Yemen

Fieldset

The Middle Eastern country of Yemen borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the east. Civil war broke out in Yemen in 2015, when fighting began between anti-government Houthi forces and the Saudi-led coalition.

Millions of people have had to flee their homes. Hundreds of health facilities across the country have stopped functioning due to airstrikes and shelling, plus a lack of supplies, funding and staff. The rising cost of living has made it extremely hard for families to meet basic needs.

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) first worked in Yemen in 1994. Our recent projects have focused on supporting the Yemeni populations affected by the conflict on all sides of the frontlines.

A patient lies on a stretcher in MSF's project in Mocha, Yemen

Marissa Gripenberg

Epidemiologist

Yemen: "Medical care shouldn't be a luxury"

Finnish epidemiologist Marissa is in Yemen, where years of conflict have had a devastating impact on the healthcare system

01 Apr 2019 / 5 minute read

Marissa Gripenberg

Epidemiologist

Feeling at home: An amazing connection in Yemen

Amidst the ongoing conflict in Yemen, Finnish epidemiologist Marissa finds a pocket of familiarity when she visits a local family

25 Mar 2019 / 3 minute read

Ahmed Alhitary

Biomedical scientist

Innovation: Breathing better with technology

In a busy hospital in Yemen, MSF staff work hard to ensure life-saving oxygen is available for the patients who need it most. As demand grows, one biomedical scientist is exploring how technology can help. Ahmed Alhitary blogs…

22 Mar 2019 / 5 minute read

Marissa Gripenberg

Epidemiologist

Mapping the hotspots: How I help to fight disease in Yemen

Epidemiologist Marissa arrives in war-torn Yemen, ready to help track and tackle disease outbreaks in a county where the healthcare system has collapsed

18 Mar 2019 / 5 minute read

Chris Hook

Doctor

Yemen: Giving hope to people caught in the crossfire

British doctor Chris Hook has just returned from Yemen. Since August, he has worked as part of MSF’s emergency team helping to set up a hospital in the Al Salakhana district of Hodeidah city. From the beginning of November, the city has experienced heavy fighting and shelling with battles getting close to the hospital…

11 Jan 2019 / 4 minute read

women and children walk through the streets of Taiz

Niamh O'Brien

Doctor

Yemen: “I could see the consequences of violence everywhere”

In Yemen, more than three years of war have left millions of people without enough income to meet their basic needs. The deterioration of living conditions, collapse of services, trade and livelihoods are having tangible and devastating effects on the population. Niamh O’Brien is an Irish doctor who has recently returned from Al Houban, near the city of Taiz, where she worked in a mother and child hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

13 Aug 2018 / 5 minute read

مبيعه عاصي

Epidemiologist

Yemen: An epidemiologist without borders

What is an epidemiologist, and how can they help an emergency medical organisation like Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF)? Moubadda blogs from Jordan…

02 Jul 2018 / 4 minute read

Danielle Forsythe Guglielmucci

Finance

Final Goodbyes

"I am not going to tell you that every day is great, because it is not."

09 Nov 2017 / 3 minute read

Danielle Forsythe Guglielmucci

Finance

Culture in Addhale

"I have had so many experiences that I want to share, but there is just not enough space on these pages!"

06 Nov 2017 / 3 minute read

Aimen Sattar

Logistician

Logistics in Yemen: Arrival

Aimen Sattar is just beginning a new posting in Yemen, a country in the midst of a civil war, where millions of people have been displaced from their homes and many more have been left without access to healthcare. Aimen will be working in Taiz, a city on the frontline of the conflict...

12 Oct 2017 / 6 minute read

Kariantti Kallio

Anaesthetics

In the operating room in Yemen: All that you can’t leave behind

Earlier this year, Kariantti travelled to Yemen for his first posting with MSF - four weeks in the operating theatre in Khameer, where the team performs everything from emergency C-sections to treatment for gunshot wounds. This blog post is based on notes Kariantti wrote in May, just before he returned home to Finland...

07 Aug 2017 / 3 minute read

Antonia Zemp

Nurse

Cholera in Yemen: "Ali is fighting for his life"

Antonia Zemp has been a nurse in MSF's emergency team since 2015, working in the most urgent emergencies and crises. She recently returned from her latest assignment in Yemen, where she's been part of the response to the cholera outbreak there...

20 Jul 2017 / 5 minute read