Yemen is being called one of the worst places in the world to be a kid right now. It’s in the Middle East, just across from Africa, and there’s a big civil war going on there. You might not have heard that much about it, but 11 million kids are affected.
There’s something the kids of Yemen say they want more than anything else, and that’s peace.
Around 11 million Yemenis – that’s nearly half the population – are under 18 and all of them are stuck in the middle of a civil war.
It began back in 2015. The people of Yemen had been struggling with poverty for a long time before then, but in that year a group called the Houthis overthrew the country’s leader and it grew into an even bigger fight mostly because of Yemen’s neighbours.
The Houthis practice a type of Islam that’s also practiced by a lot of people in Iran. While Saudi Arabia practices a different type. Saudi Arabia’s leaders were worried the Houthis were being supported by Iran. So, they sent in soldiers to fight them and the violence has continued ever since.
One of the areas most affected is the port city of Hodediah. It’s where 90 per cent of Yemen’s food, water and medicine comes in and, without that important stuff, Yemenis are now struggling not just with war, but with famine and serious illnesses and many are dying every day.
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