enormous operational, access and security challenges, DEC member charities succeeded in bringing life-saving assistance to thousands of Yemeni women, men and children. However, the crisis in Yemen remains the largest in the world and humanitarian assistance will be needed for the foreseeable future and at least until the conflict ends.
