Aurora's Yemen Community Feels Weight of Healthcare Collapse Half a World Away
The humanitarian crisis unfolding in Yemen isn't just a headline—it hits close to home for many in Aurora. As the country's civil war pushes its healthcare system toward total collapse, local families with ties to the region are watching helplessly as hospitals buckle under war casualties, leaving malnourished children and pregnant women without basic care.
Aurora is home to one of Colorado's largest Yemeni and Middle Eastern communities, centered around East Colfax and the Plains Conservation Center area. For residents like Ahmed Al-Sabahi, who runs a halal market on Havana Street, the news is personal. "My cousin in Sana'a couldn't get his daughter treated for severe malnutrition last month. The nearest functioning hospital was destroyed," he says. "We send money, but medicine simply isn't there."
Local organizations are stepping up. The Aurora-based Yemeni American Association of Colorado has partnered with Global Refuge and Islamic Relief USA to coordinate medical supply shipments and fund mobile clinics in Yemen's hardest-hit governorates. Last month, a fundraiser at the Aurora Cultural Arts District raised over $18,000 for therapeutic food packets.
Dr. Sarah Hassan, a family physician at UCHealth Anschutz who volunteers with medical missions, emphasizes the ripple effect: "When health systems fail, disease spreads across borders. Supporting Yemen's clinics isn't just charity—it's global health security."
How to help: Donate to vetted partners via yemenaidco.org or drop off medical supplies at the Yemeni American Association office (14200 E. Alameda Ave., Unit 200).
