Cash-Plus support brings new hope

The support provided by the programme is to ensure access to integrated social services including, health, nutrition, birth registration, education, and health awareness

Abdulmajeed Alturki
Muhammed Al-Maswary with the SWF Case Referral Officer, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a
UNICEF YEMEN/2020/Al-Obeidy
09 July 2020

People handle the impact of war differently. Sometimes the impact is losing all support, their salary, their ability to feed their children and meet family needs. 

To ease the burden of the crisis caused by over 5 years of the conflict in Yemen, during the sixth payment cycle of the UNICEF implemented Emergency Cash Transfer, the Cash Plus Initiative was launched. Cash Plus combines cash transfers with complementary support to maximize the positive impacts of the cash transfers. The initiative is designed to support the beneficiaries the Social Welfare Fund (SWF) and their family members across AmanatAlAsimah and Sana’a governorates during its second phase.

The support provided by the programme is to ensure access to integrated social services including, health, nutrition, birth registration, education, and health awareness.  

Muhammed Al-Maswary with the SWF Case Referral Officer, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a
UNICEF YEMEN/2020/Al-Obeidy
Muhammed Al-Maswary with the SWF Case Referral Officer, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a

Muhammed Saleh Al-Maswary is 37 years old and a father of five. He lives in Sana’a, and woks in the Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training.

He was contacted by a member of the Cash-Plus Programme called the Case Referral Officer (CRO), who verifies his address makes a plan for a visit to assess the family members’ needs and accordingly refer them to the points of service deliveries. Upon arriving to the family, the CRO meets with his children and give them de-worming tablets, micro-nutrient supplements and cleaning supplies. She examines the salt’s iodine level in the house and educates them on hygiene, hand washing, Covid-19 and disease prevention guidelines.

Muhammed Al-Maswary with his family, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a
UNICEF YEMEN/2020/Al-Obeidy
Muhammed Al-Maswary with his family, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a
Muhammed Al-Maswary with his family, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a
UNICEF YEMEN/2020/Al-Obeidy
Muhammed Al-Maswary with his family, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a

“We managed to issue birth certificates for my children through the support of the Cash-Plus programme,” Muhammed Al-Maswary says.

“We received benefits once we got the birth certificates for the young children, the awareness on hygiene for the prevention of Coronavirus, and received vitamins and nutritional supplements.”, he added.

Muhammed Al-Maswary was registered in the Social Welfare by the Ministry of Social Affairs and labor (MOSAL), through the Association of Disabled Persons. He was considered eligible and went to the post office to access his social welfare support.

the birth certificates of Muhammed’s daughters which he has received from the Case Referral Officer, Amanat AlAsima, Sana’a
UNICEF YEMEN/2020/Al-Obeidy
the birth certificates of Muhammed’s daughters which he has received from the Case Referral Officer, Amanat AlAsima, Sana’a

Muhammed says, “I have benefited from the Social Welfare (Fund) as it solves my problem partially due to the difficult situation in the current crisis.”

The tragedy doesn’t end with Muhammed’s situation. Abdullah Ayed, who is 56 years, is another story to tell. He is a daily worker and a father of eight children: six boys and two girls. He also has ten grandchildren.

Abdullah Ali Ayed and his family, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a
UNICEF YEMEN/2020/Al-Obeidy
Abdullah Ali Ayed and his family, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a
Abdullah Ali Ayed and his family, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a
UNICEF YEMEN/2020/Al-Obeidy
Abdullah Ali Ayed and his family, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a

Five years ago, Ali Ayed was registered in the social welfare programme by the head of the neighbourhood. Before the conflict, he was receiving his cash assistance through the Social Welfare Fund. The conditions of the war have made his situation even more precarious.  

Ali Ayed says, “conditions were good, and there were jobs, but now the situation is no longer as it was before.”

UN0612296
UNICEF/UN0612296/Noman
Abdullah Ali Ayed, his grandchildren, and his daughter, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a
UNICEF YEMEN/2020/Al-Obeidy
Abdullah Ali Ayed, his grandchildren, and his daughter, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a

“When the Case Referral Officer, who works for the Cash-Plus program supported by UNICEF, came to us, we didn’t know that our children and pregnant mothers were suffering from malnutrition and iodine deficiency. She referred the children to the hospital and provided them with necessary malnutrition treatment. She also referred the mothers to Al-Rahabi Center, where they were given the necessary treatment. All of them have improved after getting medicines, vitamins, and nutritional supplements,” he added.

The Case Referral Officer while being with Ali’s family, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a
UNICEF YEMEN/2020/Al-Obeidy
The Case Referral Officer while being with Ali’s family, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a
The Case Referral Officer while being with Ali’s family, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a
UNICEF/YEMEN/2020/Al-Obeidy
The Case Referral Officer while being with Ali’s family, AmanatAl-Asima, Sana’a

Ali Ayed feeds his children and grandchildren from the food available to him, which mostly doesn’t contain any nutritional value, so malnutrition was an inevitable result of what they eat from the food they afford to purchase. Ali Ayed used to think that the person who wouldn’t eat three meals a day, suffers from malnutrition, yet he didn’t know that this normal eating will cause trouble for the entire family.

Through the Cash-Plus program, over 8,000 households have been identified for support in AmanatAlAsimah and Sana’a governorates. This is a vital part of UNICEF’s work to serve the most vulnerable families across Yemen.