Yemen

Mary’s Meals is providing school meals to more than 10,000 children in Yemen

Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 184 out of 193 countries and territories in the Human Development Index (HDI). 

The country has been devastated by years of conflict, creating one of the world’s most acute humanitarian crises. Children have suffered immensely and the negative effects of conflict on their overall cognitive and emotional development has been worsened by continual disruption to schooling and a close-to-collapsing education system.

Our school feeding programme is delivered by our partner Yemen Aid and reaches children in the Al Mansoora district of Aden – an area home to many internally displaced people and other marginalised populations who all experience high levels of hunger. Poverty and conflict often stand in the way of children in Yemen accessing education and coercion into child labour can become a real threat. The provision of a nutritious lunch meets children’s immediate need for food and encourages them back into the security of the classroom where they can learn and play with their friends – and be children.