Food insecurity in Yemen

Yemen is facing a severe humanitarian crisis due to longstanding conflict between the government and the Houthi movement, which escalated in 2015. Since the access to food is the highest priority need in the target governorate of Taiz and the target district of Alma’afer, we aim to provide as many families as possible with immediate food.

Because of the ongoing conflict, the food security situation in Yemen has further deteriorated since 2017. According to the 2019 Yemen Humanitarian Needs Overview, a staggering 80% of the population (24m, of which 7.4m are children) require some form of humanitarian assistance and protection services; including 14.3m who are in acute need. We help in providing access to immediate food for families.

2 of 3 people

in Yemen are affected by malnourishment.

Ongoing war in Yemen

Conflict and insecurity remain the major drivers of food insecurity in Yemen. Since the armed conflict escalation in 2015, food security across Yemen has deteriorated at an alarming rate as livelihoods are destroyed, income opportunities are limited, and household purchasing power is reduced.

For the first time ever, close to a quarter of a million people (238,000 individuals) are in a hunger phase one step away from famine and barely surviving. Food insecurity is more severe in the areas with active fighting, and an estimated 7.4m people require services to treat and/or prevent malnutrition, including 3.2m people who require treatment for acute malnutrition (2m are children under 5; and 1m are pregnant/lactating women).

The Alma’afer district has significant food gaps, with over 70% of the population in facing high levels of food insecurity. There are 65,850 individuals out of the total population of 151,729 individuals in Alma’afer district that are severely food insecure and in need of emergency food assistance. There is a high prevalence of acute malnutrition and food insecurity, as well as a high number of Internally Displaced Persons and few other actors are active in Taiz Governorate.

238'000 individuals are in a hunger phase one step away from famine.

70% of the population in Alma'afer are facing high levels of food insecurity.

Providing cash for food

Extremely high food prices, the liquidity crisis, disrupted livelihoods, and high levels of unemployment further exacerbate the food security crisis. To address the immediate food needs, we are implementing an emergency lifesaving food assistance intervention through unconditional cash transfers so that 1,272 vulnerable households can access their food needs.

The project targets different vulnerable groups, including female-headed households, child-headed households, in addition to households with pregnant and lactating women, malnourished children, elderly people, people with disabilities and/or Internally Displaced Persons and returnees. The cash transfer modality has been selected instead of other modalities, such as general food distribution or food vouchers, because it is cost effective and provides full responsibility to beneficiaries to choose within their needs, but also because the markets in the target areas are functioning and well-stocked with food commodities.

1272 families

get support through monthly cash transfers.

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Food insecurity
in Yemen