Prolonged conflict in Yemen has had a profound effect on the country and its people. Political, economic, and social consequences have affected the country´s ability to provide basic services, with Yemenis experiencing a chronic lack of employment opportunities, while many that are employed see their wages go unpaid. These issues are compounded by the impact of climate change, high inflation, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and global supply-chain issues, with Yemenis living increasingly vulnerable lives as they are left to fend for themselves in one of the most food-insecure countries in the world. In Yemen, around 90% of food is imported and some 17.4 million people face acute food insecurity. Conflict – and the numerous other challenges Yemenis face – negatively affects the social fabric of communities. Solutions to build trust, bring communities together, and work towards a more peaceful future are required.  COMMUNITY CONTRACTING FOSTERS RESILIENCE In a bid to improve lives – and livelihoods – for the long term, UNDP’s Emergency Social Protection Enhancement and COVID-19 Response Project (ESPECRP), with national partner the Public Works Project (PWP), is applying community contracting mechanisms to construction projects, from water harvesting to agricultural land reclamation and road paving. This is an approach that helps communities better support themselves through immediate crisis and for the long term, improving food production and increasing access to critical services. Already these projects have benefited tens of thousands of Yemenis in disadvantaged communities. Because of the way that community contracting works – by hiring and paying local community members to improve their own infrastructure and using local resources as much as possible – these projects also help foster a greater sense of community as neighbors work together for the good of the whole village, resulting in a sense of ownership and belonging. FIGHTING THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE Climate change is increasingly adding to the difficulties that Yemenis face, particularly in rural, agricultural areas. The country is seeing not only more extreme, extended dry periods but also flooding that washes away agricultural infrastructure as well as fertile soil. This makes for further food insecurity, with climate events happening with greater severity and becoming increasingly unpredictable.  For already impoverished communities, the effects of climate change on food security are dire. Many of the projects that work best in the community contracting format are directly related to agriculture and combating the effects of climate change. PWP advocates that ideal projects are small community assets in rural areas that require simple techniques, high labour intensity and the use of materials that are available locally. While road rehabilitation is one example, the protection of agricultural land through the building of gabions and irrigation canals that help mitigate desertification are other key projects. EMPOWERING LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS Because of the focus on keeping projects as local as possible, community members benefit from access to improved services and new job opportunities that provide the community with fast access to cash as well as skills to better their longer-term employment opportunities. An irrigation rehabilitation project in Shabwa is one such example. “The Ba-Yahya irrigation channel rehabilitation project offered me a job, which has improved my living conditions and livelihood through both the work and the work experience I gained,” says Muhammad Saleh, a resident of Mayfa’a, Shabwa. “Before, I was unemployed, but I was chosen by the community committee to work on this project through a wage employment scheme, which has improved my situation and that of many labourers from my community.” Muhammad, like many other workers who participated in this project, received training in how to mix concrete, how to properly lay rocks and how to plaster walls before starting work onsite. “We had a chance to learn new skills from more experienced engineers,” he explains. The percentage of local community members working on such development projects increased by 60% after the community contracting approach was adopted. “Community contracting is a real and successful investment in human capital development, accomplished through equipping community members with the skills needed to generate a sustainable income,” says Ibtihal Fuad, an Engineer, and the Investment Planner at PWP. AN INCLUSIVE APPROACH THAT OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN When these projects happen, the entire community participates – including women. Women are also offered the opportunity to learn a profession and deliver skills that are needed in the local labour market. In fact, community contracting has increased women’s employability by 30% when compared to a private contracting approach. Barakah