Page 8 - World Food Day and ADRA Canada

Against All Odds

Yemen

Now in its third phase, ADRA’s Emergency Food Assistance (EFA) project in Yemen provides
cash vouchers to vulnerable families in Dhamar district. Operating in such a complex
environment is challenging. Dhamar, in is among those at highest risk of sliding into famine. 1

ADRA’s cash transfer program allows freedom to purchase food supplies that best fit personal
needs. It helps families cope with the ongoing conflict, displacement, lack of jobs, and high
food costs. Without cash transfers, Yemeni families in Dhamar district subsist on one, or
perhaps two small meals each day.

Mohammed is a 37-year-old husband and father of seven. When asked about his current
situation, he described their suffering by saying: “We were living in a safe environment. I was
working as a teacher in one of the village’s schools. As soon as the war started, we were forced
to leave our home. To save ourselves from the random air-strikes, we sought refuge in the
mountain’s caves. We were living there with other people from the village. We shared food and
could only afford to eat one meal a day to conserve our supplies. Leaving the caves to collect
more supplies was a risk. We were afraid to be caught as collateral damage during an airstrike.”

“Once we heard ADRA was intervening in our area,” Mohammed continued, “I felt a ray of
light shine on me for the first time in a long time. ADRA conducted awareness sessions on the
importance of food diversity, and how I can keep my children healthy. My perspective on food
and water changed with these simple sessions that enlightened me and showed me how to
protect my family from health threats.

The lives of my family have changed for the better. I no longer live in a constant state of fear. I
have been fortunate enough to be able to return to teaching and I am teaching children what I
learned from ADRA’s awareness sessions. When I return home every day, I feel safe because my
children’s food is provided for, and they are drinking purified water that will not cause them
harm. What may seem like a simple intervention has really changed my life.”

World Food Programme (WFP): Yemen Country Brief August 2021
1

Photo: © 2021 ADRA | ADRA Yemen
emen
Photo: © 2021 ADRA | ADRA Y