CARE YEMENCONFLICT PREVENTION PROJECT

LIVELIHOODS STUDY FOR AL KHARAZ CAMP AND NEIGHBOURING VILLAGES

Helen LacknerConsultant March 2012

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................3

Methodology........................................................................................................................................3BACKGROUND.....................................................................................................................................4

The environment..................................................................................................................................5Current socio-economic situation in camp and neighbouring villages................................................5

Living conditions and social services..................................................................................................6LIVELIHOODS.......................................................................................................................................7

Introduction and points applicable to both refugees and host population...........................................7Camp livelihoods.................................................................................................................................8

Villages..............................................................................................................................................10Summary............................................................................................................................................12

RELATIONS BETWEEN REFUGEES AND HOST COMMUNITY.................................................13RECOMMENDATIONS. PROPOSED ACTIVITIES........................................................................15

Economic...........................................................................................................................................15Social.................................................................................................................................................18

Proposed operational mechanisms.....................................................................................................19ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED AND OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS...........................................20

Inclusion of additional villages..........................................................................................................20Issue of credit vs grant.......................................................................................................................21

Distribution of tools/equipment for micro-enterprises......................................................................22ANNEX 1. MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES WHICH SHOULD BE ADDRESSED WITHIN THIS PROJECT...............................................................................................................................................24

Literacy buildings and classes for women.........................................................................................24

Solar lighting......................................................................................................................................24ANNEX 2. BASELINE INFORMATION TO BE COLLECTED......................................................26

Introduction........................................................................................................................................26Data on project intervention activities...............................................................................................27

Basic data on the camp......................................................................................................................27ANNEX 3. MISSION TERMS OF REFERENCE...............................................................................28

ANNEX 4. FIELD METHODOLOGY...............................................................................................31Logistics.............................................................................................................................................31

Topics discussed................................................................................................................................32

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INTRODUCTION

This livelihoods study is part of the second phase of the DFID funded Conflict Prevention Project in and around the al Kharaz refugee camp in Lahej Governorate in the Republic of Yemen. The project is designed to assist the refugees and local communities to improve their living conditions and reduce their dependence on external assistance by developing their capacity to generate income sufficient to maintain their households. The project is also designed to achieve this through the highest possible cooperation between host communities and the refugees.

This project is a follow up on a first phase CPP project [2009-2011] and two earlier Rashid projects, all implemented by CARE and all of which have been designed to involve both host communities and refugees. It is worth noting at the outset that these CARE projects are the only ones in the area which involve both host communities and refugees. All UN and other NGO operations are entirely focused on the refugees.

Methodology

Fieldwork was conducted for this study between 3 and 11 January 2012. The mission was accompanied by Mr Fadl Abdallah Ahmed in the Yemeni villages and Ms Faiza Ali Mahmood in the refugee camp. Both work as counterparts to the CPP project staff who currently operate from Aden. The mission was supported by Mr Ahmed al Othmani CPP manager, Ms I’tidal ? Deputy project manager, and Mr Sam Ashuraey at CARE HQ.

The mission met with the main relevant members of the local authority in al Hauta, Lahej governorate; the following meetings were held

- One meeting with the Secretary General of the Local Council Mr Ali Mater, who offered his support to the mission, ensured it had contacts with the relevant security institutions and authorized our movements. He also pointed out that externally funded activities had more or less stopped since mid-2010 and that local institutions such as SFD and PWP had vastly reduced their activities since mid-2011.

- One meeting with the Director of the Ministry of Social Affairs accompanied by his assistant who informed the mission of the activities of his ministry in and around the camp area

- One meeting with the director of the Social Welfare Fund in the Governorate who explained the functioning of the SWF, and its activities in microfinance including the MF institutions with which the SWF works and the mechanisms of implementation, some of whom were present at the meeting;

- One meeting with the Aden Micro Finance Network who explained what the network does in Lahej governorate, including the fact that it has no activities either in or around the camp

In the camp, we visited blocks selected at random and gathered groups of inhabitants from these blocks for meetings in one of the houses. In the newer areas where people live in temporary shelters, one of these was used as the meeting place and people gathered there. Women were numerous and children even more so, but it was far more difficult to meet with men who were generally said to be absent ‘looking for work’ or ‘at work.’ In addition to the meetings held with Somali refugees meetings were also held with some of the Oromo refugees. Topics discussed in the camp included the following: a) level of mobility between camp and outside world, b) duration of residence in Yemen and in camps, c) current livelihoods strategies, d) proposals for improvements in their living conditions, e) current relations with the surrounding communities f) proposals for furthering such relations.

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All the surrounding participating villages1 were visited and meetings were held in each village with men and women, discussing a) their current livelihoods strategies b) their ideas for improvements in their livelihoods, c) current relations with the refugees and the camp, and d) proposals for furthering these relations. Given the small size of the villages and the fact that the mission had explicitly requested that meetings should not be planned in advance to ensure a more ‘random’ representation of the population during the visits, meetings were of varying sizes, ranging from over 20 people to 5 or so. According to the same principle, those who were present at the time of the meeting participated, with no discrimination between any social or age groups. It was interesting to note that among the villagers, men of all ages were met, as well as women and children.

It had originally been intended to visit some villages beyond those already included in the project. However once in the field and further to the existing known tensions in the area, I decided not to do so as a) this might have exacerbated tensions b) it would have raised hopes and expectation of project involvement and support at a time when I was not in a position to confirm that this might happen and c) they should be visited when there is a clear budget available and concrete plans can be made.A total of 21 group meetings were held with hamlet and village host community people, 10 of them with men, 11 with women. They were attended by a total of about 80 men and 110 women. As for the camp, a total of 14 group meetings were held, 5 with men, 7 with women and 2 with mixed group. They were attended by a total of 45 men and 143 women, in addition to very large numbers of infants and toddlers. It is worth noting that all meetings with women in the camp were attended by more infants and toddlers than teenage and adult women.

In addition to these group meetings a total of 22 household interviews were made, 10 in the villages and 12 in the camp. These basically confirmed the overall analysis with respect to the ranking of livelihood strategies and of explanations for the different standards of living.

