Extreme rainfall wreaked havoc in large parts of Yemen in April 2023. After a dam collapsed in the Al Mahwit governorate, the region flooded, causing destruction and displacement. In a joint response of the members of the Dutch Relief Alliance, Cordaid collaborated with local partner NDEO to respond to emergency needs and rehabilitated the homes of 300 households.
‘We were living a happy life’, says 84-year-old Nuniya Suhail, whose home was destroyed in the flooding last year. ‘But after my husband died ten years ago, we no longer had any income. When the conflict started, my daughter and I decided to move. With some help, we managed to find a home. But we kept on struggling.’
Displaced for a second time
After having dealt with poverty and a violent conflict, the two elderly women became victims of a natural disaster. Severe flooding affected over 165,000 people in 70 districts across Yemen, taking lives and damaging houses, crops, and infrastructure. People who had already been displaced because of the conflict, have been affected the most.
Nuniya: ‘We didn’t have money to repair our house. We couldn’t protect ourselves from the rain, the cold and even the wild animals in the area.’
Cordaid teamed up with local partner NDEO to respond to emergency needs. The engineers and construction workers repaired the damaged walls and roofs and provided the necessary materials. In total, the programme supported 2,273 people.
‘Thank God, our home has been repaired’, Nuniya says relieved. ‘We can now sleep in peace. We have a new roof, an iron door and we feel safe again.’
Watch this video about the work of Cordaid and NDEO in Yemen:
Cordaid in Yemen
For over a decade, multiple armed conflicts have eroded central governance in Yemen, fragmented the nation into different local power bases and pushed humanitarian needs to unprecedented levels. Two out of three Yemenis need humanitarian support.
Together with local partner organisations, Cordaid has been providing humanitarian assistance to people affected by conflict and natural disasters in Yemen since 2018. The activities aim to increase access to food, shelter, water and sanitation, and basic health services.