How UNHCR cash assistance supports displaced Yemenis at risk of famine

Background

As part of UNHCR’s interventions to ensure that extremely vulnerable displaced Yemeni families at risk of famine have the necessary means to buy food and other essential items, in 2021 UNHCR has assisted over 110,000 IDP families (close to 700,000 individuals) with multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) in 19 governorates, distributing more than USD 43,500,000. This assistance has been made possible through the generous support of the United States of America, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates via the Famine Relief Fund, and the Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Bin Thani Al-Thani Humanitarian Fund. 

Most of the beneficiary families have received up to four cash instalments as part of UNHCR multi-month MPCA programme aiming at providing longer term support with the goal of averting famine and fostering self-reliance. The programme targets particularly internally displaced persons (IDPs) residing across 49 districts classified as being on the verge of famine (IPC4+). UNHCR’s extensive database based on needs assessments specifically aimed at addressing IDPs’ needs makes it possible to target families who because of their displacement are four times more at risk of hunger than the rest of the Yemeni population. Eligible families are selected according to their socio-economic vulnerability, demographic and protection risk profiles. The selected households in northern and southern Yemen received a disbursement of YER 122,000 and YER 141,000 respectively (corresponding to USD 204 and USD 161, as per the exchange rate in the north and in the south), based on the survival minimum expenditure basket (SMEB) monthly transfer value set by the Yemen Cash and Market Working Group (CMWG). The latter considers the average household basic survival needs and in-country inflation. Following the cash distributions to the selected families, UNHCR has conducted monthly post distribution monitoring (PDM) exercises to understand their expenditure patterns and evaluate the impact of the cash assistance provided on families. This document offers an overview of the progress registered in a series of key indicators measuring food consumption parameters and beneficiaries’ satisfaction and wellbeing over a four month period, including a comparative analysis between the findings of April’s PDM as baseline and July as end line in relation to the key monitoring parameters.