Yemen | Balloons lift Hala up
Hala, 4, was playing in front of her home when she was hit by an explosion. Seriously wounded in the attack, she lost one of her legs. Hala, and her cousin Erada, are among the most recent victims of bombings that are devastating Yemen.
Hala and Erada has just received emergency surgery when Humanity & Inclusion’s team met them at a hospital in Sana’a. The family, completely devastated by the attack, was able to access medicine and food from other patients at the hospital for the two cousins who were both in a state of shock. Erada was constantly wondering about the absence of her cousin’s leg and of her own. Hala was sad, frustrated, and deeply traumatized. She cried all the time.
Humanity & Inclusion’s team provided Hala with psychosocial support and physical therapy care. Our team gave her a walker and crutches to help her stand. Hala’s family members were informed about the nursing and hygienic care related to an amputation. HI staff also provided them with vital training so they could take care of Hala on a daily basis.
Hala’s mother immediately understood the importance of rehabilitation exercises for a quick return to mobility. "At first, Hala couldn't walk," she explains. "However, the Humanity & Inclusion team immediately provided her with crutches and patiently made her do her exercises. They needed a lot of patience. And now she is just learning how to walk with her new prosthesis! She exhausted everyone during the process but she finally got back on her feet. She made a lot of progress."
A Humanity & Inclusion staff member explains that when the team first met Hala, she was very sad. “She almost always cried,” they explain. “She was afraid of people and even of other children. We accompanied her, then gradually included her in activities for children. She started interacting with others and talking with them, exchanging toys. After many months, we fit her with a prosthesis and are now teaching her how to use it correctly. At first, Hala refused to walk with it because she was afraid. But since she loves balloons, we found that if we covered the floor in balloons, she loved walking through them!”
Things are not easy for the young Hala. When she comes to the Sana'a Rehabilitation Center, she is very shy with others. She has difficulties expressing her emotions and is still very much affected by this tragedy. For example, she sometimes stares at other children and the way they move and tries to touch their legs.
But, one year after this tragedy, Hala, with all her victories, is gradually smiling again. And that's what matters most to her mother. "I thank the members of the HI team,” she says. “I really appreciate what they have done and continue to do for us. They transformed my daughter's life and help her to overcome all the difficulties and accept her disability.”
Humanity & Inclusion and the Yemen crisis
Humanity & Inclusion (which operates under the name Handicap International in Yemen) operated in the country from the early 2000s up to 2012, focusing on physical rehabilitation. Since returning in 2014, our mission has grown. Today, we provide direct services to individuals affected by the ongoing conflict, particularly people with disabilities, through rehabilitation care and psychosocial support at eight public health facilities in and around Sana’a city. Learn more about our work and the Yemen crisis.
Yemen | Fatehia: "Humanity & Inclusion helped me become strong again"
One morning, the same as every morning, Fatehia walked to school talking enthusiastically alongside her sister and friends. Hours later, a bomb struck their school, changing the life of this cheerful little girl and her friends. Terrified, Fatehia and her classmates ran out of their classrooms and into the courtyard. It was then that a second bomb hit the children in the schoolyard. Wafaa, Fatehia's friend died right next to her. Fatehia was seriously injured and fell unconscious. The school's vice-principal was also killed by the explosion.
After hearing about the air strike, Fatehia's father rushed to the school and found his daughter in a critical state. Fatehia lost her leg. He took her to the nearest hospital where doctors operated on the 8-year-old. After spending two weeks in the hospital, Fatehia reflects on her situation. “I was always thinking about my friend and sister, asking about them,” she says. “When I saw my sister again, I was so relieved! I felt better but I was still wondering about Wafaa, my best friend. Then my father told me that she was dead. I cried a lot. But my family was very supportive. They helped me a lot.
“Then I started to wonder if I could ever have a chance to walk again. I was brought crutches. I hated them because they made me ugly.” This new situation made Fatehia lose any desire to walk. Desperate and frustrated, she became isolated. She stopped moving and speaking.
Following this tragedy, the traumatized family left their home and settled in the city of Sana'a. Along with thousands of others Yemenis, Fatehia’s family are internally displaced individuals. They live a hard life, far from the old one.