BACKGROUND

Al Kharaz Somali refugee camp was opened in its current location in 1998 after its inhabitants had been transferred initially from Hiswa in Aden to Gihein in the midlands of Abyan governorate and finally to Kharaz in Lahej. The camp is officially inhabited by 17 000 refugees 97% of whom are said to be Somali and the remaining Oromo Ethiopians. Located 17km inland within 1 km of an asphalted road, the camp is on a flat stony plain and is spacious, not surrounded by any fencing or other barrier preventing movement, and includes one small hill on which some water reservoirs are located. Its population has increased significantly. In 2003, there were about 7000 Somali refugees in the Kharaz camp and the majority have arrived since then.

The camp is located on the site of a former military camp and has some buildings and various organised spaces remaining from that period. It is also next to what was a boarding school for nomadic children under the previous regime in the south; again significant buildings of that school are still standing near Huweireb village and indeed what was its medical wing has been taken over by the village’s youth club. The structures of those buildings are still in very good condition and only minor rehabilitation is needed to make them fully operational: window frames and netting as well as doors and paint.

The camp is organised in 71 blocks of 25 dwellings each, in addition to areas of temporary brushwood and cloth shelters for Somalis who have not yet received ‘houses’ as well as a group of about 600 people who have come there from Sana’a and Aden in mid-2011 due to the political/military crisis in Yemen. Each dwelling consists of one basic breeze block room and a latrine in the yard. Most of them have been expanded with either additional solid constructions or at least cemented floors 1 The word ‘village’ is used in this report, sometimes interchangeably with ‘hamlet’. It should be pointed out that most of the locations outside the camp should best be described as ‘hamlets’ and only Huweireb, Turan, Huseinoora and Sahala could reasonably be described as villages, the others are at best hamlets. Even the former, on the basis of the facilities available, could be described as hamlets.

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covered in tenting and branches as well as enclosures which, again can be either solid stone or temporary materials. Each block is equipped with a central set of two water taps and most households own long plastic hoses/pipes to bring the water to their homes. Solar operated electric lights were installed in some parts of the camp.

The environment.

Located some 17 km from the sea, the area is arid and reasonably dry, thus suffering neither the humidity of the actual coast nor the extreme dryness of remote interiors. The camp and villages are on either side of wadi Thumnan which descends from the nearby mountains and causes considerable erosion of its banks [which includes much agricultural land belonging to the villagers] when there are flash floods. Except for flash floods when it rains, the area is dependent on a few shallow wells replenished by the irregular rainfall. It is suitable as grazing land for small ruminants and is occasionally covered with greenery after rains.

Where spate irrigation is possible from diversion of the wadi flows, there is some agriculture, mostly of sorghum principally used for animal fodder and a little sesame in the most watered areas. Otherwise the only cultivation possible is in the basins where rainwater accumulates and which, again, is at best suitable for animal fodder sorghum as it rarely yields any grains. At best agriculture in that area can be described as marginal but it remains a fact that the majority of the local population perceive themselves as farmers.

Current socio-economic situation in camp and neighbouring villages.

Al Kharaz camp is an official UNHCR camp, run by that United Nations organization. A number of other organisations are working in the camp, either providing their own financing or financed by UNHCR. They include the following:

- A police station.- WFP- A medical facility/hospital run by the CSSW- A school and some kindergardens run by Save the Children- ADRA- CARE- Inter SOS- SHS who run the logistics of the camp [electricity, water, waste collection, food distribution]- Danish Refugee Council (reception of new arrivals, counselling)- Association for Development of People with Special Needs

According to UNHCR, the camp currently officially houses 17 000 people. Its actual population is smaller and that concentrated in the more recent temporary shelters, while many of the older breeze block areas are clearly under used. Recent arrivals include both new arrivals from Somalia and Somalis who were settled elsewhere in Yemen, mostly in Sana’a, who were transferred to the camp in June 2011 after the Yemeni political crisis worsened; they number about 600 families according to the senior members of this group who were met by the mission.

Other Somalis who have been living and working in Aden are currently spending more time in the camp but commuting with Aden continues to be a major activity. There is a collective taxi ‘station’ at the edge of the camp from which about 10 vehicles operate the journey, charging YER 1500 per one way trip per person. Each trip involves 10 passengers and there are about 5 departures daily in each direction. During the week each month when food distributions take place, the number of trips increases to more than 8 in each direction, which is a further indication that the camp is seen as a ‘base’ for many settled Somalis. The taxi service is operated by Yemenis who own the vehicles. Poorer Somalis travel on foot and are found along the roads at different times.

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The villages included in the project are all extremely near to the camp, within a radius of 5 km. They are the following:

- Huweireb, nearest the camp, separated by a dry water bed: pop 180 households [according to the local population, increased from 120 in late 2009]. This village is the location of the secondary school attended by refugees and local community members alike. It also has a primary school for local children, a youth club with 9 rooms [located in the former medical facility of the ‘nomad school]; the village is equipped with mains electricity in the public spaces as is the refugee camp, as well as a water network to all houses. Socially it is the most mixed village with a population including local tribes people and other social groups, some of whom may have moved in in recent decades as a result of the presence of the nomadic schools. This village is by far the largest and is also the one with whom relations have been most difficult, largely due mainly to the divisions within the village and the fact that its leadership has taken an approach which can be summarised as ‘the more trouble we make, the more we’ll get, so let’s do it’. The village is the only one which has different social groups [tribesmen and lower status groups] as well as possibly many people who moved in during the past generation.

