After the war, millions of Yemeni workers have lost their jobs and have therefore been left without an income. The lack of regular salary payment, together with the decline in remittances, high unemployment rate and climate shocks, are having a devastating impact on livelihoods of the already vulnerable Yemeni population. “I haven’t received my salary for six years which has worsened our life condition. I can’t pay for my children’s education and can’t provide the daily essentials for my family. It’s getting harder and harder every day,” says Faeed.
Like many, Faeed tried to find any kind of work to secure an income for his family, but due to the current economic conditions – with accelerated inflation, currency depreciation and falling incomes – it has been difficult for him to find a job. “I had to stop hoping I’d get back to a steady job and instead try to find any daily wage work to help me with the family daily needs,” Faeed states. “My daughter also had to leave school and help with daily water provision. The bumpy road in our village adds to our suffering since we pay more to be able to access public services. Car drivers used to charge more to move in and out of the village. Some school children had to also drop out due to the danger of the road.”
Residents have even had to carry family members and pregnant women in need of urgent medical care on a bier to the nearest health center to receive health treatment. “When my wife was pregnant with our third child, it was difficult to take her to the hospital and we were stuck in the middle of the road due to its arduous status. I paid more than usual for transportation to the hospital,” says Faeed. For a long time, locals had no choice but to transport food and essential items by donkey, on their own backs, or by motorbike.
CARE recognizes the need to improve basic living conditions and to strengthen the resilience of conflict-affected communities and families in the rural areas such as Alasha district in Yemen’s Amran Governorate. Through support from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), CARE has worked to provide integrated and durable solutions for local residents. This has involved distribution of cash assistance to meet immediate needs while the community participate in wall construction efforts as well as 1.3km of road pavements. Through this intervention, 700 local residents who are hired as workers receive 50,000 Yemeni Rials (YER) for four cycles.
“Thanks to the support we received, we’ve acquired the skill of building and paving and also at the same time have secured an income for four months. The road is much better now and people’s movement in and out of the village is easier. Transportation cost is not as expensive as it used to be,” says Faeed who hopes such projects continue to be implemented not only in his village but also in the surrounding villages as well. “I hope the next generation will not suffer from the hardship of movement in and out of the village as we did. This new road is something that is going to remain with us for the long term.
