Yemen, one of the world’s poorest countries, is the scene of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis with more than 4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). Even before Yemen’s civil war started in 2015, half of its population lived below the poverty line, a figure that currently exceeds 60 percent. As many as 10 million people are suffering from malnutrition, and nearly a quarter of a million are in danger of starving. According to the WHO, only half of the country’s health facilities are fully functioning, and health workers are in short supply -- leaving significant gaps in access to critical health care. This emergency is especially dire for Yemen’s vulnerable mothers and children who face high mortality and acute malnutrition rates.
IMA World Health’s fellow Corus organization Lutheran World Relief has worked at the nexus of humanitarian assistance and development in the Middle East since 1948 and began working in Yemen in July 2019. As part of the Corus family, IMA World Health and Lutheran World Relief are working together to meet immediate needs in Yemen, particularly in the sectors of health, WASH, and nutrition, while building the foundation toward long-term recovery and growing prosperity.
Given the urgency surrounding the country’s maternal and child health crisis, IMA World Health is well-positioned as lead of USAID’s MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience to holistically strengthen quality voluntary family planning (FP), reproductive health (RH), and maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) in Yemen. Learn more.
Project Highlights
Enhance IDPs’ Resilience Against COVID-19
In this project, we applied multisectoral approaches in health, WASH, food security and livelihoods to meet immediate needs of IDPs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project covers 7,590 IPDs in 23 collective sites of Aden governorate displaced from different governorates across Yemen. Project activities include distribution of food baskets to the most vulnerable, a cleaning campaign with IDP participation, distribution of home and personal disinfecting kits, and door-to-door awareness sessions for IDP families in each collective site covering COVID-19, personal hygiene and waste management topics.
Integrated Food Security and WASH Interventions in Yemen
We are working to improve the health outcomes of the conflict-affected population through the provision of safe water and adequate WASH services, and food cash vouchers. The project contributed to the reduction of mortality and morbidity linked to malnutrition and water-related diseases. We built 18 concrete water bases and provided three districts with 18 tanks to improve their access to clean water. Also, hygiene practices were improved with the distribution of hygiene kits and hygiene information. After the implementation of the project, the main source of water in the target areas became the water trucks that the project supplied, and the unconditional cash transfers were mainly used to improve the food security and health of targeted households.
WASH Projects in Yemen
We implemented several projects in Yemen to meet urgent WASH needs of vulnerable communities. These projects focused on a reduction in waterborne illnesses, establishment of community-based garbage management systems, and building community awareness on proper sanitation and hygiene practices. In collaboration with local partners, we held hygiene awareness sessions and distributed informational brochures and 10,000 hygiene kits. We also worked with water and sanitation authorities to improve maintenance, remove blockages in local sewer systems and extend the main piping capacity. To ensure safe access to water, we also provided cash transfers to community members lacking potable water, installed sustainable rainwater collection systems at the household level and distributed ceramic water filters benefiting 1,488 people (248 households).
Emergency Support to Flood and Conflict-Affected Populations
Between April and August 2020, heavy rains and flooding devastated communities, causing deaths and injuries, destroying infrastructure and livelihoods, and increasing the spread of deadly diseases. In Aden governorate, unconditional cash assistance was offered to flood-affected families to cover immediate needs for the month, benefitting over 3,700 people. In Marib governorate, intensified fighting led to an increased number of IDPs in the region, so we provided in-kind food assistance to 800 conflict-affected displaced families to cover their essential food needs.
The Corus Effect
Founded in 1960, IMA World Health is part of Corus International, an ensemble of long-serving, global leaders in international development and humanitarian assistance committed to ending poverty and building healthy communities across Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Africa.
In addition to IMA World Health, the Corus family includes global aid and development organization Lutheran World Relief, U.K.-based technology for development company CGA Technologies, impact investing firm Ground Up Investing, and direct trade company Farmers Market Brands.
Alongside communities and local partners in fragile settings, our dedicated experts across our organizations integrate disciplines, approaches and resources to overcome global health challenges, develop productive and stable economies, improve resilience in the face of climate change, and respond to natural disasters and humanitarian crises. We invest in solutions that are innovative, scalable, holistic and move the needle towards transformational change.