- Al Mahaned al Sufla is 600m from Huweireb and is a hamlet of 22 households [increased from 20 end 2009]. Earlier CARE projects have equipped it with a water distribution system which reaches every households, and a literacy ‘school’2

- Al Mahaned al A’la is a village of 13 households [up by 2 from 2009] about 3km west of Kharaz camp. Like its neighbour Mahaned al Sufla it is small and composed of semi permanent mud brick houses complemented by branch ‘benders’; it has a mosque built by an NGO as in other villages and the ‘literacy’ building and electricity provided through the CARE project, it also has solar electricity poles and drinking water,

- Al Hugef village is 5km from the Kharaz camp and the most distant of the villages included in the projects. Like the others it has a water supply though this is said to be unreliable and irregular due to the low pressure in the pipes, a mosque, a ‘literacy’ building and solar panel lighting. It has 21 households [3 up from 2009]

- Turan, is 3km away from the camp, has 37 households [up 3 from 2009], is the location of the water tank which stores the water from the well for all the surrounding villages and is also the starting point for the water pipeline for Khor Umaira [17km away on the coast, non operational, as discussed below]; the water supply system operates for 2 hours daily and is collected in jerry cans for use during the rest of the time. The village has a one room literacy class building with a solar panel on the roof, as well as three solar ‘street’ lights distributed in the village.

- Al Khuba is west of Turan and a village of 23 households [up from 21 in 2009], with the same facilities as the other villages, though water is more easily available than elsewhere as it is nearer the ‘source’ ie the reservoir in Turan

- Al Sahala is a village of 55 households [up 3 from 2009], and has the same facilities as the other

- Al Saliba is a ‘new’ hamlet of about 11 bedu households, which receives water through the same network as the other villages but has neither solar electricity lamp nor ‘literacy’ building as it was established more recently

- Husseinoora is located north-east of the camp, about 3.5km away and has the same facilities as the others, though there are complaints that the water network does not reach every house. Its housing is somewhat superior to that found in the more bedu villages west of the camp, and are generally more solid and permanent.

Living conditions and social services

The facilities available both to the refugees in the camp and to the surrounding villages involved in the project are significantly superior to those available to the vast majority of villages in Yemen. This 2 A previous CARE project constructed one room literacy ‘schools’ in each of the villages; each one was equipped with solar electric power for a lamp, furniture and an external latrine. Classes were organised but appear to have been discontinued. The issue is discussed in greater detail in the Annex to this report..

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is a point which needs to be taken into consideration for the future. It is also important to note that while these very small villages/hamlets have been given considerable attention and social services through this project, villages further away have not received these benefits and therefore their inhabitants are likely to be distinctly unhappy at what they perceive as neglect3.

The camp is equipped with a number of boreholes and has a water network which supplies two taps for each block of shelters. Due to increased demand, water is no longer available on a 24 hour basis, but each block receives about 2 hours of water per day. A similar system has been provided to the surrounding villages, including a water reservoir on a nearby mountain and a pipe network which provides each house in the villages with an outdoor tap.

Electricity has been provided through a network of solar powered single street lamps both in parts of the camp and the villages. Many of these are not operating, either because they have broken down or because parts have been pilfered and ‘privatised’. There is also a network of street lamps operated in Huweireb and the camp through the camp’s large generator and these operate in the evenings.The camp has a hospital which is operating 24/hours a day and which is open to patients from the surrounding villages. It supposedly provides a free service including free medication, though users complained of having to purchase the medication from the camp pharmacies.

Educational facilities are provided through a basic school in the camp for refugees run by Save the Children. Local children attend a primary school in the largest village Huweireb. Both refugees and local youth have access to the government secondary school in Huweireb.

LIVELIHOODS

Introduction and points applicable to both refugees and host population

This report uses the following definition of livelihoods, which is widely accepted in the literature: “A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (including both material and social resources) and activities required for a means of living. A livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks.” Chambers 1991

As discussed above, the area where the camp and the surrounding villages are located, is one which has very limited economic potential. In particular it has the following characteristics

- Very limited water resources; run off from rain in the mountains beyond, which makes the land suitable for grazing of small ruminants and camels, but not cattle

- Soils which are very stony and with little top soil; in addition to the lack of water, this means that cultivation can only be marginal

- Remote from major cities and markets where equipment could be purchased and where most advanced educational facilities might be located

- The population are all Muslims and live in nuclear or extended families. Their ‘neighbourhoods’ consist of the different hamlets/villages/blocks which have been described above. The village inhabitants are all citizens of Yemen while the Camp population are distributed between Somali and Oromo refugees.

The livelihood strategies of the refugees and host communities are very different and they are also the basis on which there is significant differentiation in living standards between the two groups, ranging from people who are comfortably off to others who are destitute. On the basis of the information provided and the meetings held, the study has identified the categories discussed below, though numbers are more difficult to assess.

3 The tension is clear and was noted during the mission by an incident which is discussed below.

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The situation with respect to basic food security is clearly very different for refugees and for the host population, insofar as the former have automatic entitlements through the UN system, while the latter do not. Starting with ‘entitlements’ the refugees are entitled to a monthly standard UNHCR rations package on a per capita basis, which includes: 9kg of wheat flour, 2 kg of rice, 1 kg of pulses, 0.5 kg of sugar, 700g of oil, 1.5 l kerosene, 1 bar of soap and 2 packs of powdered soap; 0 5 kg of salt is provided per household.

Yemenis have no automatic entitlements: some of the poorest households are registered with the Ministry of Social Affairs’ [MOSA] Social Welfare Fund4 and their number is an indicator of the level of poverty prevailing in a community. The SWF provides monthly cash allowances to its beneficiaries, based on household size, ranging from a minimum of YER 6000 for a single person to a maximum of YER 12 000 for a household of 6 people or more. These are paid every 3 months. Currently about 50 000 households are registered in the Governorate of Lahej, representing over 40% of the total number of households in the Governorate.

Camp livelihoods

Livelihood strategies in the camp are based on the distribution of rations by UNHCR, and these rations form the basis of the income for camp households. Although, based on arrivals, the overall Somali refugee population has a gender distribution in favour of men, this is not the case in the refugee camp which appears to be primarily populated by children and women. Variations in living standards are based on three main factors: the size of the household, its access to other resources than rations and indebtedness and its consequences.

With respect to livelihoods a relevant point is the mobility of the inhabitants. While clearly the Yemeni villagers are in their homes, the permanence of the presence of Somalis is more questionable, given that many of them try to be resettled in other countries through the UN system or try to migrate in search of work towards the wealthier oil rentier Gulf states or even to work elsewhere in Yemen. Indeed the mission found it very difficult to meet men, with the exception of those who are disabled, elderly or long-term sick. When asked people always said the men were out ‘at work’ though the only work available in the camp is with camp management institutions, casual building work, and work in the few shops and workshops which exist. This is unlikely to occupy more than a couple of hundred people at best5. It can only be concluded that the majority of men are still outside the camp on temporary or long term attempts to work or engaged in work.

