IDP Response

During the last week, UNHCR community-based protection networks (CBPN) provided assistance to more than 1,250 internally displaced Yemenis in Dhamar, Al-Bayda, and Al-Jawf governorates, including psychosocial support and identification and referral of individuals in need of specialized protection services. UNHCR further conducted protection assessments and awarenessraising sessions on different topics such as legal counselling, prevention of COVID19, and gender-based violence, among others, reaching over 3,000 individuals.

With the support of UNHCR, as part of camp maintenance activities, partner YARD provided educational tents equipped with chairs and blackboards to provide a safe and suitable learning environment for more than 600 displaced Yemeni children and members of the host community. As per assessments results, one of the main results for children to drop out of schools is due to the lack of a safe educational environment. Following the launche of the new education facilities, students quickly resumed their courses at a significantly higher rate than previously reported.

On 11 January UNHCR and partner Qatar Red Crescent inaugurated one of Sana’a’s largest fully equipped Intensive Care Units (ICU) at Al-Gomhori hospital. The facility will treat 4,000 emergency cases annually, serving both refugees and the host community. During the pandemic and with only 50% of the health facilities functional in Yemen, this ICU will strengthen the existing capacity of the hospital to receive and treat more medical cases that were otherwise turned away due to lack of capacity.

Refugee response

Through the last round of UNHCR’s COVID-19 cash support, close to 14,700 refugees and asylum-seekers in the south of Yemen received assistance to help them cope with challenges presented by the pandemic. Refugees and asylum-seekers remain among those most affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 in Yemen, as most depend on informal work as daily laborers. Moreover, many continue to report difficulties in returning to work as they are perceived by employers and society at large as carriers and spreaders of the COVID-19 virus. In this regard, UNHCR and partners continue awareness and outreach activities on COVID-19, including physically distanced sessions with small groups, door-to-door visits and counsel at service points and health facilities. Between December 2020 and January 2021, UNHCR reached close to 29,000 refugees and Yemenis with awareness-raising activities on COVID-19, informing on preventative measures and working to reduce inter-community tensions and and stigmatization.