Thursday , March 28 2024
Food safety nets will play a vital, stabilizing role as Yemen continues to sort out its political problems.

Yemen: Recovering Livelihoods in Conflict-Torn North

Imagine you run a market in northern Yemen, a region which is trying to rebuild after years of conflict between the government and rebels.

You are basically trying to restore your livelihood. What do you want to see? You need customers.

But war takes its toll on communities, and poverty is the result. Many families have lost their livelihoods because of the conflict. They may have been displaced from their homes too.

High food prices are common in Yemen and it may be tough for people to make purchases at your market. They cannot access all of the foods they need for decent living. This can lead to malnutrition within their family. This means less productivity, less schooling. It’s the poverty trap at work. You can see the impact it has on the community, including less business for your market and less income for you.

 

  

Damage in Sa’ada City in Northern Yemen from the conflict between the government and rebels. Reconstruction and recovery of livelihoods is a major challenge facing Yemenis. Food can be the foundation of this recovery. (Aysha Twose, Save the Children)

Save the Children, though, is hoping to launch a plan to break this cycle in northern Yemen (Sa’ada province). The idea is to provide vouchers for struggling families so they can purchase food at local markets. It’s a safety net for these families; it gets food back on the shelves of their pantry and stimulates the local market.

The U.S. Food for Peace program is funding this initiative. One thousand, four hundred households, about 9,800 people, will take part in this project in northern Yemen.

Unfortunately, recent political unrest in Yemen has put the plan temporarily on hold. Aysha Twose of Save the Children says, “The political situation has been quite difficult, but we’re hoping that we’ll be back up and running soon.”

She adds, “We’ve used food vouchers in many contexts (e.g. in Haiti and Pakistan last year) as they are quite effective in helping families meet their needs and also supporting the local market. So hopefully we’ll get it going soon in Yemen too!”

The voucher program is scheduled to last eight months. Perhaps this concept can spread to more parts of Yemen. No matter what happens politically, this is a country that needs to fight hunger and poverty. They need food for peace in the worst way.

 

Beyond political unrest, Yemen’s road to peace means ending the hunger and poverty trap facing millions of its citizens. Here is a photo of Sa’ada City. (Aysha Twose, Save the Children)

High food prices continue to be a serious concern. Save the Children reports, “Our rapid assessment showed an average 15% increase in the price of staple foods – the highest increase was the price of vegetable oil which had gone up by 25%.”

Food safety nets for Yemenis will play a vital, stabilizing role as the country continues to sort out its political problems. Losing these safety nets will compound an already tense situation.

About William Lambers

William Lambers is the author of several books including Ending World Hunger: School Lunches for Kids Around the World. This book features over 50 interviews with officials from the UN World Food Programme and other charities discussing school feeding programs that fight child hunger. He is also the author of Nuclear Weapons, The Road to Peace: From the Disarming of the Great Lakes to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Open Skies for Peace, The Spirit of the Marshall Plan: Taking Action Against World Hunger, School Lunches for Kids Around the World, The Roadmap to End Global Hunger, From War to Peace and the Battle of Britain. He is also a writer for the History News Service. His articles have been published by newspapers including the Cincinnati Enquirer, Des Moines Register, the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Buffalo News, San Diego Union Tribune, the Providence Journal, Free Lance-Star (VA), the Bakersfield Californian, the Washington Post, Miami Herald (FL), Chicago Sun-Times, the Patriot Ledger (MA), Charleston Sunday Gazette Mail (WV), the Cincinnati Post, Salt Lake Tribune (UT), North Adams Transcript (MA), Wichita Eagle (KS), Monterey Herald (CA), Athens Banner-Herald (GA) and the Duluth News Journal. His articles also appear on History News Network (HNN) and Think Africa Press. Mr. Lambers is a graduate of the College of Mount St. Joseph in Ohio with degrees in Liberal Arts (BA) and Organizational Leadership (MS). He is also a member of the Feeding America Blogger Council.

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