UNHCR rations are supplemented with a number of other possible sources of income:- Casual labour for men locally within the camp, mostly in construction of new facilities and as

bearers in the distribution system- Hawking clothes and other household goods, which is done mostly by women in the camp

and in surrounding areas, though some have reported doing this further afield, around Aden and other cities

- Casual work for men and women in the local shops in the camp and on the Friday market, where they work as ‘sales assistants’ to the Yemeni traders and producers

- Casual labour for men away from the camp [mostly in Aden and also Mukalla], which is primarily cleaning of cars and ‘guarding’ them in car parks; men reported earning up to YER 3000 per month/day for this kind of work

4 While the SWF’s selection mechanisms for its beneficiaries have improved in recent years to give them greater objectivity and base them on criteria of poverty rather than patronage, there is no doubt that perfect targeting has not been reached at a national level and that, although the ratio of poor among beneficiaries has risen, poverty and need are still not the only criteria used for selection. Moreover there is no doubt that the overall budget of the SWF is clearly insufficient to address the level of poverty prevailing in the country.5 The mission drove through the current building sites and found a maximum of 50 men working there, which would include both Somalis and Yemenis.

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- Sea based work: many men work as crew on local fishing boats or in landing and processing fish in Khor Umeira and Ras al Ara; they are paid in shares of the catch. This occupation was widely reported by both refugees and host population.

- Many households also have some livestock, sheep and goats as well as a few chickens. One household was interviewed which even raised ducks as a micro-enterprise, selling them for YR 1500 each at about 4 months of age

- House and office cleaning work for women, usually for 8 hours/day, bringing a monthly income of between YER 10 and 20 000. Women engaged in this work live in Aden in rented accommodation which they share with colleagues. However many women pointed out that, with a change in UNHCR regulations, demanding that women appear in person to collect their monthly rations, they have given up the work as it is not worth their while to travel back and forth.

- Begging mostly for women, bringing about YER1000/day; begging takes place in the surrounding villages but often people are given clothes or food

Many of the Somali women met claimed considerable previous experience and capacity in trading skills. Some reported having had shops or having engaged in livestock trading when they were in Somalia and they manifested considerable interest for trading as a future income generating activity. A few have already engaged in such work within the camp, often through an initial investment in stock provide by an NGO, though all those who reported this also reported the exhaustion of the stock, and lacking the capital to restock, indicating inadequate stock management skills or carelessness.

The following is a set of typologies of livelihoods strategies found among the refugee population. Access to health services and education are not discussed as, in principle, they are free and available to all, though it seems that there are certainly some expenses associated with both..

Wealthier households: such a household is likely to have been resident in Yemen for a longer period of time, thus having established social and economic networks in the country. Its members would also be using the camp more as a ‘base’ than as its sole physical location. In addition to the monthly rations, such a household would have additional income from one or more of the following sources:

- income from a man or a woman working locally in the camp in one of the aid organisations or, to a lesser extent in construction or other casual labour

- Income from a man or woman in Aden or beyond and sending back regular remittances, - Additional financial resources from relatives abroad - Be involved in a profitable local activity such as a small shop in the market, or having a

generator and selling electricity to other households in their block- Have a regular income from loaning money to poorer refugees - The household is likely to be larger, as ratios are distributed on a per capita basis, regardless

of age and level of consumption.This household will have some significant assets, such as a satellite TV, will have expanded its housing by constructing additional rooms or at least cemented a larger floor area, and will be sending all its children to school. Both male and female adult members will have a mobile phone,

An average household. This is likely to have been in Yemen for between 5 and 10 years, to be reasonably large and have some access to additional resources, as well as having been able to manage its own resources adequately, without facing any major crises. In addition to the monthly rations, this household would have the following:

- Fairly regular access to casual employment within the camp or outside for at least one male and one female member, though no actual regular employment contract; one member would be working about 10 days a month

- This household might get occasional gifts from distant relatives who have been resettled somewhere

- One or two of its members might also be involved in some kind of petty occasional activity within the camp, eg selling in the Friday market, working as a butcher’s assistant, or hawking

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This household would have basic assets, in the form of adequate clothing and furniture, some home improvements in the form of a cemented yard, would own a plastic pipe to transport water from the standpipe as well as sufficient jerry cans to hold the water. It might have a television and at least one lamp connected to the local generator. Its children would attend school. The household would have at least one mobile phone most likely with the senior male or female member.

A poor household. May have been in Yemen for less than 5 years, be smaller in size, and have very little access to resources additional to those provided by the UN and NGO refugee system. It would be exclusively dependent on its monthly rations, with the possible occasional addition of a gift from wealthier people and of a day’s work. Most likely adult members of this household would suffer from a long-term physical disability or trauma induced by the process of becoming a refugee. It is likely to have a single adult member. It would send its children to school but not necessarily regularly. Its assets would not include electric lighting, a TV or mobile phones but might include a radio, and basic cooking equipment but inadequate furniture.

A destitute household. This household may have been in Yemen for any duration, but most likely less than 5 years and would be small, including adults and children who are unable to live normally for health or other reasons. Such a household has fallen into debt and therefore does not even have access to its full rations for its survival, having handed over its ration card to the lender. People usually borrow to finance medical expenses for treatment beyond the scope of what is available in the camp hospital, or alternatively if they have lost money trying to finance the migration of a member or to start a business which has failed. At least one of its adult members will be suffering from some disability preventing her/him from working. Women may do some occasional work laundering clothes for others or carrying out other household tasks against cash or kind payments to supplement what little basic necessities are still accessible to them. These households are extremely poor, have no lamps, phones or TVs and their basic equipment is very limited and inadequate. The likelihood of liberating themselves from their debt burden is unclear given that, once they have handed over their ration cards, the holder can claim endless repayments and the burden of debt is unclear and unwritten as many people are illiterate.

