Yemen

EXAMPLES OF OUR IMPACT

• USAID brought health care services to more than 97,886 people in target governorates.
• Over 6,000 women have participated in USAID-sponsored literacy classes.
• Over 24,250 farmers (men and women) were trained, and 27 local and rural agriculture associations were supported in target governorates.

CONTACTS
Mission Director
Robert Wilson
USAID/Yemen
6330 Sanaa Place
Washington, DC 20521-6330
Tel: 967-1-755-2197

Yemen Desk Officer
Lillian Wasvary
E-mail: lwasvary@usaid.gov

USAID provides educational opportunities for children in rural Yemen. (Photo: USAID)

Overview

USAID has operated in Yemen since 1959. In 2003, following a seven-year absence, USAID reopened its mission in Yemen with assistance principally focused on basic education, maternal and child health, and agriculture in five target governorates (Marib, Amran, Shabwa, Al Jawf, and Sa'ada). In 2009, amidst growing instability and a greater sense of urgency, USAID developed a new strategy to increase stability through targeted interventions in highly vulnerable areas of the country. USAID's development programs will address the drivers of instability in specific areas of the country, with programs designed to respond quickly to the articulated needs and frustrations of communities in the most unstable areas. The strategy, implemented principally through three highly integrated, multi-sectoral projects, is being jumpstarted by USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives through rapid assessments and quick impact initiatives working closely with government. A key component of USAID's strategy is continuous, on-the-ground assessment of the impact of its projects in support of increased stability.

Programs

Governing Justly and Democratically
Yemen's government ranks below the 25th percentile globally in its effectiveness. This low ranking is indicative of much-needed reform, key institutional and human capacity weaknesses within the government, and corruption. USAID's programs aim to mitigate the drivers of instability in Yemen by facilitating more equitable development through stronger public policies and institutions and improved governance. USAID assistance promotes a more representative, transparent, responsive, and reliable Yemeni government that meets the needs of its most vulnerable citizens. The new three-year Responsive Governance Project aims to strengthen government institutions, support reforms including decentralization, and improve the delivery of public services while encouraging more citizen participation in the political process.

Economic Growth: Creating Economic Opportunity
In the remote areas where USAID works, most people are employed in agriculture and herding, and poverty levels are high. A core element of USAID's stabilization program will be the Community Livelihoods Project that is focusing on improving agriculture and increasing employment opportunities in highly vulnerable communities, especially for youth.

Investing In People: Health
To create lasting changes in health services in remote governorates, USAID renovates health clinics and housing for health providers; provides basic medical equipment to health facilities; trains midwives and doctors to improve emergency obstetric and pre- and postnatal care; and improves counseling services and community health education. More than 1,112 staff members of health facilities were trained in family planning and maternal and child health services, including counseling and health education. Through mobile health teams and renovated facilities, USAID brought health care services to more than 97,886 people in its target governorates. USAID has also piloted new guidelines for routine immunization coverage and has participated in several national polio campaigns, reaching places where children had never been vaccinated.

Investing In People: Education
Yemen's education indicators are among the lowest in the Middle East. Girls' primary school net enrollment rate is only 65 percent, and their secondary school enrollment rate is only 32 percent. USAID's Community Livelihoods Project will build upon previous experience in supporting qualitative improvements to basic education in underserved communities, expanding access with particular attention to women and girls. USAID's successes in previous years include successful training of teachers, teacher trainers, school inspectors, headmasters, community participation and literacy specialists, and parent council members. An estimated 7,000 students have benefited from USAID-sponsored life skills classes, and over 6,000 women have participated in literacy classes. All 77 project schools have benefited from supplementary reading materials.

Peace and Security
USAID is implementing a containment and stabilization program in northern Yemen, in order to capitalize on the opportunity afforded by the February 2010 ceasefire between Yemen's government and the Al-Houthi opposition in Sa'ada. USAID's program aims to prevent a renewed outbreak of violence by helping to sustain and restart livelihoods and by supporting peace and reconciliation activities. Under the program, USAID provides assistance to conflict-affected populations in the periphery of Sa'ada and expects to provide assistance within Sa'ada when conditions permit. Elsewhere in Yemen, USAID supports youth programs that offer training and other opportunities that provide alternatives to violent extremism.