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Restoring Dignity: How Cash Assistance is Rebuilding Lives in Yemen

As the conflict in Yemen enters its 11th year, with over 19.5 million people in need of assistance, according to the Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) 2026.[TA1.1] In the Al-Khokha district of Hudaydah, displaced families face a brutal daily reality, pushing women and children — the most vulnerable — to the brink of economic collapse.

The Struggle: Debt and Defenselessness

For Zahra, a 30-year-old mother of seven, the instability of her husband’s daily-wage labour left her trapped in a cycle of debt. "Borrowing money just to feed my children was my only option," she explains. As the holiday of Eid approached, her anxiety grew: "I couldn’t imagine how I would bring joy to my children’s hearts when we had nothing."

In the same district, Maryam, a 70-year-old widow, faced a different set of challenges. As the sole provider for a five-member household (including a son with a disability who has his own family), Maryam struggled to balance their competing needs. She was selling sweets to save enough for a small plot of land. However, building a "home of stone" that could withstand Hudaydah’s scorching heat and torrential rains remained an impossible dream.

The Intervention: Power of Choice

Cash remains the most efficient and effective modality to address the needs of the most vulnerable in Yemen. Supported by UKaid and implemented through the Cash Consortium of Yemen (CCY), the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) provided Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) to 4,157 households across Hudaydah, Hajjah, and Lahj governorates. Each household received 242,000 YER (approximately GBP135). This assistance empowers families to meet their essential needs with dignity and flexibility

I never thought we would see Eid with enough food and new clothes for the children.

Zahra, a mother of seven

The Impact: From Dreams to Reality

The assistance provided a lifeline for both women:

Zahra cleared her debts, purchased vital medicine for her sick son, and bought Eid clothes for her children. Strategically, she also purchased two sheep to secure a future income. "I was overjoyed," she says. "I never thought we would see Eid with enough food and new clothes for the children."

Maryam and her son pooled their assistance to replace their dilapidated 'straw hut' with a small, sturdy house. "I am filled with optimism today because my dream of a home is finally real," Maryam shares. "Without this support, this house would have remained a distant fragment of my imagination."

Multi-purpose cash assistance does more than meet immediate needs; it fosters community recovery and strengthens the resilience of individuals to withstand the long-term shocks of conflict.