Villages

Village households are dependent on a combination of some of the following activities, all of which contribute varying shares to their livelihoods strategies:

- Land cultivation for the few landowners: the main crop is sorghum but in the areas where water is more reliable, some sesame is cultivated.

- Retirement pensions for men who have been in the armed forces in the past- Salaries for current military personnel; this concerns mostly ordinary soldiers whose current

average monthly pay is YER 35 000 [ranging from a minimum of YER 25 000 to a maximum of YER 70 000]

- Other government salaries, mainly teaching- Employment in the camp institutions, whether UN or NGO- Ownership and husbandry of a few small ruminants, mostly goats- Bee keeping; the few bee keepers are likely to have about 5 hives each though one bee

keeper in al Sahala has 70 hives- Collecting firewood in the neighbourhood, and either selling it as firewood or transforming it

into charcoal and selling that; this is a male activity. Women also collected firewood but exclusively for household use

- Casual agricultural labour for men and women during harvesting and other peak seasonal demand period. It is worth noting that, unlike other areas in Yemen, this mission found that all agricultural labour is paid ‘in kind’ with workers being given a portion of the harvest as ‘reward’ for their labour. It was therefore practically impossible to assess the payment rates used in the area.

- Weeding for women, which can also be described as collecting fodder for animals, as the only reward they get is to keep the weeds to feed their livestock

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- Livestock herding, of goats and the few sheep. This work is done by girls in this area; they go out in the mornings and return mid day, going out again in the late afternoons.

The household typologies here are quite different as can be seen below

A comfortable household will include a main male earner, and will have the following assets and sources of income:

- Employment income from one male member, usually a younger person who is in the armed services, though this could also be someone employed by one or another of the institutions [UN or NGO] operating in the camp. There are also a few teachers in the villages who are employed either in the camp school or in the schools in Huweireb

- Some cultivable land in good years [about 5 feddan]- Between 10 and 20 small ruminants- One cow- It would have a number of mobile phones, with all adult males as well as senior women if

allowed to by the head of the household- A very well off household would also be owner of a shop or a vehicle operating as taxi

This household would be living in a stone house with some mud-brick elements, with numerous rooms and a latrine/toilet in the house or yard. A few particularly wealthy households might have a modern house built in the last decade using stone as well as breeze blocks. The house would be surrounded by an enclosed yard. This household might have a generator which would be used to operate lamps, a television with satellite reception dish and possibly sell some surplus electricity to other houses in the village. In the largest villages [Turan, Sahala] two or three such households might exist. In Mahaned, and al Khuba one household has a generator, while in Hogef and Saliba there are none. Huweireb is the exception in this respect as it is on the camp’s electricity network and therefore all households have electricity.

An above-average household is likely to be composed of about 6 people, including 2 adults and four children. It would have the following characteristics:

- Employment income from one young male or retirement pension from a former soldier- No land- Casual agricultural labour in season for both men and women- It would have one mobile telephone- about 10 small ruminants- one camel used for transport and for agricultural work

This household would live in a mud brick house with some kind of branch enclosure around a yard, and would do its cooking in the yard, using primarily firewood collected by the women of the household. It would have no access to electricity or TV though it might have a radio.

An average household would be marginally poorer than the preceding one, and would have the following characteristics:

- no male in regular employment- main source of income would be collecting firewood and either selling it as is or transforming

it into charcoal for sale- some additional income would be available through occasional days of casual work in

construction or other activities in the camp or in fisheries related activities in Khor Umeira- seasonal casual labour for men and women in harvesting and other agricultural activities [paid

in kind, ie with some grains or fodder for animals]- one of its women members would be employed on a part time basis by neighbours as a

shepherd for a group of small ruminants- the household would have about 5 small ruminants

This household would live in a single room mud brick house, with at best marginal enclosure from branches etc… it has no access to electricity, media or a mobile telephone. At best it will send its

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sons to school if the school is near enough. There are strong cultural objections to educating girls so the vast majority of girls do not attend school at all.

A poor household would have the following characteristics:- no male in regular employment- no adult male able to collect firewood on a frequent basis- occasional casual employment for men and women in harvesting or other agricultural work

when there is a good rainy season and there are crops to work on; [paid in kind in grains or fodder for animals, which can then be sold for those households without any livestock of their own]

- income primarily from work as shepherd for a household teenage girl- at most one or two small ruminants

This household would live in a single mud-brick house, probably in some disrepair, without an enclosure and using old materials and other cast-offs as additional protection against the elements. At best one or two of its sons would go to school. It would be unable to finance medical expenses or even transport to reach medical facilities in the camp. It would have no access to electricity or mobile phones. This is likely to be a single parent household or one where at least one of the adults is unable to work for health, old age or other reasons.

In addition to these, there are a few destitute households, usually composed of older adults who have no means of support and are almost exclusively dependent on charity in addition to minor work for neighbours.

Summary

It is thus clear that the current livelihoods strategies of the refugee and host communities are significantly different. The former are based on a primary system of rations which give the majority of households basic food security, as well as adequate shelter and sanitation, supplemented by educational and medical services in the camp. These can either be supplemented through enterprise or employment, thus allowing the households to reach acceptable and even good living standards, or they can be worsened through indebtedness and involvement with ‘loan sharks’ within their communities, leading to temporary loss of their ration cards and thus dependence on others and on limited casual labour. There is little differentiation in the livelihoods strategies of men and women within the Somali community, except that, outside the camp, men specialise in car cleaning and construction while women’s work concentrates on house cleaning and begging.

By contrast the host community members are traditionally dependent on livestock and agriculture. As these became less profitable and alternative employment became available from government in the past generation, the main source of income has come to be employment in the armed forces and other forms of civil service employment for men in the communities. Only a few community leaders gain their main income from land and livestock. With state retrenchment, accompanied by political changes and increased cost of living in the country, this basic livelihood has become insufficient to cover reasonable living standards. Most of the villages are too small to sustain educational establishments and only Huweireb as a school, including a secondary school. Medical services are available to the community through the camp’s hospital which is responsible for providing care to all. Currently the main sources of income for host community households are a) salaries and pensions from mainly military and some other institutions including those connected with the refugee camp, b) casual labour in fishers, in the camp and in agriculture, and c) income from gathering firewood and selling it either as wood or charcoal. Women’s income generating activities in the host community are far more limited and basically reduced to shepherding small ruminants, the manufacture of incense and sewing for those who have the skills.

