“One day, when I was returning from fetching water, I collapsed on the road. I was bleeding so badly that I knew I was going to lose my baby.” 

Umm Mahra was 31 years old and five months pregnant when she was forced to seek refuge with her family in a remote displacement camp in Taiz, in Yemen’s southwestern highlands.

Conflict had erupted across the country and a crippling drought took hold, exacerbating the situation for millions of people already fleeing for their lives.

“We hoped to find some peace and safety,” Ms. Mahra, now 38, explained to HA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. “But there was nothing. We had to fight for every drop of water, every morsel of food, and every breath of air. We had to walk miles to fetch water – it was very hard.”

In a humanitarian crisis, women and girls face a litany of dangers, from higher risks of gender-based violence and exploitation to forced and child marriage, diseases and malnutrition. A lack of food, water and health access together with overexertion and high levels of stress mean that pregnancies and births are also fraught with added danger.

“I had four children to take care of,” said Ms. Mahra. “My husband was trying to earn some money to support us… I was weak and malnourished, and suffered [pregnancy] complications due to lack of proper care and nutrition.”

After she collapsed, Ms. Mahra was driven to Aden and treated at the Al-Sadaqa Hospital, which is three hours away and supported by UNFPA with funding from the United States. “They cleaned my uterus and treated me for free,” she said.

Her life – and physical health – were saved, but the pregnancy loss haunted her: “I lost my child, and my mental health deteriorated.”