From Scarcity to Stability: The Quiet Rebuilding Happening in Yemen

With little to no income, parents in Yemen sit at their kitchen tables weighting up unbearable choices that all feel wrong. Some parents arrange early marriages for their daughters, believing it is the only way to reduce the number of mouths to feed and keep the rest of the family afloat. Others send their children to work because the little wages they bring home can mean the difference between everyone eating that night.

For many, taking on debt becomes the only short-term solution, even when they know they will never be able to repay it. This cycle of borrowing traps families into an endless cycle of poverty.

These decisions are not made lightly - they are made out of desperation and a lack of sustainable alternatives. Women and children are often the most affected. Children lose years of education, child brides face early and dangerous pregnancies and women’s invisible unpaid care work drastically increases.

War Child and our local partners have been delivering a Resilient Livelihoods, Positive Coping programme to help caregivers build practical skills, regain stability and create pathways to a safer future for children. Supported by UK Aid Match, the programme is focused on three key areas: livelihoods, education and child protection. 

It is designed to nurture people’s passions and develop the skills of caregivers, giving them the chance to build a sustainable future for themselves and their children. When families are able to earn a reliable income, children can stay in school and avoid the risks of child labour and early marriage.  

In partnership with a local community college, we enrolled 150 people in vocational training, many of whom had never finished secondary school. They trained as seamstresses, mechanics and even pastry chefs, gaining practical skills that can help them build a more secure future. 

Amani’s life changed overnight when she suffered a sudden stroke. With children depending on her, she had to find a new way forward. She joined the pastry and confectionary course, diving into the science of baking and slowly mastering the delicate art of traditional date filled cookies, called Ma’amoul. 

When we provided Amani with a professional kit including an electric oven, mixing tools, moulds and measuring equipment, her kitchen became her workshop. Word spread quickly. Neighbours began knocking on her door, eager to buy her sweets and her confidence grew with every batch she made. 

Families began rebuilding their lives with a renewed sense of confidence, taking steady steps away from dependence on humanitarian organisations and toward earning their own income. For many, this shift marked the first real sign that recovery was possible. Small shops opened, home businesses grew and parents who had once relied on aid began supporting their families again. 

More than 70 percent of households we worked with saw their income rise and almost three quarters found new ways to earn. Women led much of this progress, making up most of the trainees and many young people between 18 and 35 gained skills that opened doors they had never had before. 

Our team also supported two schools in the community, which became safer and more welcoming to children, including repairing 31 classrooms. These schools now include water, sanitation and hygiene facilities designed to be safe for girls and accessible for children with disabilities, giving more children the chance to learn with dignity. These simple yet practical changes meant that child school enrolment rose by 32 percent. 

Our mental health and child protection services reached hundreds of children and caregivers. Parents learned new ways to support their children, community protection groups grew stronger and children received care that helped them cope with fear, stress and the impact of displacement. Much of this work will continue long after the programme ends, carried forward by the families and communities themselves. 

Thanks to donations from the public, and match funding from the UK government through UK Aid Match, War Child and our partners have enabled families in Yemen to move from surviving to thriving and created change that will long outlast the programme itself.