The Climb to Independence: How EU-funded Unconditional Cash Transfer Put a Displaced Mother Back in Charge of her Future

Safaa'a Story

When fighting intensified around their home in Taiz, Safaa and her family found themselves trapped in the crossfire. With shelling closing in and no safe route remaining, they fled on foot carrying only what they could manage. Their journey to safety eventually took them from Taiz to Lahj—a distance of more than 180 kilometres by road. Forced to avoid damaged infrastructure, active frontlines and unsafe roads, they travelled for days through difficult terrain before reaching Aden. Unable to afford onward transportation, they continued their journey until they finally arrived in Lahj with nothing.

By the time they reached safety, the family had exhausted their savings, possessions and physical strength. For several nights they slept on the streets before finding refuge in a camp established by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC).

Life remained extremely difficult after displacement. Safaa's husband found occasional work as a casual labourer, and his modest earnings were just enough to help the family survive. However, a workplace accident left him with a serious spinal injury that prevented him from working. Overnight, the family's only source of income disappeared.

With eight children to care for and another baby on the way, Safaa faced impossible choices. Unable to afford basic necessities, she made the heartbreaking decision to withdraw her sons from school so they could contribute to the family's income through casual labour.

The Cash Assistance Support

Recognising the household's vulnerability, the Cash Consortium of Yemen (CCY), with funding from the European Union, enrolled the family in its Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) programme.

The cash assistance enabled Safaa to purchase food, cover essential household expenses and make critical improvements to their shelter. She repaired the roof to protect her family from seasonal rain and strong winds and invested in a small solar panel and battery system, providing the household with a reliable source of electricity. In Lahj, where summer temperatures frequently exceed 35°C and electricity outages can last for up to 20 hours a day, access to power is far more than a convenience. It allows families to cope with extreme heat, charge phones to stay connected, and provide light after dark. For Safaa, the solar system significantly improved her family's living conditions while reducing one of the daily hardships of displacement.

"The assistance gave us the stability we needed to start thinking beyond surviving each day," Safaa recalls.

Once the family's immediate needs had stabilised, CCY referred Safaa to the European Union-funded AMAL (Achieving Meaningful And Lasting Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons) livelihoods programme, which supports households enrolled in European Union-funded humanitarian cash assistance to transition from emergency relief towards sustainable livelihoods and greater self-reliance. By linking emergency cash assistance with longer-term economic opportunities, the programme helps vulnerable families rebuild their incomes and reduce their dependence on humanitarian assistance.

Through AMAL, Safaa completed business management training and received a conditional business grant to establish a tailoring enterprise. She used the grant to purchase fabrics, thread, needles and other tailoring supplies before opening a small tailoring shop inside the camp.

The additional income transformed the family's situation. Safaa was able to withdraw her sons from casual labour and enrol them back in school, allowing them to continue their education instead of working to support the household.

Today, Safaa manages her tailoring business while continuing to care for her family. Any profit beyond the family's immediate needs is reinvested into expanding the business, strengthening its ability to provide a reliable source of income for the future.

Her ambition is simple but powerful: to build a life where her family can support themselves and every one of her children can remain in school.

"I am grateful to the European Union for supporting us during one of the hardest periods of our lives," Safaa says. "My greatest hope now is to keep all of my children in school so they can build a better future than the one my husband and I had, and so they never have to endure the hardships we faced."

Safaa's journey demonstrates the impact of connecting emergency humanitarian assistance with longer-term recovery. By helping families first meet their immediate needs through Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance and then invest in sustainable livelihoods through initiatives such as AMAL, the Cash Consortium of Yemen is supporting conflict-affected households to move beyond survival, restore their dignity, and build more secure and resilient futures.