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Multipurpose Cash Assistance: Empowering Lives and Building Resilience in Yemen

Yemen stands as one of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises. Nine relentless years of conflict have uprooted over 4.5 million people from their homes, with 21.6 million now in desperate need of humanitarian aid and protection services. The year 2022 alone witnessed 234,000 new displacements, positioning Yemen among the top six largest internal displacement crises globally.

Amidst this chaos, humanitarian aid agencies are the lifelines for Yemen’s most vulnerable populations, providing critical support across various sectors such as education, food security, and healthcare.

Among these agencies, the Cash Consortium of Yemen (CCY) emerges as a pivotal force, offering a flexible form of humanitarian assistance through its Multi-purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) program. This initiative empowers conflict-affected households to meet their basic needs and build longer-term resilience by prioritising their most urgent requirements.

Hosted by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and funded by the European Union (EU), the CCY was launched in 2020 with a mission to uplift socio-economically vulnerable individuals and those devastated by the conflict.

The CCY, led by the DRC and supported by partners including ACTED, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Mercy Corps, Solidarités International (SI), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), delivers life-changing MPCA to Yemen’s most vulnerable households.

Mousa Story

Mousa Al Baqqash is one of the countless Yemenis whose life has been upended by the conflict. After being displaced to Al Haqeeb near Taiz, Mousa recounts the harrowing experience:

“When the airstrikes started over our village three years ago, we ran to the mountains for cover. My mother, siblings, uncles, and I fled with nothing but the clothes on our backs. We left behind the house we built and the land we farmed for food and income, fleeing for our lives until we arrived here.” He continues, “It was devastating to see our children and women without shelter, exposed to the burning sun by day and the cold by night.”

Mercy Corps, a key partner in the CCY, identified Mousa’s family during their outreach efforts in Taiz. After assessing their humanitarian needs, which fit the MPCA criteria, Mercy Corps provided them with three-month instalments of cash assistance to bridge their essential needs and help them recover from the shock.

After being here for three years, this was the best humanitarian aid we received. The assistance's flexibility allowed us to address our needs as they arose, plan ahead, and manage our expenditures sensibly,

Mousa, a displaced man in Yemen

The impact of MPCA program

The economic collapse caused by the conflict has left 60% of Yemenis jobless, creating a massive gap in the local market and depriving households of reliable income sources.

Mousa continues, “Thanks to Mercy Corps and the EU, this assistance came at the right time, helping us to rebuild our lives.”

The impact of the CCY’s MPCA program extends far beyond immediate relief. It has significantly reduced the dependency on negative coping strategies among conflict-affected households, offering a glimmer of hope in one of the world’s prolonged crises.

By providing flexible aid, the CCY not only meets the urgent needs of families like Mousa’s but also empowers them to rebuild and plan for a more stable future.