CERF allocates almost $500,000 for assistance to poor farmers in Yemen.
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Children walking through flood water
[Photo: UNICEF]
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12 December 2008: More than 70 percent of the rural population in Yemen depends on agriculture. Soaring food prices requires an urgent need to increase cereal production in the country to help reduce food insecurity.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) programmes in Yemen have been seeking to boost agricultural production by small-scale farmers in vulnerable areas. A CERF grant of nearly $500,000 is helping FAO reach some 15,000 of the most destitute and needy farmers and their communities.
[Last Update: 7 January 2009]
CERF allocates almost $2 million to provide emergency health services to the populations afftected by floods in Yemen
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A rescued woman in Yemen [Photo: UNHCR]
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17 November 2008: Following days of heavy rain, sudden and severe flooding in late October devastated Yemen, affecting as much as one-third of the country. Housing, agriculture and infrastructure suffered extensive damage.
One of the biggest fears following the flooding was a major disease outbreak due to stagnant water, rubbish and dead animals in populated areas. In response, CERF provided over $500,000 in immediate funding to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to support vaccination campaigns and disease control efforts.
Over one million children between the ages of 9 months and 15 years are receiving measles and polio vaccinations, and an additional one million people are benefiting from improved health services thanks to the provision of fresh water, emergency medical supplies and equipment.
[Last Update: 17 November 2008]
CERF allocates $2 million to support vulnerable groups affected by the food price crisis in Yemen
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A child getting immunized in Yemen [Photo: UNICEF]
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23 October 2008: Recent floods have created the largest damage in Yemen since 1996, affecting one-third of the country). The damage to houses, agriculture sector and infrastructure has been very extensive and a majority of those made homeless by the floods will be in need of food assistance at least until the time of the next crops. Furthermore, the floods have also caused considerable damage to wells and water supply systems in the affected areas.
The World Food Programme (WFP) is carrying out food distribution at temporary shelters for 20,000 people in the flood affected areas. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is ensuring that over 17,000 flood-affect people have access to safe potable water with adequate sanitation.
[Last Update: 24 November 2008]
CERF allocates $3.7 million to address humanitarian needs in Saada governate
22 February: The fighting between government troops and a rebel group in Yemen’s northwestern Saada governate has had its toll. With 116 schools closed and another four completely destroyed, the educational system is seriously crippled. In addition to the 40,000 students supposed to attend these schools, more than 1,800 children staying in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) have no access to education. With a CERF grant, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is assisting the education authorities in their efforts to provide temporary classrooms. It is also supplying 10,000 school kits and stationery, as well as psycho-educational activities for children from the camps and the surrounding areas.
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Mona Haji Hussein, a refugee in Sana'a, Yemen’s capital
[Photo: IRIN]
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Another CERF allocation is enabling UNICEF and its implementing partners Islamic Relief and the Yemeni Medical Charitable Society to scale up psycho-social care and family tracing for 3,000 displaced children. UNICEF is also seeking to raise awareness of child protection issues among 1,000 IDP families and training 100 local authority representatives to develop action plans to strengthen child protection at the community level.
UNICEF is using a CERF allocation to continue a community therapeutic feeding (CTF) project launched in late 2007. The UN agency is aiming to reduce acute severe and moderate malnutrition among children under five and pregnant or breastfeeding women, expand the screening for moderate malnutrition, and reinforce the capacity of local health workers through training activities.
The guerilla war in the Saada governate has led to the displacement of 77,000 people and serious food shortage. Since the World Food Programme (WFP) now has access to regions that could not be reached before, it is expanding its food assistance to additional groups with CERF funds. While WFP is purchasing local food items, in particular high-energy biscuits to address malnutrition among children, it is relying on its implementing partners for their distribution.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is targeting the same population with a project aiming to protect IDPs and returnees using CERF funding. The programme has a triple goal: ensure that those who fled their habitat have access to medical assistance, education and emergency shelter in their new area; take measures to address the voluntary return of IDPs; and allocate tents to those in need and support the rehabilitation of temporary shelters for vulnerable families once they are back home.
[Last Update: 28 February 2008]