After six years of complex crises, Yemen is currently facing a dire and precarious food security and nutrition situation whereby a total of 20.1 million Yemenis are food insecure, with 10 million people considered severely food insecure. Conflict and insecurity continue to be the main drivers of the spiraling food insecurity levels in the country.
In a humble tiny house made of mud and straw lives 38-year-old Aziza with her ten children – six girls and four boys – in a remote village in Bajel district in Hodeidah governorate.
“As you see, my family has been living in this hardship for years,” says Aziza. “Since the conflict escalated in Al Hodeidah, I wake up every morning wondering how and what to feed my children that day. My husband is a daily worker and he mostly can't find any work or money to provide our basic needs." Due to rheumatic disease, Aziza can't go out and spends her days and nights lying on a shabby wooden bed.
CARE staff visiting Aziza’s house
This year, the accumulated impact of the prolonged conflict combined with COVID-19 and funding shortage has pushed millions of Yemenis to the brink of famine. Recent food security analyses show that COVID-19 is causing precipitous rises in food insecurity in the country. Acute malnutrition rates for children under five are the highest ever recorded, and more than 250,000 pregnant and lactating women are acutely malnourished.
With generous funding from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CARE intervened in Hodeidah and Hajjah governorates, providing water, sanitation and hygiene services as well as distributing cash and livestock to the most vulnerable and food-insecure households.
Unconditional cash distribution center in Aziza’s village
Thankfully, Aziza received an unconditional cash transfer for six months to buy food and other essential items. “The last six months were very peaceful for my family," she says. “We received a monthly cash transfer which allowed us to buy enough food for the entire month. I was able to prepare nutritious meals for my children for the first time. The cash helped us survive during the most difficult time of COVID and conflict. I wonder how we will manage to live when the project ends.”
*Main picture: Aziza talking to CARE staff inside her house
