Yemen: Breaking social barriers to reach marginalized communities

الخبر باللغة العربية

TAIZ, Yemen, 15 October 2014 – In an unprecedented move, UNICEF Yemen along with government partners today launched a package of social protection interventions targeting the Muhamasheen communities in Taiz. The muhamasheen represent the dark skinned Yemenis who are locally referred to as ‘Akdam’. The launch event included a presentation of the results of the first ever household survey on Muhamasheen communities reaching some 10,000 households in nine districts in the Taiz Governorate.  This served as a critical baseline for social inclusion of these marginalized communities.

“The Muhamasheen population constitute some ten per cent of Yemen’s population. Reaching the most vulnerable, facilitating access to basic social services such as water, education and health care and ensuring equal opportunities for every child is a key mandate of UNICEF.”

The Muhamasheen Mapping Survey (MMS) provides the platform for an integrated package of social protection interventions including, child-sensitive financial inclusion of Muhamasheen communities as well as linking households to basic social services, and social protection, especially SWF cash transfers.

The results of this significant survey provide key indicators on water & sanitation, literacy & education; child protection; work & income; nutrition, health and disability; and social protection. The survey reveals that only nine per cent of the population have pipe water in their dwellings; only 39 per cent of children aged 6 – 17 years are currently enrolled in education, compared to 69 per cent as the national average and the net intake ratio in the first grade of primary education is 10 per cent compared to 33 per cent as the national average.

“The Muhamasheen population constitute some ten per cent of Yemen’s population. Reaching the most vulnerable, facilitating access to basic social services such as water, education and health care and ensuring equal opportunities for every child is a key mandate of UNICEF”, says Jeremy Hopkins, UNICEF’s Deputy Representative in Yemen.  This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child signed by 194 countries including the Government of Yemen. The commemoration of the convention serves as a strong reminder of the promises we made to our children to ensure their basic rights to identity, survival, quality health care and education, protection and equal opportunity – without regard to gender, economic status, ethnicity, religious belief, disability or geographical location.

As part of its programmatic response, UNICEF in collaboration with Social Welfare Fund (SWF) and Alamal Microfinance Bank (AMB) for the first time introduced a financial inclusion program, through which some 20,000 savings accounts will be opened for mothers with children between the ages of and children in the 10-17 years age group. The AMB will conduct social & financial education training sessions for parents and children, and promote the culture of savings for children education, health, and nutrition, while the SWF will focus on empowering Muhamasheen communities to demand and access basic social and protection services. School kits and uniforms will also be provided to all children within the targeted communities complemented by advocacy efforts with schools to ensure enrolment of Muhamasheen children. In addition, birth registration cards will be issued to all children in the targeted communities.

The Muhamasheen Mapping Survey (MMS), was implemented by the Social Welfare Fund (SWF) in collaboration with Interaction for Development, a local research institution.

###

 For more information please contact:

Alison Parker, Chief of Communication, UNICEF Yemen, aparker@unicef.org, +967 712223001

Mohammad Al-Assadi, Communication Officer, UNICEF Yemen, malasaadi@unicef.org, +967-711760002