The onset of the war in Yemen caused the Social Welfare Fund – the flagship national social protection programme providing 1.5 million beneficiary cases with quarterly unconditional cash transfers - to suspend operations, removing vital assistance for poor and vulnerable people. The situation of these families has further deteriorated as the country’s economy continues to face sharp contraction due to the financial and economic crisis and liquidity crunch.
Lack of salaries for civil servants, impediments to and lack of infrastructure for commercial and humanitarian supplies to enter the country, further compound an already dire humanitarian situation, affecting what currently remains of the resilience of many vulnerable families and children. A growing number of families are unable to afford the rising cost of basic services and commodities, including food. Escalating malnutrition rates have become a tangible threat to children’s lives.