Khamis, a resident of the Ba-Yahia region in the governorate of Shabwah, was a key contributor in rehabilitating rainwater irrigation channels in her area. She received training on the community contracting provided by PWP and applied it to become a contractor herself in the project. "The training provided me with the set of skills needed to be a community contractor to clear shrubs and waste from the irrigation channels," she said. "I even hired 30 other women from the area and worked together to get the job done," she adds. According to Shafiqa Al-Rajami, the Gender Specialist at PWP, “Community contracting provides a greater opportunity to employ women, empower them economically and promote their role in society. This mechanism provides equitable conditions for women to compete with men in bidding to win project tenders.” Barakah expressed her appreciation for the opportunity and said, “In my capacity as a decisionmaker, I have become well respected by my family and community who appreciate what I have achieved.” Barakah emphasized the impact this project has had on the lives of all the women involved as well as her community; they have been able to improve their livelihoods, highlighting the important role women can play in their community. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT FROM PLANNING TO IMPLEMENTATION The approach involves dividing work into several stages, explains Mohammed Al-Shawafi, the Community Contracting Coordinator at PWP, starting with choosing the project name and then assigning an engineer and a social researcher to inspect the site, identifying the scope of priorities and needs. “After that, a beneficiaries committee of both men and women is elected by the local community and its members are trained on the mechanisms and requirements needed to implement the project: the committee takes responsibility for all phases of the project,” he adds.  As well as delivering results that have directly considered the needs of the community, this approach also encourages greater communication within communities. Decisions must be reached, and compromises made. In the process, community dialogue is strengthened, and a sense of trust is forged. A PAVED ROAD BECOMES A VALUABLE COMMUNITY ASSET These community-based projects offer some of the best solutions against deteriorating conditions across vital areas of infrastructure, such as the poor road conditions seen across much of the country. One such project targeted a dangerous stretch of road in Al-Sarrah, a sub-district of Al-Odein, Ibb Governorate. “This treacherous road was a big risk during rainy seasons – there was a real risk of death,” says Qasim Al-Humaidi, a resident of Al-Sarrah. Extreme weather not only damaged the road and made it dangerous for travelers but also crippled agricultural production. “Torrential rains used to cause soil erosion and floods, sweeping away agricultural terraces,” explains Majed Al-Ohami, a PWP consultant. In Al-Sarrah, the paved road has brought new life and business to the area. “This road serves more than 100,000 people, giving them access to many services in the city. It not only links sub-districts and villages but also wider districts and governorates – all of which are densely populated areas,” explains Sadiq Saif, head of the beneficiaries committee. “The project also plays a significant role in economic recovery, with investment in the local area increasing too.” Saif explains that new health facilities, restaurants and supermarkets have all opened as a result of the successful road project. He adds that since the community provided the 20,000 rocks needed to pave the road, all of which were sourced locally, there was no need to bring rocks from further away, cutting costs and transport emissions. A LONG-TERM FOCUS BEYOND DAILY STRUGGLES ESPECRP and PWP are helping Yemen’s crisis-affected people regain sustainable livelihoods. These projects have enabled Yemenis to prioritise broader recovery efforts and development planning – giving them a longer-term focus, beyond the day-to-day struggles of an impoverished nation. According to Al-Shawafi: “Community contracting contributes to strengthening Yemen’s core infrastructure across sectors, across communities and for the long run.”   *** The Emergency Social Protection Enhancement and COVID-19 Response Project (ESPECRP) supports nutrition-sensitive cash transfers and temporary employment, while also improving access to sustainable livelihoods, key services, and economic opportunities for geographically focused areas affected by hunger, malnutrition, and climate related shocks. The project is in line with the World Bank’s integrated approach to improve food security resilience and sustainable livelihoods for Yemenis. Funded and supported by the World Bank’s IDA, the US$ 232.9 million ESPECRP is implemented by the Social Fund for Development (SFD), the Public Works Project (PWP), and the Small and Micro Enterprise Promotion Service (SMEPS) in partnership with UNDP Yemen.

