Attachments
Executive Summary:
Studies confirm that in the last eleven years more than 850,000 persons have been affected by the conflicts in Sa’dah and neighbouring areas. Hundreds of people who lost their lives and tens of thousands who were displaced . The conflicts in Sa’adah have compounded the effects of economic decline of Yemen and the general instability in the region on the population there.
The unemployment rate continues to rise and has reached 40% which further reduces the ability of families and individuals to maintain there livelihoods at the pre-war satndards in a dignified manner.
The poverty rate is around 30% in Sa’dah’s urban centres, 25% in rural areas and rises up to 35% among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). An estimated 49% of pregnant women in displacement camps are at risk of malnutrition. 40% of the population is of the age group (15-40), while 80% of the labour force works in agriculture.
Almost 70 percent of people were food-insecure, compared with fewer than 10 percent in Al Mahra in the east. Rural areas are worst affected.
Destruction of infrastructure and property has been extensive and includes: 2313 farms , 12,521 houses, 245 economic enterprises, 172 schools, 23 health centres, 10 police stations, 4 courts, 4 public firms, 3 guidance centres, 459 mosques and 853 other firms. Landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) continue to pose a great threat, and 23 people were reported killed due to the explosion of UXOs since 2009.
Public services have been gravely affected: Education has been disrupted by destruction of schools and displacement of teachers and pupils alike; In realtion to health 19% of households have members with impairments and disabilities, 50% of households have patients with chronic diseases whilst the number of doctors has been reduced by a staggering 54% during 2011 and 2012; the cost of one cubic meter of water has risen to 3,000 YER ,mainly due to the drawdown of the water table and the low-level of rainfall, only 8% of houses are connected to a network and approx. 80% of households use water carried by women from local wells; 1% of households have access to basic sanitation, while 99% use a ‘hole-in-theground’ latrine or practice open defecation; The economic recession in these areas, the spiking food prices, eroded livelihoods and shrinking resilience of communities have also severely compromised the food security of the populace.
The findings of a Comprehensive Food Security Survey (CFSS) by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) show that while food security has improved in some areas, over 10 million Yemenis – more than 40 percent of the population – don’t know where their next meal will come from.