Shawqi’s battle against malnutrition

The humanitarian conditions in Yemen have led to serious concerns about the deteriorating health of children, indeed, there has been an alarming rise in the number of children who are suffering from moderate to severe malnutrition.

The lives of many families in Yemen have been marked by tragedy; their children, instead of experiencing normal, carefree childhoods, are caught between the hammer of death and the anvil of permanent disability due to a lack of sufficient food.

A case in point is the mother of one-year-old Shawqi Fahd. "My child was on the verge of death because of malnutrition. When Shawqi was first admitted to the Maternal and Child Health Center, I thought that I would lose him."

Despite her son’s serious condition, Shawqi's mother began to experience a glimmer of hope when her his health began to improve – thanks to the center’s caring staff, who were committed to saving him. 

Inside the center, a large number of mothers are holding their frail and emaciated children on their laps, desperately waiting for their turn to see the doctor. 

The Therapeutic Feeding Department of the Maternal and Child Health Center in Zinjibar District, Abyan Governorate, provides treatment services for children; it also meets some of the urgent humanitarian needs of poor families. By providing free medications and food baskets, the center helps to protecting children from the tragedy of malnutrition.

"The center began providing therapeutic nutrition from our first visit,” Shawqi’s mother adds, “and the staff working there were very helpful.” 

KSrelief works in partnership with UNICEF through the “Imdad” project to support the health system in crisis-affected areas of Yemen. The project runs therapeutic feeding centers for undernourished children, maintaining and equipping the centers, providing essential medical supplies, treatment and other services to meet the basic health care and nutritional needs of at-risk children.