With respect to shelter it is also clear that for the majority of host community households, their shelter is of lower standards than those of refugees, living in very basic mud-brick housing complemented by

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branches and cloth temporary constructions, often without any enclosures, with no sanitation facilities at all, in an environment with very limited locations where people could go to relieve themselves without being seen.

Given this situation it is clear that the overall basic food security and shelter of the refugee community are superior to that of the host community members. This was noticeable during field work when no obviously malnourished children were seen in the camp, whereas in the villages there were clear signs of malnutrition among some of the children.

However, with respect to potential improvements in the economic field, there are considerable similarities. Given the very limited development potential of the area, it will be important to focus economic development on micro enterprises in activities other than cultivation, including livestock, fisheries and manufacturing/services sector; this situation is relevant for members of both communities, while some support to agriculturally based livelihoods will primarily benefit the host communities.

RELATIONS BETWEEN REFUGEES AND HOST COMMUNITY

There is considerable sensitivity concerning the issue of relations between the two communities. Attempts to discuss these were constrained by the shortage of time and the fact that many people, who had had earlier involvement with the CARE projects, wanted to emphasise the positive aspects. It was also clear that relations between the two groups are limited in time and place and therefore actual awareness of each others’ living conditions is also limited. It is also worth noting the differences in perception of this mission [which resided for a full week in the project area] and that of the final evaluation mission of the first phase of CPP which spent less time, but noted explicit ‘before’ and ‘after’ differences. So although the mission got the feeling that many were giving ‘politically correct’ answers, the points below are clearly true and relevant, even if real feelings may be less positive on either side.

In early 2012, the situation is different from what it was in 2009. There are now mechanisms of communications between refugees and host communities, as well as the first stages of developing relationships, particularly among younger people. These outcomes are indicators of the success of the efforts of the first phase of the project, and also provide some guidelines for future activities.

Both refugees and host community members are explicitly aware of the fact that both groups have clearly benefited from the presence of the refugee camp in the area. Host community members listed the following positive impact of the camp’s presence:

- the availability of medical services [the camp ‘hospital’ is open to all 24 hours a day] within easy reach and providing a higher quality of service than government facilities which are further away; however there are clearly issues with respect to the distribution of medication and whether this should be free or paid for

- the availability of domestic water which has been provided to all the villages with taps for each house. This has been done through the CARE project is certainly the main benefit for all households and indeed a situation far superior to that found in most Yemeni villages in Lahej or any other governorate. This project was implemented partly as a result of pressure from the villagers on camp institutions.

- the provision of electricity through the solar panels, even though many of these are not operational and people are asking for more [CARE]

- the construction and equipment of the literacy ‘schools’ in each village [a CARE activity]- the weekly Friday market in the camp is the main source of supply for basic commodities for

the neighbouring villages as well as the camp population and also a market for fresh produce for farmers and traders from further afield in Lahej. It is also where surplus ‘ration’ goods are sold, whether sugar, wheat flour, rice or other. Thus it is both an outlet for local produce [mainly animal fodder and fresh vegetables and fruit] and hence of income for people from

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the broader area and a source of reasonably priced basic supplies [at the time of the mission’s visit, the cost of a sack of high quality WFP wheat flour in the camp’s Friday market was YER 2800 whereas elsewhere in Yemen the same quantity of lower quality flour was being sold for YER 7000 or more].

- The camp is also a source of casual employment in construction as well as of more permanent employment for a few people as teachers, guards or other capacities with the NGOs and UN institutions; it also provides the local vehicle owners with a good supply of clients for the Kharaz-Aden taxi route, making it viable to have a ‘station’ in the camp.

The Somalis have fewer practical advantages due to the proximity of the host community villages and showed some concern and sense of insecurity, though this is more likely to be due to their overall situation than to the specific relationship with close neighbours. When asked the main point they make it

- that the Yemenis are ‘at home’, not refugees and therefore it is assumed are better off- they point to the shared market and the mutual benefit this brings to both groups- young people in particular were positive about the joint sports activities which had been

developed by the project- a few of them appear to have started having ‘social’ relations with members of the host

community and visits on the occasion of marriages were mentioned;- when pushed many of them admitted that materially conditions for the Yemenis are worse

than their own, given the fact that they do not have access to the rations. There is a reluctant recognition that material conditions for host communities are very difficult.

Consultation with the local police indicated that there have been no incidents between Somalis and Yemenis in recent times. However there have been plenty of incidents within each of the communities. The issues arising from struggle over scarce resources of any kind can be seen in an incident which took place during the mission’s presence in the camp. A current building contractor has recruited both Somalis and Yemenis from the nearest communities. A group of potential workers from a village further away wanted to be included, and a major incident took place between Yemenis who had been recruited and those who had not. This kind of incident makes it clear that the issue of inclusion goes well beyond the hamlets which have been included in the project. There is little doubt that Yemenis in the broader area are impressed by the services and facilities offered to the refugees which they cannot access.

It is notable that there have been very few incidents of conflict between the two communities even in the past. With respect to long term monitoring of inter-communal conflicts, the number of incidents are the main indicator of the situation. The only available data is that from CPP1, which monitored the following:

- between August 2009 and March 2010 there were 6 incidents of conflict with UNHCR and NGOs, and only one incident between refugees and host community members

- between December 2011 and February 2012, there were a further 5 incidents between host community and NGOs and one within the refugee community itself

One issue which will need clarification during implementation concerns the businesses started within the camp. While host community members stated that Yemenis are not allowed to open businesses in the camp, UNHCR stated that there is no such regulation. In practice, it is clear that all shops and other small enterprises within the camp are owned and operated by Somalis with the exception of the transport system, which can be considered to be an ‘outside’ operation, and the departure point is on the edge of the camp, rather than in its centre.

