Heartbreak in the Yemen

It’s a tribal and religious war between Sunni and Shia Islam, if Iran and Saudi stop arming the fighting it would be settled quickly one way or the other.
Many other wars are going on with the same misery

Farzanah

I think if you inform yourself of the long history of Yemen, including U.K. involvement Freya you will find that it is far from as simplistic as you describe.
These things seldom are.

Are you including South Yemen in your comment, Farzanah?
I spent a lot of my childhood there due to UK military involvement. The north was a no go area and a hotbed of insurgency which escalated in the sixties.

I think if you inform yourself of the long history of Yemen, including U.K. involvement Freya you will find that it is far from as simplistic as you describe.
These things seldom are.

Farzanah

It’s easy to be judgmental about poor people suffering the ravages of war through no fault of their own, and opining about improved contraception, from the comfort of our armchairs in our cosy homes.

Perhaps if they lived in peace and security with the advantages that we have, they would not have so many kids because they wouldn’t be murdered.

Perhaps in an ideal world the U.K. and others wouldn’t be selling arms that kill and maim children.

Of course it's the UKs fault again. Perhaps if the Houthis hadn't overthrown an internationally recognised Gov, they wouldn't be in this mess.

Maddyone
If by chance you’re ever driving in Romania, Bulgaria you might see a police car pull a driver over.
You might then see the policeman and the driver shake hands. The driver will be bribing the policeman.
You need not necessarily have done anything wrong. We have done it.
It’s not right but it’s the way of the world for people who are on very poor wages.

An almost unbelievable story Witzend but you must be very proud of your daughter, for all she’s trying to do.

A cousin of mine used to travel frequently between Britain and a certain African state which will remain unnamed. When travelling in a taxi to and from the airport he had two choices, either hide on the back seat by lying down and hoping he wasn’t spotted, or sitting up front alongside the driver but having a reasonable amount of cash in his pocket. When they came to the traffic lights, the traffic policeman on duty would approach the car and ask for money from the white man. My cousin would produce the money and then the taxi would be let through. In order to let them through the policeman required a bribe!

Me too merlotgran.
Ignorance is bliss.

songstress60

We have enough poverty and deprivation in UK, so I don't concern myself with matters abroad. There are plenty of kids going to school without meals. CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME

Words fail me!

We have enough poverty and deprivation in UK, so I don't concern myself with matters abroad. There are plenty of kids going to school without meals. CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME

maddyone

I think Witzendmakes extremely valid points about corruption. It’s something we can barely comprehend, asking for bribes before essential supplies are released. This is indeed a problem in many third world countries.

Another thing dd told me about was in Ethiopia, where severe drought and famine had been succeeded by flooding rains which swept cholera into the region she was dealing with. She saw people literally dying before her eyes, but for far too long the local govt. insisted that it was just ‘seasonal diarrhoea’. She busted guts to find a water truck, get it fixed (it wasn’t driveable) and filled with clean water in order to supply the area - all with zero help or cooperation from local officialdom.

She was also incandescent over the uselessness of a global, supposedly sainted organisation, well known in the sector for paying higher salaries than anyone else, who had only to put a load of urgently needed plastic jerrycans in a truck and drive them from A to B, and they couldn’t even get that right.
I’ve never given any money to that lot ever since.

Gundy
Russia hasn’t got the money to take over countries in Africa, and, China comes first.

It seems that so many countries are at war now that the media cannot report on them all

The Russian blockade of grain will predominantly affect Africa which relies on Ukranian wheat (the “bread basket” of the world), and other countries too.

Yemen’s civil war does not have the spotlight of the world on it. The pain and suffering of children is such a tragedy.

With Putin’s objective to take over as many countries in Africa as possible, there’s going to be a red wave domino effect, I believe.

There’s a special place in hell for Putin.
USA Gundy

Flakesdayout

Why cant everyone just be nice to one another. Kindness does not hurt, I really do despair.

I'm afraid kindness will not help here. As usual neither side cares a damn about the poor people in between. Ousting, backed by Iran, an internationally recognised government, is not the way to a peaceful life for anyone.

I fear you’ve totally missed my point Miles.

Yes indeed MerylStreep. It’s easy to look at some world problems in a simplistic way but there’s always the bigger picture.

If we didn’t have our lucrative arms trade then our standard of living would be markedly reduced, along with our GDP.

I just wish that people didn’t offer simplistic and smug solutions, from a position of seeming ignorance.

Historically , large families have been produced to work the land or look after parents in their old age, but as CANNON FODDER. ???? Aid needs to include education not just food.
Every child by right should be wanted, loved, fed ,clothed housed and educated. If the parents can't provide that why do they expect other people to provide it?

Farzanah
Very true, but we don’t live in an ideal world, do we?
What would the people who work in the arms industry do if it all stopped tomorrow. Very difficult dilemma for all those involved.

"Perhaps in an ideal world the U.K. and others wouldn’t be selling arms that kill and maim children."

Well said Farzanah.

That, our country CAN do something about.

The reports do break your heart.

It’s easy to be judgmental about poor people suffering the ravages of war through no fault of their own, and opining about improved contraception, from the comfort of our armchairs in our cosy homes.

Perhaps if they lived in peace and security with the advantages that we have, they would not have so many kids because they wouldn’t be murdered.

Perhaps in an ideal world the U.K. and others wouldn’t be selling arms that kill and maim children.

Callistemon21

We know it's happening and it is heartbreaking

The UK has sent about £1 billion of aid over the past 7 or 8 years but how much aid gets through and how much ends up into the wrong hands?

Oh God. Why do men need to fight?! Nothing changes. The poor suffer. Women and children mostly. Over my life I seem to have seen the same sad stories over and over in various parts of the world.
Yes, why?
The poor women struggling, made pregnant time and again only to see their children starve and die, get injured, lose limbs, suffer.
I'm sure they do not want to be bringing one child after another into the world only to see this happen.

It makes me angry to see so many suffering children. Snipers aiming at children was in one report
. Why are so many children being born.? The men should show some responsibility. Vasectomies and sewing kits for their trousers come to mind. Feed the children and mothers but not the men.

The U.K. may not be involved in such devastating wars, but it’s interesting to consider that the U.K. is the second largest exporter of “defence arms” in the world after the USA, and forms a huge part of our GDP.

Hatred and intolerance are rife in the west also.
The wealthy elite in UK dont appear to be concerned with the poverty here, and many attend church.

Most of the aid that is offered never gets through and to help the ppl we should help them with child birth then maybe so many wouldn’t die of starvation but these ppl have large families knowing that they have no money. Sounds harsh but it’s the truth we have kids here also struggling for food. We a little island we can’t bail everyone out

Why cant everyone just be nice to one another. Kindness does not hurt, I really do despair.