The 10-year long war took a heavy toll on Yemeni people. Now, amidst an even larger crisis affecting the entire Middle East region, they are caught between a rock and a hard place.
Impacted by war and regional conflicts, inflation, and climate emergencies, Yemenis are among the world's most vulnerable. Some 19 million people, over half of the country’s population, need humanitarian aid, with 2.3 million children suffering from acute malnutrition. Sudden funding cuts have also forced aid agencies to reduce life-saving programmes significantly.
Emergency and sustainable solutions funded by the EU
Due to civil war, some 4.8 million people in Yemen are internally displaced. While some have found new homes, many others like 30-year-old Nabil Nagy Saif live on site, often in extreme poverty. To support displaced communities, the EU funds a consortium of NGOs:
- Danish Refugee Council (DRC)
- ACTED
- Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
These NGOs provide both emergency and sustainable solutions, such as:
- wooden shelters
- reliable water points
- latrines
- public lighting
In addition, the Consortium offers legal assistance and protection services to address child protection concerns and gender-based violence, among other risks.
'Displaced since 2017, we were first living in tents,’
Nabil explains.
'Recently, we moved to this camp where the DRC provided wooden shelters and bathrooms. Before, we suffered from wind, rain, and dust, and felt unsafe. Now, we feel more stable and secure. We have sanitation facilities and water is consistently available thanks to the new system.'
Supporting families with cash assistance programmes
With conflict comes hunger, and surviving becomes a daily struggle when you must flee everything you had to protect your family. Saeed, 45, fled his village to Sana'a and then Aden during the war, leaving him and his family jobless and highly vulnerable.
They were included in the World Food Program's (WFP) cash assistance programme funded by the European Union. This support proved to be a lifeline enabling him to buy food for his family. Once their basic food needs had been covered, Saeed felt mentally prepared to dedicate his efforts to a new activity based on his expertise in upholstery, mending chairs and cushions.
‘Before receiving cash assistance, I was scrounging for empty water bottles from the garbage. Once I received the funds, my situation improved, and I could work with dignity again’,
Saeed asserts.
Cash assistance modality is widely recognised as the most efficient, effective and dignified modality of humanitarian assistance.
Overall, the EU-funded consortium is supporting over 187,000 internally displaced people and over 61,000 people from the host community living near the targeted sites across Yemen. This commitment to support displaced affected communities fosters resilience in such a challenging environment.
Addressing malnutrition and health care needs
Nutrition is one of the EU’s key humanitarian priorities in Yemen, where acute food insecurity affects more than 17 million people countrywide. Here there are some of the highest rates of malnutrition ever recorded, with almost half of all children under 5 being acutely malnourished. This affects their mental and physical growth, sometimes irreversibly. The mobile clinic run by our partner INTERSOS, at the Al-Rebat internally displaced people’s site in Lahj Governorate, provides free healthcare services, including for malnourished children such as 9-month-old Alia.
‘My daughter suffered from malnutrition due to a lack of food and money. We couldn't afford to pay any expenses at the health centre’.
says Alia's mother.
She also had to face medical complications such as chest infections. Alia received the required treatments, including special nutritional supplements. Once her medical issues had been resolved, she started to gain weight and was referred back to the site.
This service facilitates access to the vital resources that vulnerable individuals require for:
- recovery
- enhanced overall strength
- a healthier future
The European Commission and European Member States are the leading donors for Yemen. Since the war began in 2015, the EU has contributed €1.5 billion in response to the crisis.
In 2025, the EU allocated €80 million in humanitarian aid to respond to burning emergencies in Yemen. This support aims to reach the most vulnerable communities in frontline governorates, hard-to-reach areas and displacement sites. However, the needs are still huge as only around 10% of the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan has been funded to date, despite Yemen's ever-growing need for global solidarity.
