Whether living in mountains, deserts, villages or bustling cities, people in Yemen share a common struggle. They are striving to provide for their families amid a deepening economic crisis and funding cuts that threaten vital humanitarian assistance.
Funding cuts leave Yemenis facing difficult choices
Over 18 million people in Yemen – half the population – require humanitarian aid. Some 17.6 million Yemenis lack regular access to nutritious food, yet significant cuts in funding have stopped food aid for millions.
Throughout nine years of conflict and displacement, Yemenis have relied heavily on humanitarian assistance to survive. Despite facing immense needs, most people were able to receive some kind of assistance.
Now Yemenis tell us have they have been abandoned. People living in displacement say that they’ve never experienced aid cuts of such magnitude.
On the ground, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is already seeing the impact of this neglect. In a recent survey, we found that 90 per cent of families in parts of Al Hodeidah, Amran, Hajjah and Sana'a City governorates had not received any aid in three months. In these communities, 80 per cent of people lacked sufficient clean water, worsening the risks of malnutrition and diseases like cholera. [i]
In communities across Aden, Abyan, Al Dhale’e, Lahj, Taiz and Marib governorates, we found that 80 per cent of families did not eat enough food to meet their daily needs. To survive, 40 per cent of households were using negative coping strategies like skipping meals. [ii]
NRC deployed teams across the country in April 2024 and spoke with communities who no longer receive any aid. This harsh reality forces them to make impossible choices.
More than half of households in Yemen are not accessing enough food, according to a recent WFP survey.
Over 18 million people in Yemen – half the population – require humanitarian aid. Some 17.6 million Yemenis lack regular access to nutritious food, yet significant cuts in funding have stopped food aid for millions.
Throughout nine years of conflict and displacement, Yemenis have relied heavily on humanitarian assistance to survive. Despite facing immense needs, most people were able to receive some kind of assistance.
Now Yemenis tell us have they have been abandoned. People living in displacement say that they’ve never experienced aid cuts of such magnitude.
On the ground, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is already seeing the impact of this neglect. In a recent survey, we found that 90 per cent of families in parts of Al Hodeidah, Amran, Hajjah and Sana'a City governorates had not received any aid in three months. In these communities, 80 per cent of people lacked sufficient clean water, worsening the risks of malnutrition and diseases like cholera. [i]
In communities across Aden, Abyan, Al Dhale’e, Lahj, Taiz and Marib governorates, we found that 80 per cent of families did not eat enough food to meet their daily needs. To survive, 40 per cent of households were using negative coping strategies like skipping meals. [ii]
NRC deployed teams across the country in April 2024 and spoke with communities who no longer receive any aid. This harsh reality forces them to make impossible choices.
We hope to go back someday. But until then, we desperately need food. Our situation deteriorates every day.
Prioritising food for children
Around 175 displaced families, including Abdullah Abdu’s, live in a makeshift camp in Hajjah's Abs district. Most rely on humanitarian assistance and occasional help from generous individuals for their survival.
Abdullah is in his 50s and is the sole breadwinner for his 12 family members. He longs to return to working on farms but safety concerns prevent him from doing so.
"We used to depend on the food basket we received from the World Food Programme," he says. "However, things have become truly difficult since the programme stopped deliveries five months ago."
"Food is our primary need," he emphasises. "As long as we have enough to eat, we can manage without other basic services. Unfortunately, these days we can no longer afford three meals a day. We prioritise the children with the limited food we have."
Due to funding cuts, the World Food Programme (WFP) has been unable to provide food assistance to 9.5 million people for months. With the lean season nearly upon Yemen, it's essential to resume food programming immediately.
Abdullah confirms that his family hasn’t received any other form of humanitarian assistance since the food aid ended. He expresses a yearning to return home.
“We hope to go back someday,” he says. “But until then, we desperately need food. Our situation deteriorates every day."
Children have died due to lack of proper healthcare. Hospitals don't offer free treatment.
Nowhere to give birth
Displaced families living in Otairah camp, Lahj governorate, express deep concern about the reduction in humanitarian assistance. While they acknowledge their relatively better shelters compared to other camps, access to proper healthcare remains a significant worry.
"The camp lacks a proper healthcare facility," explains one pregnant woman. "Without money, visiting the nearest hospital is futile – they won't treat me. Healthcare is our greatest need. We can manage with bread, tea and water, but without medical care, our lives are at risk."
Her anxiety extends to her children's health, as they too fall sick occasionally, leaving her helpless.
Displaced families in the camp told us that they used to get healthcare for free, but that service was stopped at the end of last year.
Suad, a displaced woman in Amran, shares similar concerns. "Children have died due to lack of proper healthcare," she says. "Hospitals don't offer free treatment."
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 18 million people in Yemen need medical assistance. Half of them are children.
I prioritise food over schooling.
Begging instead of studying
Suad Al-Abyadh lives in a slum in Amran city, around 50 km from the capital Sana'a. This makeshift community is home to displaced families who fled violence from various governorates across Yemen.
The people living here are forgotten. NRC teams arriving in the area encountered displaced families who haven't received any humanitarian assistance for two years.
Suad, the sole provider for her four children, faces a heartbreaking choice. Without a regular job, she collects and sells empty plastic bottles for a meagre income.
