Improving the living conditions of the population affected by the crisis through a multi-sectoral cash based approach to WASH and Emergency Food Security This project seeks to provide access to food, water, sanitation and hygiene to the affected men, women and children of Amran and Taiz governorates of Yemen, through a cash-based, multi-sectoral approach. This will contribute the Oxfam Country Humanitarian Strategy in Yemen, Oxfam’s Strategic Objectives and Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan 2016. The proposed intervention is in line with the YHPF objectives and allocation strategy.

This project is a part of the overall programme, jointly developed by four humanitarian agencies (Oxfam, ACF, NRC and NFDHR) with the purpose to bring in synergies in their respective approaches, by ensuring cross INGO/National NGO learning, and programme integration and bringing in operational and programmatic synergies in the field. All the four agencies are submitting proposals to HPF under an overall framework developed together. 

In addition, Oxfam has submitted proposal to UNICEF and SDC to fund the rehabilitation of Section-II of the Khamer town water network. Oxfam had already completed the rehabilitation of Section-I and Houth water networks, with support of DFID funding, which also supplies safe water to Houth camp. UNICEF and SDC funds (in pipeline) will cover rehabilitation of WaSH networks with the purpose of strengthening existing sustainable water services. With support of DFID we are providing EFSVL support to 4000 households. This will complement our ongoing programme. Similarly in Taiz, Oxfam is implementing a WaSH programme with support from UNICEF and an EFSVL initiative with DFID and ECHO funding. The HPF funding will complement these through cash based EFSVL support and WaSH through strengthening Public Health Promotion, Sanitation and Public Health Engineering support to the IDP camps in Khamer, Houth and Al-Qafla. In Taiz, Oxfam will implement the programme in an integrated manner, with WaSH interventions. 

Oxfam’s community led programme approach integrates WaSH and EFVSL, underpinned by gender, protection and conflict sensitive approaches throughout the programme cycle. In order to best respond to community needs, Oxfam will engage men, women, boys and girls in processes including collaborative needs assessment, planning and delivery of humanitarian assistance, accountability and participatory monitoring and evaluation. Community mobilisation enhances community participation and empowerment of affected communities and stakeholders engaged in humanitarian action. This in turn will help ensure mainstreaming of protection, conflict sensitivity and gender in our work. Oxfam targets men and women IDPs and host communities and ensures the inclusion of the most vulnerable households (both IDPs and host). This programme is designed - through community dialogue and participatory context analysis - with the affected communities in Taiz and Amran, improving the relevance and sustainability of the results of our humanitarian interventions.

Cash based modalities (unconditional cash, food commodity vouchers, market analysis) will be identified per location following comprehensive feasibility and market studies to ensure relevance and effectiveness of the interventions. Cash based interventions will allow Oxfam to respond to the real needs within communities while further triggering a multiplier effect which will boost local economies and improve not only availability but access and affordability for the affected communities.