Almost two years after the school bombing, Fatehia visited the Sana'a rehabilitation center, along with her father, uncle, sister, and brother. Fatehia and her family wondered if she would be able to walk again. Greeted by Humanity & Inclusion’s team, an HI physical therapist reassured them and explained the possibilities and progress of the treatment, which would allow Fatehia to be fitted with a prosthesis. At the same time, seeing that the family is still in a deep trauma, Humanity & Inclusion’s team offered them psychological support. Since then, Fatehia and her father visit regularly for psychosocial support sessions.
After only a few months of support from Humanity & Inclusion’s team, Fatehia has changed a lot. The uprooted and injured girl started to regain strength and confidence. Following individual and group psychosocial support sessions, she began to accept her disability. From that very moment, Fatehia, who had become mute, gradually began to talk, to share ideas, and make new friends.
Fatehia has a strong sense of humor and laughs about everything. She has become very ambitious. Indeed, since she finally can walk again, because nothing will stop her! Fatehia wants to become a dentist, but also an artist in her free time.
"I want to thank the Humanity & Inclusion team because they have made my life better with the disability. They have helped me to accept my disability, to overcome it, and to communicate with others again. They helped me to become strong again!”
With her enthusiasm, energy, and drive, we know that Fatehia will go far in life!
Humanity & Inclusion and the Yemen crisis
Humanity & Inclusion (which operates under the name Handicap International in Yemen) operated in the country from the early 2000s up to 2012, focusing on physical rehabilitation. Since returning in 2014, our mission has grown. Today, we provide direct services to individuals affected by the ongoing conflict, particularly people with disabilities, through rehabilitation care and psychosocial support at eight public health facilities in and around Sana’a city. Learn more about our work and the Yemen crisis.
Yemen | “Yemenis are exhausted from four years of war”
Humanity & Inclusion has been providing rehabilitation care and psychosocial support in eight health facilities in Sana'a, Yemen since 2015 and in one of Aden's main hospitals since last July. Maud Bellon, Humanity & Inclusion’s head of mission, explains the unacceptable situation civilians are facing on a daily basis.
"Since Humanity & Inclusion launched a response in 2015, we have provided rehabilitation sessions to nearly 22,000 people," Maud explains. “We’ve distributed 23,600 mobility aids—including wheelchairs and crutches—along with special equipment. We have also fitted more than 200 people with prosthetics and orthotics.”
Since half of the country’s health facilities are no longer operational, all patients are transferred to medical facilities that have space for them. “There’s a constant flow of patients, from people injured in the conflict or car accidents, to older people and people with disabilities who need rehabilitation care. Many people need help because the country is in total chaos.”
Families cover long distances to be treated in Sana'a (North) or Aden (South), despite the risks facing travelers in Yemen, which include fighting, violence, crime and poor transport conditions due to blocked roads.
Response in southern Yemen
"We are now working in the country’s two main regions—in Sana’a, since 2015 and in Aden, since last July—with all the logistical and security challenges this entails.”
The United Nations considers Aden to be the most dangerous city in the Middle East. Armed groups and crime create serious security problems. Intense fighting last August increased the number of people arriving in the city's hospitals.
The conflict is becoming more and more complex and the number of parties to the conflict has increased.
Mental exhaustion
Yemenis are exhausted by four years of war that has destroyed the country’s social and economic structure. Psychosocial support remains a challenge in a country where the idea of psychological distress is given little credence.
"Humanity & Inclusion’s team provided psychological support to more than 16,000 people, including direct beneficiaries of rehabilitation sessions and their caregivers. We are trying to go even further by training more than 400 health workers to treat people who have severe physical and psychological trauma.”
Contamination by explosive remnants of war
“We are planning to launch risk education campaigns very soon. We want to inform Yemenis of the dangers of mines and explosive remnants of war and how to handle them, in order to reduce accidents. Some regions are highly contaminated by explosive devices, including remnants of bombs, so there is an urgent need for action.”
Humanity & Inclusion and the Yemen crisis
Humanity & Inclusion (which operates under the name Handicap International in Yemen) operated in the country from the early 2000s up to 2012, focusing on physical rehabilitation. Since returning in 2014, our mission has grown. Today, we provide direct services to individuals affected by the ongoing conflict, particularly people with disabilities, through rehabilitation care and psychosocial support at eight public health facilities in and around Sana’a city. Learn more about our work and the Yemen crisis.
Many thanks to ECHO and the German Federal Foreign Office for supporting this vital work.