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RECOMMENDATIONS. PROPOSED ACTIVITIES

Economic

The area in and around the Kharaz refugee camp is very arid with limited agricultural potential. This situation goes a long way towards explaining the low population density of the area. It has traditionally been an area where small ruminant herding has been the main economic activity. It is also fairly remote and distant from major urban areas such as Aden or Taiz or even smaller towns like Mokha and Tor al Baha. The only other known local resource are the coastal fisheries with the fishing port of Khor Umeira the nearest at 17km from the camp and Ras al Ara 30 km further west along the coast, which is larger and also the administrative capital of the district.

The following proposals are based on the assumption that the proposed interventions will provide improved livelihoods locally in the villages, the camp and nearby areas, as well as further afield, through improved skills of migrant labourers.

Agriculture. As discussed above, agriculture is marginal in the project area. However it is a basic contributor to livelihoods for the villagers and plays a particularly important social role within the community as people have a self perception as farmers and livestock herders before they see themselves as state employees or anything else. Land tenure is limited to some households; whether these are among the poorer or not depends primarily on their other sources of income, the size of their plots and the performance of the monsoon rains. In other words it cannot be assumed that being a landowner automatically means being part of the village ‘wealthy’, though it may mean being part of the traditional ‘elite’ of leaders and decision makers. The following interventions should be implemented either directly through the project or by cooperation with other projects:

- Wadi bank protection. Most of the villages and the camp are near wadi Thumnan which has in recent rainy seasons caused considerable erosion on its banks, threatening some homes and destroying many fields. A useful contribution to economic and social development could be made through the construction and installation of gabions in the right locations to reduce this erosion and protect both villages and fields. This would require recruiting a short term consultant engineer familiar with wadi bank protection work who could work with some community members in deciding on the best position for the gabions [local community members with many years of experience of flash floods are most likely to know the history of changes in flows and thus be able to advise on most appropriate location for gabion protection, hence an engineer who is willing to listen should be recruited]. Work could then be carried out by local unemployed men from the community and the camp under the supervision of the project; financing such an activity would be of benefit to both camp residents and host communities as both are threatened by the worsening erosion;

- Repair and rehabilitation of diversion canals from the wadis to the fields to ensure that water flows are used to their maximum benefit to irrigate fields of villagers and increase yields, and as little water as possible is wasted; slowing the water flows towards the sea will also contribute to replenishment of the ground water table which will be beneficial for agriculture as well as domestic water supplies in the area. If necessary guidance from an engineer [as above] could be sought.

- Introduction of improved more drought resistant seeds. The ‘Rainfed Agriculture Development Project’ has been collecting and developing such seeds for sorghum and other crops for the past few years and should be able to provide local landraces of sorghum and sesame which are more suitable for local conditions.

- Simple post harvest preservation techniques could be introduced to protect the limited sorghum and sesame harvests; the Aden based Post Harvest Centre could be consulted on this matter

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- Fodder choppers and basic advice on supplementary foods [eg dried fish] and other mechanisms could be introduced to improve the nutritional quality of animal fodder. This could be done easily by providing a short training course to young women and men from each village and from the camp to enable them to provide advice to their neighbours and colleagues. It would be necessary to check which projects have introduced this, suggest you consult SFD

While some of these activities would be primarily of long-term benefit for the host community members, they are also relevant for the Somali refugees who would benefit in two main ways: first they would participate in the work and thus earn an income while doing so and secondly they would benefit from increased quantity and quality of fodder for the animals which they keep in the camp, hence all livestock related activities are of direct benefit to both social groups.

Livestock. In addition to the animal fodder improvements suggested above, the mission proposes two main interventions with respect to livestock raising:

- The training of a group of male and female ‘para-veterinarians’ or animal health workers; given the importance of small ruminants everywhere, as well as camels and cattle in the villages, this training would create a group of people able to provide basic health and veterinary care to the animals, thus benefiting their owners directly. Ideally literate adults should be selected, particularly women, given women’s role in the husbandry of small ruminants, but if necessary younger people could also be selected and certainly men would have to be selected to work with camels. This training could be provided by a number of consultants/experts who have done such training for a variety of other projects in Yemen. These could be found by consulting the various projects and institutions currently operating in the country [eg DPRDP, SFD, AREA, etc.] Initial training should last about 6 weeks and be primarily practical, working with local animals and using facilities in the camp or the villages [eg the literacy schools]. A refresher course of one or two weeks should be scheduled about a year later or towards the end of the project. The best performers in the training would be provided with a kit including basic equipment as well as medication. Trainees should also be given training in basic business management. An awareness campaign also needs to be carried out within the camp and local communities to ensure that people understand that the trainees are new ‘entrepreneurs’ and expected to earn an income from their skills, not provide a free service related to the UN system.

- Training in bee keeping and distribution of some hives [support from projects involved in this can be found to identify suitable trainers]

- The project may decide to distribute some small ruminants to the poorest and most destitute families among both host communities and the refugees. Given the previous history of small ruminant distribution, this proposal should be treated with caution. However it should be clear that it is exclusively designed for completely destitute families, ie those refugees who have lost their ration cards to loan sharks or host community households with no other source of income and no able bodied adult of working age. A brief survey can be carried out by the project contacts in each village to identify suitable candidates.

Given the actual and social importance of livestock and the lack of local skills in their husbandry, this would be the most useful contribution to local economic development and an activity which is of equal relevance to refugees and host communities alike. Given the numbers of animals involved, most of the trainees should specialise in small ruminants, and one or two in cameloids and probably one in cattle.

Skill and Vocational training. As discussed above, other organisations working with refugees have provided some training and investment in micro and small enterprises in the camp. However, very little has been done beyond the camp for the communities participating in the earlier CARE projects, let alone beyond them with other communities. Given the scarcity of natural resources, development of skills for micro and small enterprises in both services and production would seem to be the most likely mechanism to improve people’s ability to earn an income either locally or beyond. Mobility is

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a basic feature of life for both Somali refugees and host community men. Women are far less mobile in the host community though they marry out and may well move to the cities, whereas Somali women are almost as mobile as the men.