"My earnings aren't enough to cover basic needs," Suad explains. "I used to receive cash assistance and other forms of aid, but that stopped a year and a half ago."
Securing an education for her children seems like a distant dream. "I prioritise food over schooling," she says with a heavy heart. "Two of my children are deaf and cannot attend school regularly. The other two resort to begging in markets to help the family get food. Without humanitarian aid, how will we survive?"
Aid that supports longer-term solutions like livelihoods would be a game-changer for families here. Suad hopes to become a tailor. "With support to learn sewing and start a small business, I could afford schooling for my children,” she shares.
The economic crisis has forced families to choose between food and education for their children. It is increasing the rates of school dropouts, early marriage and child labour, and exacerbating protection risks and vulnerabilities. In Yemen, over 4.5 million Yemeni school-aged children are currently out of school.
We found that 38 per cent of the families we met with in Al Hodeidah, Amran, Hajjah and Sana'a City governorates were not sending their children to school. When asked to list the reasons why, two thirds of the families said it was due to a lack of financial resources. Across these governorates, half of the families surveyed reported that their children were engaged in some form of work.
Every day is a fight for survival.
Fighting for basic services
Mohammed, now in his 50s, once led a successful life. [iii] After working in Saudi Arabia for over ten years, he returned home to Taiz governorate to pursue his passion for farming. His land flourished with mango trees, cornfields and vegetables, providing a comfortable income and a sense of fulfilment.
"Farming allowed me to be close to family and generate a good income," he recalls. "But that peaceful life was shattered in 2021."
When conflict reached his village, Mohammed prioritised his family's safety. He packed up his life and fled with his family, leaving behind his idyllic home for the harsh reality of a displacement camp. Here, their makeshift shelter, constructed out of plastic sheets and wooden poles, offers little protection from the elements.
"Back in my village, I had a secure life," Mohammed reflects. "My savings were stored safely at home. Now, we struggle to meet basic needs like food and water. Every day is a fight for survival."
A single, horrifying memory paints a vivid picture of their struggle. "One day, while searching for forgotten money in my clothes, I encountered a snake,” he says. “It's a metaphor for our current misery."
Initially, they received some humanitarian assistance upon arrival at the camp. However, these resources have dwindled significantly.
"The last time we received food baskets was last year," Mohammed says with growing despair. "This year, the aid has vanished entirely. Our situation worsens by the day. If it doesn't improve, we may be forced to return to our village, even if it means facing the dangers again."
There are 4.5 million people displaced in Yemen. Many have been forced to move multiple times over a period of several years. Returning home can be dangerous, and returnees risk stepping on mines, encountering conflict, and being faced with destroyed homes and villages.
We've been here for two years, living in this mud. No-one has offered a solution.
Battered by the elements
The rainy season has transformed Al-Tahseen camp in Amran governorate into a sinking clay swamp. Displaced families wade through mud just to enter and leave their makeshift shelters. Stagnant water pools in front of their homes create a breeding ground for disease.
The flimsy shelters in the camp offer no protection from rain. Water seeps into the tents. Families told us they had been sleeping on soaked bedding as their belongings were flooded. The dire situation has pushed Ali, a displaced resident, to voice his frustration.
"Aid workers come and go, documenting our suffering," he says with anger. "But where's the help? We've been here for two years, living in this mud. No-one has offered a solution."
Ali remembers humanitarian aid workers were once responsive to their plight. "But for the past two years, our pleas have fallen on deaf ears," he continues bitterly.
“When it rains, there's no staying inside,” he says. “We're all forced outside, desperately trying to rescue the camp before the floodwaters wash us away."
People are living in inadequate shelters that can barely withstand harsh weather. In communities we spoke to across Yemen, NRC found 93 per cent of people living in displacement could not afford basic necessities like blankets, mattresses and kitchen goods.[iv]
The gap between the funding needed and the support committed to Yemen has never been wider. Last year, the humanitarian response plan for Yemen was less than 40 per cent funded, the lowest level since the conflict began. Unfortunately, the funding situation for 2024 appears worse, with the current plan only 15 per cent funded.
Without immediate funding and quick action to avoid worst-case hunger scenarios, millions of Yemenis will remain abandoned. Desperate individuals will be forced to make impossible choices to survive.
The Norwegian Refugee Council urges the international community to:
- step up and immediately provide increased funding that reflects the level of need in Yemen
- resume food aid programming across Yemen immediately to avoid deepening food insecurity and malnutrition
- urgently scale up targeted support to food security, nutrition and water programming to avoid catastrophe
This vital support will help alleviate the current suffering and pave the way for recovery.
Read more about our work in Yemen
[i] NRC, 2024, Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment Report: Al Hodeidah, Amran, Hajjah and Sana'a City governorates, January 2024.
[ii] NRC, 2023, Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment Report: NRC Aden, Abyan, Al Dhale’e, Lahj, Taiz, and Marib governorates, December 2023.
[iii] Some names have been changed to respect privacy.
[iv] This is an average of the Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment Reports done in Al Hodeidah, Amran, Hajjah and Sana'a City governorates in January 2024 and Aden, Abyan, Al Dhale’e, Lahj, Taiz and Marib in December 2023.
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