According to the December humanitarian update from OCHA, Yemen’s 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is only 25 percent funded, forcing aid agencies to scale back life-saving services across all sectors despite increasing needs. Health and protection services have been particularly affected, leaving vulnerable communities exposed to growing risks. The health system, already weakened by years of conflict and underinvestment, is described as “on the brink.”
Since January 2025, 453 health facilities across 22 governorates—including hospitals, primary health centres, and mobile clinics—have faced partial or imminent closure. These disruptions are occurring amid widespread food insecurity, malnutrition, unsafe water and sanitation, and recurring disease outbreaks. Funding shortfalls are impacting both areas controlled by the internationally recognised Government and those under the de facto Houthi authorities, demonstrating the nationwide reach of the crisis.
Millions of people now have reduced access to basic healthcare, maternal services, and emergency treatment. Food security and nutrition remain major concerns, with many families struggling to afford food or recover from climate shocks, including floods that hit Marib governorate earlier in 2025. While partners have continued to provide assistance where possible, reduced funding has constrained coverage at a critical time. Coordinated flood responses have shown that shock-responsive cash assistance can help families recover more quickly, but such approaches require sustained resources.
Despite the challenging situation, OCHA highlighted the ongoing importance of the Yemen Humanitarian Fund, which channels limited resources to priority, life-saving interventions. Community-based projects also play a key role in restoring dignity and resilience for displaced families.
Yemen has been devastated by more than a decade of conflict between Houthi rebels and the Government of Yemen, following the Houthis’ takeover of the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. Although large-scale fighting has eased in recent years, tensions remain high, and the risk of renewed hostilities persists, threatening to reverse fragile gains and further deepen humanitarian needs.
OCHA urged donors to increase support, warning that without urgent funding, additional service closures are likely, with potentially devastating consequences for Yemen’s most vulnerable populations.Thirteen-year-old Dieussika was living peacefully with her family until armed violence and insecurity forced them to flee their home. Her sister nearly died due to asthma complications during the displacement, highlighting the dangers faced by vulnerable families. Haiti continues to experience a severe security crisis, with gangs fighting for control of territories in the capital and other regions, resulting in the displacement of hundreds of thousands and compounding the country’s humanitarian and economic challenges.
The ongoing conflict, displacement, poverty, and insecurity have made learning nearly impossible for hundreds of thousands of Haitian children. During the 2024–2025 school year, over 1,600 schools were closed, and many were occupied by armed groups. Children living in overcrowded shelters and displacement sites face shortages of textbooks, learning materials, and qualified teachers, making access to education extremely difficult.
Dieussika’s family was forced to live in multiple temporary locations under harsh conditions, with exposure to diseases and insects. Despite these hardships, she remained determined to continue her studies. At one displacement site, she was able to resume her education through catch-up classes organized by UNICEF, which allowed her to keep her dream of learning alive.
School has become a lifeline for Dieussika. Even when heavy rains destroyed her books and clothes, she spent the night drying them to ensure she could continue studying. Her favorite subjects are French and mathematics, and she takes pride in bringing good grades home to her parents. With five months of catch-up classes supported by Education Cannot Wait, a UN fund for education in emergencies, she was able to take her exams, return to school, and participate in vocational training in crochet, leatherwork, and cosmetology.
Dieussika aspires to help children and raise awareness about rejecting armed violence, emphasizing the importance of education in achieving dreams and improving her family’s situation. She actively participates in her classes, supported by her teachers, and sends a clear message to adults and decision-makers: “Do not give up on children. Love them even more and give them opportunities to learn and dream.”
Many adolescent girls in Haiti face barriers to education due to safety concerns, caregiving responsibilities, or lack of menstrual hygiene materials. Thanks to UN support and collaboration with Haitian authorities and partners, educational and psychosocial programs have reached more than 17,500 children, including 10,500 girls. For Dieussika and many others, these programs offer more than education—they provide a lifeline, helping transform fear into confidence and ambition.