Yemen | Where Erada’s journey begins
Seven-year-old Erada was playing with her family outside their home in Yemen when they heard a horrifying sound: the whistle of falling bombs. Terrified, Erada and her four-year-old cousin Hada tried to flee, but it was too late. A shell exploded, injuring both girls.
One minute, there were sounds of children playing without a care in the world, and the next, two girls were being rushed to a hospital where they each had a leg amputated.
Humanity & Inclusion’s rehabilitation team in Yemen provided care to Erada immediately following her operation. "At first, Erada constantly wondered about her missing leg and her cousin’s," her mother explains. “Everyone in our family was sad and traumatized. Erada lost a lot of blood and was so weak. She needed care, medicine, and nourishment to survive. And we had nothing left because of the war. Fortunately, she received help from other patients and staff at the hospital. They knew how much support our family needed. Thanks to them, my daughter recovered."
Erada lives with her parents and seven siblings in the governorate of Ibb. The family has been plunged into poverty by the conflict and can no longer work their farm. Two of her brothers have dropped out of school and work as day laborers.
When a child loses a limb, their physical needs are obvious, but the psychological effects are often overlooked. Humanity & Inclusion’s team provided her with psychological and social support and led group therapy sessions where she met other children with disabilities.
“At first, Erada was very sad and cried a lot,” a psychosocial worker with Humanity & Inclusion explains. “She was afraid of people, even children. We gave her things to help entertain herself and included her in the children's activities. She gradually became part of the group.”
After a few sessions, Erada started to talk, share her toys, and make new friends. Erada was fit with an artificial leg and received physical therapy sessions from HI, so she could learn how to walk again. Today, Erada stands tall!
Thanks to generous Humanity & Inclusion donors, this is where Erada’s journey begins.
There are so many innocent children, like Erada, who are caught in the crossfire of conflict. Make a gift to help a child stand tall. Your generosity will make such a difference.
Humanity & Inclusion and the Yemen crisis
Humanity & Inclusion (which operates under the name Handicap International in Yemen) operated in the country from the early 2000s up to 2012, focusing on physical rehabilitation. Since returning in 2014, our mission has grown. Today, we provide direct services to individuals affected by the ongoing conflict, particularly people with disabilities, through rehabilitation care and psychosocial support at eight public health facilities in and around Sana’a city. Learn more about our work and the Yemen crisis.
Yemen | "I want to be a doctor and help people with disabilities"
Fleeing bombs in Sana'a
When he woke up in the hospital and realized his leg had been amputated, five-year-old Anwar began screaming. No one could calm his tears. He was inconsolable. Anwar could not understand why his leg disappeared and continued asking relatives if he could have it back.
While fleeing the bombings alongside his family and neighbors in Sana’a, Anwar’s leg was hit by a shard of metal. Hours later, it was amputated.
The trauma of amputation
After being discharged from the hospital, Anwar continued to have significant pain and confusion. He eventually returned to school, but cut himself off from classmates and refused to take part in activities.
The hospital staff provided him with a prosthesis, but it was too heavy, forcing him to use crutches, which considerably reduced his mobility.
Rehabilitation care gives new hope
When Humanity & Inclusion’s rehabilitation team in Yemen met Anwar a few months ago, the young boy, who is now nine-year-old, was scared and withdrawn. Aiman Al Mutawaki, a physical therapist with HI, provides special care to Anwar. He receives physical therapy and is being fit with a new prosthesis, which will be properly adapted to his size. This has given Anwar new hope.
Anwar is particularly enthusiastic. In addition to physical therapy, he also receives psychological support from HI’s team. Therapy calms his anxiety. He also feels better knowing he is not alone–other people have also had amputations like him.
Today, Anwar is more outgoing and plays with other children his age. At school, he draws, plays soccer with his friends, and studies hard. "I want to be a doctor,” he says. “I want to help people with disabilities and support my family.”
Humanity & Inclusion and the Yemen crisis
Humanity & Inclusion (which operates under the name Handicap International in Yemen) operated in the country from the early 2000s up to 2012, focusing on physical rehabilitation. Since returning in 2014, our mission has grown. Today, we provide direct services to individuals affected by the ongoing conflict, particularly people with disabilities, through rehabilitation care and psychosocial support at eight public health facilities in and around Sana’a city. Learn more about our work and the Yemen crisis.
