“We have no means, no salaries, no daily work,” a mother told HDF’s team at a displacement camp in Yemen. “We don’t have a tent. We don’t have a kitchen. We have nothing.”
The Yemen humanitarian crisis in 2026 has entered a sharper phase. Renewed fighting is forcing families from their homes, disrupting markets and restricting humanitarian access. Between August 1 and October 4, more than 184,000 people were displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Many had already been displaced at least once before.
The pressure is also reaching household kitchens. In parts of Taiz, the price of wheat flour rose 10 percent in two weeks. Traders estimated that available wheat stocks could cover only about two months of demand.
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis at a glance
- More than 22 million people need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2026, including 5.2 million internally displaced people.
- 18.3 million people face acute food insecurity.
- More than 2.2 million children under five are acutely malnourished, including more than half a million with severe acute malnutrition.
- More than 184,000 people were displaced between August 1 and October 4, 2026.
- 74 percent of households in areas accessible to the World Food Programme (WFP) cannot meet their basic food needs.
- 14.4 million people need water, sanitation and hygiene assistance.
- Only 59.3 percent of health facilities are fully functional.
What families are facing
Yemen imports about 90 percent of its food. When insecurity disrupts ports, shipping routes, inland roads and markets, families feel the effect quickly.
WFP reports that 74 percent of households in the areas it can access are unable to meet their basic food needs, the highest level recorded this year. Wheat flour prices increased by 10 percent in only two weeks in parts of Taiz, while disruptions to vegetable oil supplies added further pressure.
For displaced families, the crisis compounds. They may lose their income when they flee, then arrive in a new location where food costs more and humanitarian assistance is harder to reach. Meals shrink, nutrition worsens and already strained health services face greater demand.
More than 2.2 million children under five are acutely malnourished. More than half a million are living with severe acute malnutrition, the most life-threatening form. The United Nations also expects 1.3 million pregnant and breastfeeding women to be malnourished this year.
Crowded displacement sites create further risks. Water scarcity, damaged sanitation systems and limited health services leave children especially vulnerable to preventable illness. Malnutrition also weakens the body’s defenses, while illnesses such as diarrhea can deepen malnutrition.
Taiz and Lahj are among the largest displacement hotspots. WFP reports that some families have fled for the second, third or even fourth time. They often arrive after traveling for days with little food or water.
The pace accelerated at the end of September. IOM recorded nearly 21,800 newly displaced people between September 27 and October 3, a 26 percent increase from the previous week. Families arriving at displacement sites urgently need safe shelter, food, clean water, healthcare and protection.
The United Nations estimates that 14.4 million people need water, sanitation and hygiene assistance in 2026. Water scarcity and damaged infrastructure continue to expose communities to preventable illness.
Health services are also stretched. Only 59.3 percent of health facilities are fully functional, while complete vaccination coverage stands at 63 percent.
WFP continues to assist about 2.4 million people facing severe hunger in areas under the Government of Yemen. It is also prepared to expand emergency assistance if displacement grows.
However, conflict has cut off access to parts of Taiz and Hodeidah, preventing WFP and its partners from reaching approximately 350,000 people they previously served. WFP has reallocated resources from food distributions planned for November and warns that families will face wider assistance gaps without renewed funding.
The United Nations’ 2026 humanitarian plan seeks $2.16 billion to help reach 12 million people. Humanitarian agencies can respond only where access, safety and funding allow.
How HDF is responding in Yemen
Human Development Fund’s work in Yemen focuses on three needs that families and field teams continue to identify: clean water, food and steady support for orphaned children.
Clean water: one well complete and five underway
HDF’s water-well project in Taiz governorate is designed to provide clean water to approximately 4,500 people. The first well is complete, and work is underway on five more.
As more families arrive in displacement areas, existing water sources face greater pressure. A nearby source of safe water can reduce the hours families spend collecting water, the cost of buying it from trucks and the risk of relying on unsafe alternatives.
Learn more about HDF’s water infrastructure projects.
Food parcels for 1,000 families
In September 2026, HDF began distributing 1,000 food parcels to families in Yemen through its Feed the Ummah campaign. Each parcel includes 25 kilograms of wheat flour fortified with iron and folic acid, 10 kilograms of rice, sugar, cooking oil, pasta, canned food and dates.
The mother who told HDF’s team that her family had no kitchen was soon baking bread on a metal drum over an open fire outside her shelter.
“Today we’re cooking,” she said. “We’re making dough. We’re baking bread.”
In-kind food assistance is especially important when families cannot reach functioning markets or when rapidly rising prices place basic foods beyond their means.
See HDF’s food security programs.
Ongoing care for 200 orphaned children
HDF currently supports 200 orphaned children in Yemen. When displacement and rising prices reduce a household’s income, consistent assistance helps children remain connected to food, healthcare, education and everyday stability.
Explore HDF’s Orphan Care Program.
Help families affected by the crisis in Yemen
Families displaced from Taiz, Hodeidah and other affected areas are arriving with urgent needs and few resources. HDF is mobilizing assistance based on verified needs and humanitarian access, including food, clean water, shelter, essential supplies and medical support.
