A Second chance to rebuild: How EU-funded cash assistance helped a displaced shopkeeper rebuild in Lahj

Like millions of Yemenis displaced by conflict, Futaini had to begin again from nothing. He settled in a displacement site established by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in Lahj's Ribat district, where the immediate challenge was simply surviving.

Determined to rebuild his life, Futaini introduced himself to a local farm owner, who offered him occasional work as a daily labourer and allowed his family to stay on the farm. He carefully saved what little he earned, hoping to open a small grocery shop. The money he managed to save, however, was not enough, and the farm owner stepped in with a loan to help him purchase the initial stock.

The cash assistance enabled Futaini to repay his outstanding debt while covering his family's immediate needs. Because he still shares a home with his mother and siblings, the support also benefited his extended family, helping them purchase food and repair their shared home.

"For the first time since we were displaced, we could think about more than just getting through the next day," he says.

With the family's immediate needs stabilised, CCY referred Futaini to the European Union-funded AMAL (Achieving Meaningful And Lasting Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons) livelihoods programme, which supports households enrolled in humanitarian cash assistance to transition towards sustainable livelihoods and greater self-reliance.

Through the programme, Futaini completed business management training and received a conditional business grant to strengthen his business. He expanded the range of products in his shop, purchased refrigerators to sell perishable goods and installed solar panels with battery storage to overcome the area's prolonged electricity outages. These improvements enabled him to diversify his products, attract more customers and increase his income.

Today, Futaini's grocery shop is thriving. It provides a stable source of income for his family and allows him to continue investing in its growth. More importantly, it gives him the confidence that he can provide for his wife and four children and build a more secure future for them.

Looking ahead, Futaini hopes to continue expanding the business so that his children can grow up with opportunities that conflict once threatened to take away. He wants them to remain in school, pursue their ambitions and build lives shaped by opportunity rather than displacement.

Futaini's journey demonstrates the impact of linking emergency humanitarian assistance with longer-term recovery. By helping families first meet their immediate needs through Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance and then supporting them to rebuild sustainable livelihoods through programmes such as AMAL, the Cash Consortium of Yemen is enabling conflict-affected households to move beyond survival, restore their dignity and create lasting opportunities for the future.