How Concern Worldwide stops the extreme becoming everyday

With your support, Concern is working alongside communities facing extreme situations to overcome today’s challenges, build futures and look forward with hope. 

When hunger takes hold, reaching everyday childhood milestones becomes harder.  

Rima*, aged 16 months, lives with her parents and grandfather in Yemen. When a Concern community health volunteer visited the family, they found that Rima was severely malnourished and weighed just 7.1 kilograms.  

Malnutrition is a pervasive issue in Rima’s community. Concern's work in Yemen supports 45 community health volunteers, who play a crucial role in screening children and referring them for treatment.  

Following the volunteer's advice, Rima's mother took her to the hospital where she received the support she needed to recover. 

"Now my child, my husband, and I can sleep well, my child is getting healthy, no more crying every time," her mother says. 

Sadly, malnutrition in Yemen continues to worsen due to increasing poverty, high levels of food insecurity, and ongoing internal and regional conflict. With your support, we can reach more families. 

In Unity State, South Sudan, walking through waist-high floodwater isn't unusual. It's part of a daily commute. 

Six years ago, severe flooding left 95% of the state underwater, displacing entire communities and destroying land used to grow crops. More than half of the nation's population suffered from severe acute food insecurity. 

Mothers like Angelina have been forced to rely on feeding their children water lilies and their roots because of a lack of proper food options. This diet has not only contributed to her daughters' malnutrition but also led to other health issues within her family. 

“Before, life was so much better than today. This is because we had our cattle, our goats, and we could depend on them for milk and also other things. And we also had enough fertile land that we would plant all the good vegetables ... but now this flooding crisis has destroyed everything.” 

The Concern-supported clinic has been vital for Angelina and her family, offering essential training and resources that have significantly improved their health and well-being. 

"Concern is the organisation that has tried the best," she says. "They would admit malnourished women, breastfeeding women, and even malnourished children. They have given a lot to this community, and we really appreciate them."

Concern works alongside people facing extreme poverty to build secure livelihoods, access education and healthcare, and adapt to a changing climate.  

When disaster or conflict hits, people adapt to survive. But they shouldn’t have to do it alone. Concern responds with food, shelter and practical help. Our work creates lasting change in some of the world's most fragile places. 

Let's stop the extreme becoming everyday. Together, we can help make a better everyday possible. 

*Names have been changed