Yemen | Conflict marks 4 years of horror
Humanity & Inclusion takes a stand against indiscriminate warfare & its devastating impact on civilians
On its Yemen Indiscriminate Warfare website published today to mark four years of conflict in Yemen, Humanity & Inclusion paints a disastrous picture of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
The organization condemns the widespread bombing of populated areas and the use of anti-personnel mines on a scale that has not been seen since the Mine Ban Treaty came into force in 1999. Humanity & Inclusion has helped to set up an emergency rehabilitation service for the war-wounded in Yemen, where it has treated more than 2,500 victims of explosive weapons since 2015. Of these, 300 were mine casualties. Most of the people treated sustain a disability due to their injuries and will need special care for the rest of their lives.
Testimonies reveal the unacceptably high proportion of civilians killed or maimed by bombing, explosive remnants of war, mines, cluster munitions, etc. ACLED has recorded 18,000 airstrikes since March 2015. Observers report the systematic and widespread use of anti-personnel mines in several of the country’s regions. Yemen is now one of the countries most heavily contaminated by explosive remnants of war, mines, improvised explosive devices and other weapons that constantly threaten the lives of civilians caught in the crossfire. Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) recorded 14,000 deaths and injuries as a result of explosive violence between 2015 and 2017. Of these 76% were civilians.
"The people we are supporting are traumatized by armed violence," says Maud Bellon, Humanity & Inclusion's Head of Mission in Yemen. "They are disoriented, shocked or depressed. Physical rehabilitation, which may lead to patients being fitted with a prosthesis, is provided alongside psychological support to help them accept their new situation: people are in shock when they lose a limb, and don’t always find it easy to accept their prosthesis. We always combine rehabilitation with psychological support - an activity often neglected in a crisis."
Working in the governorates of Sana’a and Amanat Al Asima, Humanity & Inclusion has treated 4,500 people affected by the conflict since it launched its operations in 2015. Of these, more than 2,500 are casualties of explosive weapons including bombs, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices.
A significant and unprecedented proportion of people treated by Humanity & Inclusion in Yemen are mine casualties: in four years, the organization has cared for 300 casualties of these weapons banned under the Ottawa Treaty since 1999.
As mine casualties often require lower-limb amputation, to meet the specific needs of casualties, Humanity & Inclusion helped set up an emergency rehabilitation service for the war-wounded in Yemen. People injured by bombings suffer complex injuries such as open wounds, fractures, burns, loss of muscle mass and damaged nervous systems. If they fail to start rehabilitation the day after surgery, they risk serious mobility loss, often resulting in disability and social and professional exclusion, reduced income and family impoverishment.
The widespread and repeated use of explosive weapons has a domino effect. In four years, the country has collapsed into chaos. Each month, 600 infrastructures are destroyed or damaged, with health services particularly impacted. Fifty percent of medical facilities no longer function, while demand has surged. Demand for imported goods has led to rampant inflation and also shortages, particularly of food. Meanwhile, the country's counts massive population displacement, with 80% of the population now need some form of humanitarian assistance.
“As assistance is now centralized in Sana’a, thousands of civilians need to travel long distances," Bellon adds. "It takes four hours to travel by road from Al Hudaydah to Sana’a, without counting checkpoints and the risks associated with crossing the front lines. Sometimes it is impossible for people to access services.”
Some 100 makeshift camps, in Hajjah and Al Hudaydah but also in the south of the country, appear and disappear with the fighting. Three million people are displaced inside Yemen and there are an estimated one million ‘returnees’.
“People are moving around all the time and we need to adapt to that," says Thomas Hugonnier, Humanity & Inclusion’s director of operations in the Middle East. "The problem is that, in Yemen, unlike in Iraq, for example, the vast majority are makeshift camps that can disappear almost overnight.”
Alongside complex population movements, NGOs face major security and administrative obstacles that considerably limit their scope of action. “It’s vitally important to ensure the safe and neutral transportation of aid to those in need," Huggonnier adds. "NGOs are working very closely together to tackle the administrative assault course we all face, daily negotiations with the authorities, and so on, but that’s not going to be enough.”
