A U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) report has revealed that a family planning initiative in Yemen, a nation riddled with terrorist activity, utilized over 430,000 condoms in a span of several years.
The program, funded by American taxpayers, was titled "Strengthening Family Planning Services in Yemen."
The USAID report indicates that the program distributed over half a million condoms, with 438,801 being "consumed." The initiative, which was operational from August 2018 to September 2022, aimed to enhance the provision and availability of family planning services for women and girls affected by conflict.
The services were accessible in 220 health facilities across Yemen, a country that has been home to the Houthis, a group previously designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. The program was managed by the international non-governmental organization, Save the Children.
Yemen has been embroiled in a savage civil war for nearly a decade, with the Iran-backed Houthi Islamists pitted against the country's internationally recognized government, which is supported by Saudi Arabia, as reported by the Council on Foreign Relations. Despite a reduction in conflict in 2023, the Houthis have launched multiple attacks on U.S. forces and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, particularly since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war. In a reversal of the Trump administration's designation, the Biden administration removed the Houthis from the federal government's foreign terrorist organization list in February 2021.
The USAID report states that the program was financed through "an initial two-year award, followed by two consecutive one-year extensions." The funding aimed to provide services to women of reproductive age, bolster health systems, and enhance the capacity of public health staff to maintain service provision. However, the report does not disclose the exact cost of the program or the condoms to the U.S. government.
The initiative also offered other forms of birth control to Yemenis, including IUDs, Depo Provera injections, and "emergency pills." The program funded 34 mobile medical stands and curtains, 17 mobile examination lamps, and 14 metal cupboards in Yemen's Ta'izz province. The program also extended its services to the Aden and Lahj regions.
Save the Children, a global organization, provides health, education, and emergency response services, particularly in war-torn or impoverished regions. Neither USAID nor Save the Children responded immediately to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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