Overview
USAID’s development assistance to Yemen helps end the need for emergency assistance, putting the country on a path to recovery, and creating a stronger foundation for durable peace.
Yemen is suffering the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, exacerbated by seven years of civil war. The regional, multi-actor conflict has resulted in the destruction of infrastructure, livelihoods, and social services, as well as weakened the resilience of communities and governance systems. USAID development assistance in Yemen bridges the relief-to-development continuum and strengthens Yemen’s resilience with an integrated programming approach in targeted geographic regions. USAID programs stabilize the economy, rebuild basic education and health systems, promote inclusion and reduce conflict, improve water sector access and management, and address emergent needs like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our Work
DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE
USAID supports key economic institutions to prevent further economic deterioration and encourage the private sector to actively plan for and play a positive and inclusive role in the country’s return to stability. USAID partners with the Central Bank of Yemen to institute macroeconomic reforms to stabilize Yemen’s fragile economy and function as an independent institution to manage its money supply and foreign exchange reserves and regulate private banks. Support to the Ministry of Finance includes improving budget planning and execution processes and revenue generation and support to Yemen’s port authorities helps enhance the flow of goods within, into, and out of Yemen. USAID helps Yemenis improve their lives by supporting the growth of the fisheries sector, increasing farm productivity, establishing market links, and helping small and medium-sized enterprises increase employment and business income.
EDUCATION
USAID helps meet Yemeni children’s immediate educational needs while also supporting long-term efforts to rebuild the education system that has been decimated from years of conflict. In partnership with the Yemeni Ministry of Education, USAID increases access to quality education services for vulnerable and conflict-affected children, including children with disabilities. USAID trains teachers; provides schools with both educational equipment and teaching and learning materials; and supports classroom-based interventions for out-of-school children, particularly girls and children in internally displaced people (IDP) camps. In order to prevent school dropouts, USAID has developed remedial education classes and distance and home learning programs to support students impacted by schools closed due to the conflict and COVID-19.
GOVERNANCE, PEACE, AND STABILITY
USAID promotes community cohesion and reconciliation, strengthens inclusion, and supports local governance. At the district and community levels, USAID brings together local government authorities and community members to find solutions to sources of conflict; strengthen institutions, organizations, and actors to meet citizens’ needs; serve as neutral arbitrators and peace-builders; foster social cohesion; and reignite pride in commonalities. Activities are inclusive, integrating women, youth, and other marginalized groups, including through small grants to advance peace, women’s empowerment, and community services.
HEALTH
USAID focuses on improvements in maternal and child health in Yemen. USAID improves reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health services; promotes healthy behaviors; increases communities’ trust in the formal health system; and strengthens the underlying systems that increase the effectiveness of the public health sector.
To bolster Yemen’s resilience against the COVID-19 pandemic, USAID coordinated the U.S. government donation of more than 300,000 COVID-19 vaccines in addition to providing training for health care workers, transporting vaccines to health facilities, providing cold storage capabilities, providing oxygen to COVID-19 isolation units, encouraging communities to increase vaccination rates, and sharing awareness and prevention messages to help curb the spread of the disease.
WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE (WASH)
USAID improves access to safe water and sanitation systems for vulnerable populations and increases their knowledge of hygiene practices. In addition, USAID is building the institutional capacity of water and sanitation service providers to operate and maintain service delivery. USAID interventions in the WASH sector increase sustainable access to safe water and sanitation services for the most vulnerable Yemenis. More than 15.4 million people in Yemen require access to basic water and sanitation.
USAID provides both immediate, life-saving assistance to those in need, as well as longer-term support focused on sustainable access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. USAID interventions in Yemen support the rehabilitation of water systems; the installation of pumps and the repair of water pipes; the repair of sewage network pipelines; the installation of toilets and handwashing facilities at health facilities; and the construction of household latrines. In the past year, USAID also provided hygiene awareness training sessions to prevent the spread of communicable diseases such as cholera and COVID-19. In addition, USAID is building the capacity of water and sanitation service providers to operate and maintain service delivery sites to ensure the long-term sustainability of installed systems.
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
As the largest humanitarian assistance donor to Yemen, USAID’s humanitarian assistance programming focuses on reducing the risk of famine and severe malnutrition, communicable disease outbreaks, and seeks to mitigate life-threatening effects of Yemen’s conflict and economic crises. USAID takes an integrated health, WASH, nutrition, and food security approach with the aim of preventing famine and severe malnutrition in areas most at-risk for famine. With 17.3 million people facing dire food insecurity, USAID is providing critical food assistance, largely through Title II funding. USAID’s programming prioritizes communities in emergency and catastrophic levels of food insecurity (IPC 4 and 5). USAID’s humanitarian assistance engagement also seeks to advocate for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, sustained commercial imports, and continued humanitarian access to the most vulnerable communities in Yemen.
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