Shaima left school at just eight years old to support her family’s farming business in Hajjah, in northern Yemen. Conflict had erupted and the country’s economy went into freefall, leaving the family almost destitute and with no means to pay for her schooling. A few years later, the violence spread to Shaima’s village. Her family of six crammed onto their father’s motorbike and travelled more than six hours to reach the Sa’ada Governorate. They are among some 4.5 million Yemenis displaced within the country by the relentless conflict, 80 per cent of whom are women and children in drastic need of humanitarian assistance. Finding nowhere else to go, Shaima and her family took shelter in a refuse tip in Quhza District. They resorted to collecting plastic bottles, which they transported by motorbike to sell at a market in the city, earning less than $1 dollar a day. They could barely scrape together one meal for the family, but at least they were together. That changed when  heavy rains lashed their shelter in August, washing away their motorbike. Shaima’s father and brother rushed to catch it, but were pulled into the floodwater. Shaima, too, tried to help but was dashed against the rocks by the force of the current. A neighbour pulled her to safety, but both her father and brother drowned. Now Shaima, at age 16, is the sole provider for her mother, her 6-year-old sister and 13-year old brother.  A rapid response team led by UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, met with Shaima’s family, providing them with emergency support and referred them for shelter and cash assistance. To meet the needs of people displaced in an emergency, UNFPA distributes dignity kits, containing hygiene and menstruation supplies, to women and girls, alongside ready-to-eat food from WFP and hygiene kits provided by UNICEF. Shaima told UNFPA, “My only hope for the future is to be able to secure the very basic needs for the rest of my family to survive.” Women and girls at the centre of the crisis Since the start of the year, extreme weather in Yemen has displaced over 200,000 people, many of whom had already been displaced multiple times. Heavy rain is now forecast to affect nearly 2 million displaced people over the coming weeks, threatening lives and livelihoods across multiple communities. The effects of climate crises exacerbate the vulnerability and protection risks inherent in displacement, especially for women and girls. That was the case for Souad, 45, and her seven children, who had been sheltering in a mud hut they built themselves – before the flash floods demolished it. “I was in shock – what’s left to be destroyed in my life?” she asked. They had already been displaced by conflict, and her husband recently died from kidney disease. Like one quarter of displaced families in Yemen, Souad was left to look after her family alone. She resorted to selling household utensils, while her children helped to collect plastic items that had been thrown away. The rapid response team met with Souad’s family, as well. “I was surprised when the rapid response team came and provided us with these kits, I didn’t expect them to arrive so quickly.” Souad was referred by UNFPA for cash assistance, shelter and to a protection team for counselling; later she will be offered training in livelihood skills so she can recover financially and support herself and her family. Rapid response for escalating crises Years of conflict and deprivation have weighed heavily on Yemeni women and girls, but any form of health care or protection services are scarce if not entirely absent. Yemen ranks third among the countries in the world that are most vulnerable to climate change but least prepared for its shocks. Severe drought, record rises in temperature and devastating floods have combined to upend the lives and security of tens of thousands of people. The UN rapid response mechanism in Yemen, supported by the European Union, the United States Government and the Yemen Humanitarian Fund, ensures life-saving assistance within 72 hours of the onset of an emergency. Since the start of the year, more than 150,000 people across the country have been supported in this way, some two thirds of whom were families affected by severe weather. “This gives me hope that our situation can improve,” Souad said to UNFPA. Still, millions more people at risk are in urgent need of increased support.  UNFPA is calling for US$ 70 million in 2023.

Farmers’ productivity relies upon access to agricultural supplies and machinery, as well as safe and proper access to markets to sell their produce. Unfortunately, eight years of protracted conflict in Yemen has left many farmers without this access, resulting in millions of Yemenis becoming severely food insecure. Production hurdles and obstacles facing farmers – combined with the devastating effects of climate change and a heavy reliance upon food imports – has meant that Yemen is now one of the most food insecure countries in the world. The situation has been made worse by a lack of paved roads across the country and difficulty for rural farmers to access markets. Around 30,000 people live along the mountainous Eilyafa Road that passes through the community of Al-Madhahij in Taiz. The road is unpaved and has exacerbated hardships on the local population, denying them access to everything from education to healthcare – even food became difficult to get and costly. Locals began to look for solutions. They found solutions in sharing the costs of renting expensive off-road vehicles that could traverse the difficult roads between the villages. A temporarily solution was found to what used to be inaccessible to so many – even during the rainy season when access was extremely difficult, if not impossible. Food and supplies were now possible to be delivered to the rural communities. But it was still difficult for farmers to bring in much-needed equipment and many struggled to sell what they had grown. A local villager, Sa’eed Sharaf, explains that, “This road is used by everyone in surrounding villages, and we all struggled.” He goes on to say that, “The high cost of food transport forced people to share the cost of renting a four-wheeler to deliver goods. And those who ran out of food before the next delivery would have to go on a two-hour journey to reach the nearest market.”     Joining a road through community participation To help solve these issues, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, and the Public Works Project (PWP) have partnered together on the Yemen Food Security Response and Resilience Project (FSRRP) to pave the Eilyafa Road in hopes of helping create food security in the small villages around it. The project allows both villagers and farmers to gain access to freedom of movement – allowing them to go to the market, move their goods, send their children to school, and have opportunities to earn income to better care for their families.  In response to the community priorities, three particularly difficult sections of Eilyafa Road were paved. Paving the very difficult 510 meters of the four kilometer road has made a huge difference. “It helped connect all the paved parts into one major road with smaller roads forking from it,” explains engineer Salah Saif, the Project Officer. The project employed locals through a cash-for-work programme that allows people to not only earn daily wages but to also learn new skills they can carry into the labour market in the future. "130 men and five women from the local community gained new skills and expertise by participating in the road paving project,” explains Saif. A new reality So much has now changed for the 17 villages along the Eilyafa Road. Saeed Salam, the Development Committee Coordinator in the Al-Mathahej sub-district, stresses the impact the newly paved road has had on farmers. “Our local farmers can now rent modern tilling machines, easily access seeds and fertilisers, and transport their crops to sell at local markets,” he indicates. The road will have tremendous impact on the village farmers and their ability to produce larger crop yields as well as transporting their produce to market, improving the food security in the area. He goes on to explain that “The benefits of this project have gone beyond just giving farmers access to local markets; it has revitalized the agricultural sector and contributed to enhanced food security in the communities.” In addition, instead of taking long and rough roads, people can now safely drive on Eilyafa Road, saving them time and money. Instead of hiring a four-wheeler or spending three to four hours to reach the city centre, people can now reach it in less than 20 minutes. Having easier and cheaper access to essential services means saving more money, that which can be spent on improving households’ food security. “The new road has made a big impact in local communities,” says Sa’eed Salam. "The benefits extend from transporting food and goods to giving people access to education and healthcare." "It is seen as one of the most significant projects to have been implemented in the area because it has truly transformed people’s lives."
