Following nearly a decade of conflict in Yemen, the country has experienced a partial collapse of an already fragile public infrastructure, leaving approximately 66 percent of the population in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Yemen’s healthcare system has deteriorated, especially in rural areas of the country. Only half of the health facilities in Yemen are fully or partially functioning, and many of these still lack necessities such as fuel, water, essential medical supplies, and qualified healthcare workers.
The district of Al Azariq in Al Dhale’e Governorate is one the most affected areas in the South of Yemen. Every day can feel like a fight for survival for people in need of essential health and nutrition services in rural areas like this. People live in hard-to-reach towns, where the only routes to the villages are rugged roads.
“We didn’t have anything in terms of health services”, says one of the community leaders in the Village of Gabal Awas. “If someone was sick or needed medication, they needed to pay for their travel to the city, and the road here is very dangerous. It would take around three hours to drive just 40 kilometers, so many people lost their lives while rushing to health facilities in the city.”
In 2023, Medair built a health unit in the village of Gabal Awas, providing essential health and nutrition services to the community along with medical supplies and medicines. The health unit provides primary healthcare services to children, including vaccinations and the diagnosis of and treatment of diseases and malnutrition
“I can see how the health of children in the area has improved, especially cases of malnutrition. Before the intervention of Medair, many children died due to acute malnutrition. Family habits and traditions, and inadequate finances, negatively impacted their nutrition practices. Since Medair introduced its awareness campaigns, mothers now know how to properly feed their babies. The community’s attitude towards vaccinations has also changed. Before Medair’s intervention, people refused to have their children vaccinated due to false information. It’s a huge success that parents now have information on how to plan and support their families”, says Nawal, Medair Assistant Doctor in Gabal Awas Health Unit.
“I was born and raised in a similar environment to Gabal Awas Village, where we faced the same issues. We didn’t have a health unit near us, and we lost many people who were in dire need of health services. So, when I heard about this project, I really invested my time and energy to make sure it was a success for the community. It feels great that now nobody has to travel to the city to buy medicines or to get a medical check. People with emergency health conditions no longer die unnecessarily because of the distance to their nearest health facility. I feel very happy to have had the chance to serve my own people in a way that will have long-lasting impact”, says Ayad Saleh, Medair WASH Assistant.
“Medair’s support has been vital for communities in this area. With their help, we now have a full healthcare team as well as volunteers, working out of a proper health unit. We would love to expand even more’ because people throughout the valley come to us for medical care since they cannot afford private health care, and we need extra support. The conflict in Yemen and the economic situation of the district has increased the demand on us. This is why I hope your support never ends”, says Dr Rajab Saleh, Manager of Gabal Awas Health Unit
Medair services in Yemen are funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Yemen Humanitarian Fund – Yemen OCHA, World Vision, the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA / USAID), and .and private donors.
This content was produced with resources gathered by Medair field and headquarters staff. The views expressed herein are those solely of Medair and should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of any other organization.