Since the dawn of war in 2015, many Yemenis have been forced to flee their homes and find shelter in safer places. In total, 4.3 million (roughly 15 per cent of the population) have been displaced – the majority of whom (3.3 million) are yet to return to their homes.

Families from Alaqamah in the Mawza’a district of Ta’iz continue to struggle since their displacement in early 2016.  In neighbouring areas without shelter or protection, they have few or no financial resources and an estimated 95 per cent of Alaqamah remain unemployed.  In order to survive, many have taken their children out of school to look for work, and survive on simple meals of bread and tea.

When conflict subsided in Alaqamah village, many of the displaced were reluctant to return.  Homes and infrastructure had been destroyed.  Even in the light of apparent safety, they were not confident that their futures would be any better.

The Yemen Emergency Crisis Response Project is designed to help Yemenis to recover from the consequences of conflict, and to rebuild their lives and communities.  In Alaqamah, this took the form of cash-for-work, meaning that displaced families were remunerated for returning to their village and rebuilding critical infrastructure.  This enabled them to buy household necessities, while also contributing to the structural resources their community would need in the long-term.

Participating households spent the cash on basic commodities, such as water, food and soap. They were also engaged in a communal project to protect their land, cultivate it and grow crops. 

According to Abdul Karim Musa, a member of the Alaqamah volunteer committee, “For the first time, villagers have begun to capitalize on the project's potential to build repair irrigation canals, and rehabilitate agricultural lands. Many of families have used their cash to start their home gardens growing okra, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs and watercress.”

Project participant, Ghanem Ahmed describes the difference that this has made in his own household: “We had hated to live in despair and extreme poverty. Today, thanks God, I own a productive home garden. We plant vegetables, cucumbers and okra... and I am preparing to expand my garden."

Alaqamah residents are also positioned to invest in productive assets and earn valuable income that will help restore a sense of stability throughout the community.

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Funded by the World Bank, the Yemen Emergency Crisis Response Project (YECRP) is implemented by UNDP in partnership with the Social Fund for Development (SFD) and the Public Works Project (PWP). The US$300 million project provides economic stimuli in the form of large cash-for-work projects, support to small businesses, and labor-intensive repairs of socio-economic assets, benefiting vulnerable local households and communities across Yemen.