Through its "Stop Bombing Civilians” international campaign, launched in March 2016, Humanity & Inclusion calls on governments to develop a political declaration against the use of explosive weapons in populated areas in order to better protect civilians in conflict areas and assist casualties. The organization is asking the general public to sign its international petition. This petition has already been signed by 463,000 people online and offline.
Notes
Interview with Humanity & Inclusion’s spokesperson in Yemen available upon request
Humanity & Inclusion in Yemen
Humanity & Inclusion (working under its original name, 'Handicap International' in Yemen) works in the governorates of Sana'a and Amanat al Asima, in two rehabilitation centers and six of Yemen's largest hospitals, treating patients from across the country. It has assisted more than 20,000 people in four years, of whom 13,000 have received rehabilitation care or advice. The organization has given out more than 21,000 crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, etc. More than 20,000 people have been given psychological support. Humanity & Inclusion has fitted 200 people with artificial limbs and braces through its work with the rehabilitation and orthopedic-fitting center in Sana'a. More than 500 Yemeni health workers in Sana'a and other governorates have been sensitized and trained in early trauma response. We are starting similar activities in Aden and will soon be working in the governorate of Taizz, Hajjah and in the city of Hodeida.
About Humanity & Inclusion
Humanity & Inclusion (the new name of Handicap International) is an independent charity working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work tirelessly alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable people to help meet their basic needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.
Since its creation in 1982, Humanity & Inclusion has set up development programs in more than 60 countries and intervenes in numerous emergency situations. The network of 8 national associations (Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States) works constantly to mobilize resources, co-manage projects and promote the principles and actions of the organization. Humanity & inclusion is one of the six founding associations of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), co-winner of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, and winner of the 2011 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.
Yemen | "Humanity & Inclusion helped me become strong again"
One morning, the same as every morning, Fatehia walked to school talking enthusiastically alongside her sister and friends. Hours later, a bomb struck their school, changing the life of this cheerful little girl and her friends. Terrified, Fatehia and her classmates ran out of their classrooms and into the courtyard. It was then that a second bomb hit the children in the schoolyard. Wafaa, Fatehia's friend died right next to her. Fatehia was seriously injured and fell unconscious. The school's vice-principal was also killed by the explosion.
After hearing about the air strike, Fatehia's father rushed to the school and found his daughter in a critical state. Fatehia lost her leg. He took her to the nearest hospital where doctors operated on the 8-year-old. After spending two weeks in the hospital, Fatehia reflects on her situation. “I was always thinking about my friend and sister, asking about them,” she says. “When I saw my sister again, I was so relieved! I felt better but I was still wondering about Wafaa, my best friend. Then my father told me that she was dead. I cried a lot. But my family was very supportive. They helped me a lot.
“Then I started to wonder if I could ever have a chance to walk again. I was brought crutches. I hated them because they made me ugly.” This new situation made Fatehia lose any desire to walk. Desperate and frustrated, she became isolated. She stopped moving and speaking.
Following this tragedy, the traumatized family left their home and settled in the city of Sana'a. Along with thousands of others Yemenis, Fatehia’s family are internally displaced individuals. They live a hard life, far from the old one.
Almost two years after the school bombing, Fatehia visited the Sana'a rehabilitation center, along with her father, uncle, sister, and brother. Fatehia and her family wondered if she would be able to walk again. Greeted by Humanity & Inclusion’s team, an HI physical therapist reassured them and explained the possibilities and progress of the treatment, which would allow Fatehia to be fitted with a prosthesis. At the same time, seeing that the family is still in a deep trauma, Humanity & Inclusion’s team offered them psychological support. Since then, Fatehia and her father visit regularly for psychosocial support sessions.
After only a few months of support from Humanity & Inclusion’s team, Fatehia has changed a lot. The uprooted and injured girl started to regain strength and confidence. Following individual and group psychosocial support sessions, she began to accept her disability. From that very moment, Fatehia, who had become mute, gradually began to talk, to share ideas, and make new friends.
Fatehia has a strong sense of humor and laughs about everything. She has become very ambitious. Indeed, since she finally can walk again, because nothing will stop her! Fatehia wants to become a dentist, but also an artist in her free time.
"I want to thank the Humanity & Inclusion team because they have made my life better with the disability. They have helped me to accept my disability, to overcome it, and to communicate with others again. They helped me to become strong again!”
With her enthusiasm, energy, and drive, we know that Fatehia will go far in life!
