NPR

How Bad Are Things In Yemen? We Asked An Aid Worker Holed Up In A Basement

An official with the international aid group CARE talks about the ongoing humanitarian disaster — and what to expect in the months ahead.
Yemeni children fill jerry cans with clean water in Sanaa, Yemen.

For the past couple days, Johan Mooij has been holed up in his basement.

He's the country director for CARE in Yemen, and the recent airstrikes sent him underground for safety.

Despite the destruction, disease and starvation he's witnessed in his two months in Sanaa, he's also seen countless examples of hospitality, concern and care among the Yemeni people — as well as signs of progress in controlling cholera.

"I think this is why this country has been able to keep up for so long," he says.

NPR spoke to Mooij by phone on Tuesday, after he was able to leave his basement.

This interview has

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