Country: Yemen Source: Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development Food insecurity in Yemen remains critical and continues to worsen. Ongoing conflict, economic collapse and climate-related shocks have significantly weakened basic services and livelihoods, leaving millions of people unable to meet their essential needs. By the end of 2025, 64% of households were unable to meet minimum food needs. This has caused severe food deprivation for 37% of the population nationwide, and 48% of Al Dhalee’s governorate, which has been one of the areas affected by the war. Many households in Al Dhale’e have faced forced displacement and daily struggles to meet their basic needs, including food, water, healthcare, shelter, and education. This has led them to resort to negative coping strategies, such as skipping meals, neglecting healthcare, halting their children’s education, and more. In this context, Acted has been supporting crisis-affected households in Al Dhale’e through a multipurpose cash assistance programme, aiming to strengthen resilience and enable households to meet their most urgent needs in a flexible and sustainable manner. Displacement and Scarcity Burden For years, displaced families in Al Dhale’e have lived in a state of constant uncertainty. Sarah Jamal, a widow and mother of six who was displaced from the Al-Fakher area in 2019, remembers her situation as “dire and catastrophic”. She faced impossible choices every day. “We couldn’t afford necessities like food and medicine, so we had to drastically reduce our meals, ” she recalls. “We were forced to take the children out of school and had to borrow money just to buy some necessities to survive”. Akram Amr, a father of eight and head of a community committee, faced similar hardships. They were displaced from the frontline area of Hajer. “We lost our main source of income and most of our belongings, ” Akram explains. “Sometimes we had to reduce the quantity and quality of food or skip certain items to make it last longer. .. We were constantly worried about eviction because we did not have a reliable source of income”. The high prices of these necessities prevented many families from having access to food, clean water, and medical care. Empowering Vulnerable households through Choice Funded by UK aid, Acted implemented a multipurpose cash assistance programme to improve the dignity and resilience of affected households in Al Dhale’e through three rounds of cash support. One of the advantages of cash assistance is that you feel a sense of freedom and dignity as you feel happy that you can choose exactly what the family needs and are not restricted compared to other forms of assistance. Sarah Jamal For Akram, the support was a big relief. “It felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from our shoulders.” Akram Amr What has been achieved? Acted addressed the critical basic needs of vulnerable households amid increasing food insecurity. For Sarah, the main relief is the improved health and well-being of her children. “The quality of food has changed for the better as we can now buy groceries and basic necessities like chicken, vegetables, and some fruits. .. ” she shares. For Akram, the assistance brought a sense of stability back to his home. “The pressure has eased significantly. .. ” he explains. “My children are happier and more stable, and we feel more hopeful about the future”. “It feels like we have regained some control over our lives and can provide for our family in a way that truly meets their needs. ..” Akram Amr As part of the project “ Strengthening Coping Capacities of Crisis-Affected Households in Yemen through Multipurpose Cash Assistance” funded by UK aid, Acted is providing cash assistance to vulnerable households. The project currently supports 2, 288 households in Al Jawf, Sa’dah, Al Dhalee, and Raymah governorates to address the critical basic needs of highly vulnerable households amid increasing food insecurity. *Names of beneficiaries have been changed to protect their privacy.
Restoring Hope and Dignity through Cash Assistance in Al Dhale’e, Yemen
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