Humanity & Inclusion and the Yemen crisis
Humanity & Inclusion (which operates under the name Handicap International in Yemen) operated in the country from the early 2000s up to 2012, focusing on physical rehabilitation. Since returning in 2014, our mission has grown. Today, we provide direct services to individuals affected by the ongoing conflict, particularly people with disabilities, through rehabilitation care and psychosocial support at eight public health facilities in and around Sana’a city. Learn more about our work and the Yemen crisis.
An in-depth interview with Maud Bellon, Humanity & Inclusion's head of mission in Yemen
Humanity & Inclusion's work in Yemen
Humanity & Inclusion works with local medical teams in six hospitals and two rehabilitation centers in Sana'a, in the north of the country. Our head of mission in Yemen, Maud Bellon, explains the current situation, five years in.
Mines and bombing: The shameful civilian toll
Pauling Falipou, Humanity & Inclusion’s rehabilitation expert, explains the different types of injuries inflicted by mines and bombs in Yemen.
The teams work on numerous cases of amputations caused by bombs, landmines or explosive remnants. Landmines in particular, often lead to lower-limb amputations. When someone treads on a mine, they trigger an explosion which rips their leg off. This leaves no choice but to amputate the affected limb.
Complex injuries
As for bomb victims, they often sustain complex injuries: open wounds, fractures, burns, loss of muscle mass, nervous system damage, etc. These injuries can be very difficult to treat, and people are often left with life-long pain and sequela.
Humanity & Inclusion’s team also sees lots of patients with gunshot wounds. In these cases, the victims may lose muscle mass but do not usually require amputation. However, they do have a high risk of infection. Patients with gunshot wounds face a long recovery. After undergoing surgery, the rehabilitation required to regain mobility can take months. This long period of convalescence is tantamount to a temporary disability.
Psychological support alongside rehabilitation care
A mine explosion and the resulting loss of a limb are traumatic experiences. Waking up in hospital bed with a leg missing is a complete shock for a person who is already traumatized by the war. This is followed by a period of anxiety. How am I ever going to get back to normal daily life? How can I work and feed my family? Many patients are in a state of complete physical and mental exhaustion. They stop speaking and lose all willpower. They need psychological support.
It is also vital that the patient has a certain level of motivation for their rehabilitation to be effective. If they are not receptive to the care provided, they will not do the exercises which are demanding and sometimes painful. Finally, when they undergo an orthopedic or prosthetic fitting, it’s important that they feel ready to accept this huge change, which doesn’t always feel very natural.
Mine victims
In the last four years we have provided care to 2,500 victims of all types of explosive weapons, including 300 mine victims. If we compare our work here with interventions in other war zones, the proportion of mine victims is very high.
Mines and explosive remnants
Landmines are used in Yemen to stop the enemy from advancing. They are found on the west coast of the country, mainly to the north, with a significant concentration around the city of Hodeidah, which has seen the worst of the fighting in recent months. The victims killed and maimed by landmines are almost exclusively civilians.
The west of the country, mainly to the south, is also where there is the most contamination of explosive remnants of war. These include bombs dropped in raids which do not explode on impact and thus contaminate the district or village where they land, becoming a permanent threat to the population and claiming further victims, usually civilians.
Overwhelmed hospitals
There are many zones where there are no health services whatsoever and the situation has deteriorated during the conflict. The country has numerous areas deprived of medical services and these areas have increased with the war because many health centers have been rendered inoperative by the fighting. People travel incredibly long distances to access treatment.
Humanity & Inclusion's rehabilitation care
Humanity & Inclusion is one of the few organizations providing post-operative rehabilitation services in Yemen. Our teams work in the governorates of Sana'a and Amanat al Asima, in two rehabilitation centers and six of Yemen's largest hospitals, treating patients from across the country. We've assisted more than 20,000 people in four years, of whom 13,000 have received rehabilitation care or advice.
Our rehabilitation staff have fitted 200 people with artificial limbs and braces through the rehabilitation and orthopedic-fitting center in Sana'a, and distributed more than 21,000 mobility devices such as crutches, walkers, and wheelchairs. In addition, more than 20,000 people have been given psychological support.
Photo caption: Erada, 7, lost her left leg after being seriously injured in a bombing while playing with her cousins. Today, she receives rehabilitation care from Humanity & Inclusion's team in Yemen.