  *** Funded by the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), the Yemen Food Security Response and Resilience Project (FSRRP) is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Food Programme, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. UNDP’s US$ 64 million component of FSRRP improves agricultural production infrastructure and builds climate resilience and is implemented in partnership with the Social Fund for Development (SFD), and the Public Works Project (PWP).

Rashad was content with the life he had back home in Hajjah. He was a hardworking family man who cared for his wife, children, and elderly parents. Before the conflict, he used to regularly shuttle back and forth from his home in northern Yemen to Saudi Arabia where he could earn a decent living. But when armed clashes began to intensify, he could no longer access the nearby country where he made the basic income needed to care for his family.  Rashad had to make the hard decision to travel to another city in Yemen far away from his home to look for a job, leaving his parents and family behind.   “My father had lung and heart diseases. His medicine costs YR 270,000 every month. I could no longer provide for that, so I had to travel to look for work in Sa’dah,” explained Rashad.  Rashad thought that he would be able to work and go back home, but he was stuck due to the armed clashes. Eventually, he also ran out of money and could no longer afford to move away.  “Luckily, I found a kind-hearted person who offered to take me to Ma’rib for free. To my surprise, he even gave me money to eat something after we arrived there.”  When he arrived in Ma’rib, Rashad faced immense challenges. He had no money, no shelter, and was far away from his family and sick parents. At that moment, Rashad felt helpless for the first time.  “I had nothing, not even a tent or a blanket, but the people there were so kind and lent me blankets and a tent and told me to return them when the organization helps me.”  “The community there also loaned me some money to pay for the transportation fees to bring my family and parents from Hajjah.”  After Rashad was united with his family, he learned about services offered in Al Jufainah displacement site by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).  With support from the Yemen Humanitarian Fund, IOM supported Rashad with Rapid Response Mechanism Kits which include tents, mattresses, blankets and food items. The aid also included cash that was given to Rashad in three installments.  Approximately 1,834 internally displaced people have received these essential items and cash assistance through this initiative since last September.   “The cash assistance project aims to enhance the livelihoods of people who have become newly displaced by conflict or disasters,” said Mohammed Abbas, IOM field assistant in Ma’rib.   “Cash assistance allows them to make the best decision on how to use the money, whether that’s for food, medicine, shelter, or even education.”  “With the first installment, I bought an oven and a gas cylinder to be able to make meals at my shelter. I also bought cement to build a room and spent the rest of the money on groceries for my family,” Rashad recalled.  This assistance allowed him to cook warm meals and secure shelter for himself and his family, providing them with some comfort they had not had since they became displaced.   Later, Rashad used the second round of cash assistance to buy materials to improve his shelter. He and his family now live in a small but cozy space that offers them a sense of stability, privacy and belonging.  The last round of cash brought imminent relief to Rashad, as he used the money to buy food for his children and provide his father with the necessary medicine that relieved him from pain and made him feel better.  “I am so grateful for this support. We had nothing before it came,” he concluded.  Rashad still wishes to build a separate kitchen to cook safely outside their shelter.  In the face of adversity, Rashad chose not to be defeated, but instead embraced the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of his family. His story serves as a reminder that even in the darkest times, there is always room for compassion and resilience.