Satellite members welcomed Dr. Barakat and Dr. Essex and learned of the Yemen Food Crisis.
Dr. Barakat gave a brief history of Yemen and the problems which have occurred due to geographic location and political unrest. Yemen is strategically located on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Oman and has been a trading centre since early times. For a period of time it was a British Colony and earned independence in 1967.
Dr. Essex continued the presentation with a detailed look at food security and the most severe humanitarian crisis in the world today. 24 million people are in desperate need of help in this country where food is expensive; where there is no clean water; where millions are dying from malnutrition. Some 13 million people in Yemen are dependant on food assistance and in this time of a global pandemic it has been difficult to convince other countries to provide aid. It is feared that there will be a “lost generation” of children who will be affected by malnutrition and disease. The long term solution is to stop the civil war and focus on improving rural livelihoods and rebuilding the infrastructure.
Tonight’s PAYS was presented by Bill MaCrae who shared his journey of recovery from a stroke he suffered 16 months ago.