URGENT SOLIDARITY FUNDRAISING TO SUPPORT YEMENI HEALTHWORKERS TO PROVIDE VITAL LIFE SAVING SERVICES FOR VULNERABLE BABIES & CHILDREN AT AL-SABEEN MATERNAL HOSPITAL IN SANA'A, YEMEN.

#Yemencantwait

Health workers at Al-Sabeen Children’s Hospital in Sana’a Yemen are treating children affected by war, severe and acute malnutrition, cholera, diptheria, malaria, dengue and COVID-19. As hunger intensifies the need is greater than ever. This solidarity fundraising supports health workers to do their work, purchase vital lifesaving medicines, PPE, basic medical equipment and pay for tests and investigations for families that cannot afford treatment for their child. International aid to support Al-Sabeen and other hospitals in need has been cut by up to 80% since the end of March 2021.

Yemen has endure over 8 years of war and is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. We are fundraising - and have been for over 6 years - in solidarity with health workers at Al-Sabeen hospital in Sana’a, Yemen who are working tirelessly (and often risking their own lives) to provide essential medical care and save lives. As global funding crises hits, existing funds shrink yet the need on the ground intensifies. The United Nation has warned that Yemen is on the brink of losing an entire generation of children to hunger.

Al-Sabeen Hospital is the only centre in Yemen with a functioning Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and children can still access adequate medical care. Al-Sabeen services are sometimes provided for free, which is unusual in Yemen, and staff volunteers are well motivated but have not received salaries during the war and face severe shortages of supplies. Al-Sabeen paediatric unit is led by alumni who completed their post-graduate studies at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in Liverpool. They are senior Yemeni paediatricians and have shown incredible resilience in the face of war and multiple hardships and have been recognised internationally for their brilliance and commitment (see links below). They are organising staff with minimal resources and medical professionals are working without payment. They were visited by peace ambassador and scouser Adam Kelwick in late 2020 and you can see the videos he made of the hospital, the dire need on the ground and the impact of this solidarity fundraising on our social media profiles.

Through this site and solidarity fundraising in Liverpool (Habibti_Liverpool, staff at LSTM, Liverpool Yemeni’s community and many more) we have been sending £2000 a month direct to senior paediatricians at Al-Sabeen to support staff to carry out their work and buy necessary equipment and resources. To date money raised through this work has;

*supported nurses, doctors, orderlies and porters (even things like making sure they are able to get to work)

*extended the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Services for babies and children at the hospital

*bought equipment (feeding tubes, pulse oximetry, thermometers, resuscitation sets) and lifesaving drugs including anti-biotics

* bought ventilators and a portable ultrasound machine

* bought fully compliant PPE (including face shields and full body suits), gloves, masks and sanitiser

* bough food packs for the most needy of the children's families - 95% of patients are in desperate need and unable to pay for medicines

* distributed zakat donations to the neediest families to pay for medication, rent and food

We aim to support in any way we can and are always guided by the clinical needs of the patients and what the staff on the ground indicate is most needed. Staff are in the planning stages of establishing a completely new Infectious Diseases ICU for children with highly infectious measles, cholera and Covid-19.

If you feel inspired by their work – as we do -please urgently donate in solidarity with our brave, inspiring and committed Yemeni health workers colleagues.

Our monthly habibti_liverpool fundraising stall at Granby Street Market in Liverpool runs on the first Saturday of each month..

https://www.instagram.com/granbystreetmarket/?hl=en-gb

https://www.instagram.com/habibti_liverpool/?igshid=36xt4iimscxy&hl=en-gb For online sales, updates on the hospital and special events ;-)

https://www.facebook.com/HabibtiLiverpool/ For online sales, updates on the hospital and special events....

https://www.instagram.com/sheablissliverpool/?hl=en-gb for handmade bath melts made in Liverpool by a young entrepreneur.... proceeds to Al-Sabeen.

Al-Sabeen in the news;

Adam Kelwick visits Al-Sabeen hospital, October, 2020 - https://www.instagram.com/tv/CHLHkLgnXI3/?igshid=k8mq7ee36fls

Professor Najla Al-Sonboli (Lead Paediatrician at Al-Sabeen and Head of Paediatrics at Sana'a University) awarded an honorary degree at the 2019 Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine graduation where she was recognised as an inspirational leader, who has motivated her team to continue to work for the benefit of their young patients, providing voluntary services with minimal resources. - https://www.lstmed.ac.uk/news-events/news/lstm-graduation-2019

Professor Najla Al-Sonboli was recognised as a Heroine for Health in 2018 at the World Health Assembly meeting in Geneva, for her tireless work in her home country of Yemen. - https://www.lstmed.ac.uk/news-events/news/lstm-alumna-and-research-partner-recognised-as-a-heroine-for-health-at-who

In October 2018 Orla Guerin met Najla Al-Sonboli and the families of desperately sick children, who are unable to leave Yemen to seek the medical care they require: The Sick Children Trapped by Yemen’s War BBC World 26 October 2018

In March 2018 Najla Al-Sonboli contributed to a BBC World Service podcast, The Real Story: “What is fuelling war in Yemen:”

Please note, all photos are with the permission of the children's families.