In Yemen, UNICEF’s Emergency Cash Transfers for 9 million people resume
UNICEF resumed the third cycle of cash assistance today.
AMMAN/SANA’A, 7 October 2018 – UNICEF resumed the third cycle of cash assistance today, across Yemen. Nearly 1.5 million of the poorest families in Yemen – an estimated 9 million people – will benefit from emergency cash transfers with generous funding from the World Bank.
“A lifeline for nearly one third of the people in Yemen, this cash assistance is so vital to help families in Yemen make ends meet” said Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Nearly every child in the country requires assistance amid a serious threat of famine and reoccurring outbreaks of diseases including diphtheria, cholera and acute watery diarrhea. Intense conflict that killed and injured more than 6,000 children in the past 3.5 years has almost entirely paralyzed vital infrastructure like water, sanitation and health.
“I used to sell vegetables for a living but now all prices have sky-rocketed so I am not working anymore. Thanks to the cash assistance I just received, I will be able to send my daughters back to school” said Ahmed, a father of six children.
Most families in Yemen have depleted their financial resources. Many were forced to resort to negative means just to bring food to the table. Child marriage and child labour are increasing and many children are fighting a conflict not of their making. More than 2 million children are out of school; their future and the future of their country are at a grave risk of loss.
“Due to this little cash families are getting from the programme, families are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. Some are able to send their children back to school and buy some of their basic daily commodities. This is the very minimum for human dignity in the 21st century” added Cappelaere
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Notes to Editors
- The third payment of the Yemen Emergency Cash Transfer Project aims to benefit 1.5 million vulnerable families or over 9 million people – in all 333 districts within Yemen’s 22 governorates
- The initiative was launched in August 2017.
- Across Yemen, 10 million children are in need of assistance.
- Malnutrition threatens the lives of millions of children with 400,000 children severely malnourished as Yemen’s health system is on the verge of collapse.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unicef-s-emergency-cash-transfers-9-million-people-resume