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Denmark earmarks another 10 million for Yemen

Christian Wenande
July 9th, 2015


This article is more than 9 years old.

Aid part of UN efforts to help the 21 million people in need of help

21 million people need some kind of emergency aid in Yemen (photo: Brian Harrington Spier)

The Danish government has set aside a further 10 million kroner in aid to help the over 21 million people currently enduring a humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

The increasing conflict between government troops and the armed Houthi militia has pushed the embattled nation to the brink. Blockades of Yemen’s harbours have made it difficult to get the supply of aid to the beleaguered population.

”The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is more serious now than ever before,” said Kristian Jensen, the foreign minister. “21 million people need some kind of emergency aid.”

“The situation is desperate for the country’s citizens and destabilising for the entire region, which is already challenged by poverty, extremism and radicalisation. So Denmark is ready to meet the UN’s appeal and contribute to where is most needed.”

READ MORE: Danish aid to help alleviate Somali food crisis

Via Red Cross
Last week, the UN classified the crisis in Yemen as level 3, which is the most serious classification of humanitarian disasters.

11 million people in Yemen are in need of protection from human rights abuse, over 1 million have been displaced from their homes, almost 13 million are not getting enough food and over 9 million have limited access to drinking water.

The current fragile security situation, coupled with problems importing goods and the lack of fuel, makes distributing aid to the people most in need very difficult.

The latest Danish aid funds to Yemen – now totalling 39.8 million kroner for 2015 – will go to support humanitarian efforts via the International Committee of the Red Cross and will consist of food, health, water and other aid distribution.


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Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

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At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”