Training should be provided in small mixed groups of Somalis and Yemenis in the following skills. Each type of training will have different duration requirements. Overall it will also be important to get a balance of topics, as well as total numbers of trainees. While actual demand in the current context does not have to be a firm constraint, it is also important to ensure that the numbers of people trained do not exceed substantially what can reasonably be absorbed locally and through short term migration. The following topics are in demand for training:

- For women: henna processing, sewing, sweet manufacturing, incense production, hair dressing

- For men: carpentry, mechanics, vehicle and house electrical skills, plumbing, driving, barbers, building techniques

- For both men and women: basic veterinary care and animal health training and bee keeping as discussed above, mobile phone repairs and maintenance, photography

All technical training should include basic safety and hygiene elements according to its nature, to ensure that produce are clean and that operators safeguard their health. In addition technical training must be accompanied by short 2 or 3 day courses in basic business management, which should include: cash flow management, stock control, keeping of financial records, business management, negotiating skills, advertising and all the other skills necessary to run a successful business.

It should also not be assumed that all trainees will start their own businesses, only those who show specific aptitude to running businesses should be encouraged to do so. Others should be encouraged to develop their technical skills thus enabling them to be good professionals in their field. Basic training should also carefully and systematically emphasise the objective of self-reliance and independence rather than the vision of training being just another benefit coming from the institutions.

To ensure maximum accessibility and reduce costs, it will be important to ensure that training is carried out locally. There are training facilities in the camp and to ensure equitable distribution, some of the training courses could be conducted in the villages in the literacy ‘schools’ which provide a room suitable for much training. This would ensure better involvement and participation of village women as well as indicate to all that the camp is not the only source of facilities, and make use of earlier investments made by CARE.

A major issue which will have to be discussed and settled is that of the ‘grant’ versus credit approach to the supply of equipment and tools. This is discussed below separately. Distribution of equipment/tools does not have to be directly related to the training. There are in the camp and also in the community some people who already have skills. While it might be decided that they need some upgrading training, these people should also be considered for the supply of equipment/tools. The kind of equipment which would be distributed and which would provide income generating potential to men and women with and without specific training, include the following:

- Pasta making machines [these are hand tools that shape sheets of pastry into noodles, available in many ordinary shops; Somali women are very familiar with them and have asked for them, clearly learnt from Italian colonialism]

- Sweet making equipment [pans, dishes, spatulas etc.] and packaging- Hair dressing tools/equipment- Sewing machines- Basic kits for the different types of skills: electricity, plumbing, vehicle mechanics etc…- Motorbikes and start up capital for shops if the credit option is chosen

Business start-upsAs discussed above, not all skilled technicians are either interested or able to run their own businesses. Many trainees should be encouraged to focus on their technical skills rather than on

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starting businesses. However some will be both able and willing to start businesses and they should be encouraged to do so only once they have demonstrated their capacity and skill through successful work with an existing business for at least one year. Interventions proposed for the refugees and host communities include some which can involve both groups and others which are specific to one or the other group.

The major issue which the project will have to address is whether to encourage joint investments by Somalis and Yemenis. Joint enterprises/business partnerships can be successful, but there is a great need for previous experience and demonstrated ability by the partners to work well together; for example a person with good business skills may partner well with someone with good technical skills provided both are willing to respect each other’s sphere of expertise and are personally compatible. This kind of compatibility is demonstrated over time and the duration of the project is insufficient to build up this kind of knowledge and experience. Partnerships can also be a cause for disagreements and many of them break up in acrimony, even between relatives and close friends, let alone people with as many differences and potential for misunderstanding [including linguistic] as a partnership between a Somali refugee and a Yemeni at home.

In the difficult situation prevailing in and around the camp, there are a number of enterprises which could well be successful and which may require the kind of capital which is beyond an individual loan or grant. Such enterprises proposed during the mission include the establishment of a ‘factory’ to manufacture breeze blocks for building, or fishing boats6

The project should be extremely cautious in approaching the issue of joint enterprises between Somalis and Yemenis. Many problems could occur, including attempts by one or the other party to fully appropriate the assets of the enterprise and deprive the other of his/her fair share, bias and favouritism in the selection of employees, financial irregularities and plenty more. It would seem wiser to allow individuals to establish enterprises or to let partnerships develop ‘naturally’ through common work, whether among each group or involving members of both groups. If a joint enterprise is established it will be essential to ensure that this is establish along clear lines and that each party’s rights and responsibilities are clearly identified and made explicit in the legal documentation establishing the said enterprise.

Social

During the first phase of the project a number of ‘social’ activities were undertaken which have effectively contributed to establishing social relationships between Somalis and Yemenis. In particular this has been done through the youth and sports clubs and the establishment of the joint shaykhs committee. This second phase is intended to focus primarily on economic development. However, given the success and the popularity of the earlier activities, this mission recommends the following:

- That support to host community youth clubs be continued and include a) a small amount to be devoted to the purchase of sports equipment but b) the bulk of support should go to providing each of the ‘literacy’ schools with a computer which can be connected to the internet where there is Yemen Mobile service, and a TV with satellite dish. The solar electricity system would have to be repaired/upgraded to operate this equipment. In order to avoid waste and ensure responsibility, the youth clubs would have to provide furniture, ensure a timetable for use giving equal access to women [eg alternate days for males and females], and provide some ‘guarantors’ for the care and protection of the equipment. This should be closely supervised and priority should be given to those hamlets/villages which have already taken initiatives in this direction (Khober),

6 Anecdotal evidence provide a clear example of how things can go wrong. An earlier SHS project supplied some fishing boats to Somalis and Yemenis for joint operations but as soon as the project ended they were ‘appropriated’ and the joint venture ended. The mission was unable to obtain further details of the venture.

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- That a set of books be provided to each of the literacy schools for use by the local community as a ‘community library’; these should include literature, social aspects, history, children’s books etc…

- That further football and volley ball matches be organised between host community and refugee teams, leading to a cup. Other cultural activities like quizzes and knowledge competitions should also be continued, including both girls/young women and boys/young men

- That further mutual visits be organised between villagers and camp inhabitants. Joint visits to other areas could also be organised which will give all the opportunity of learning about the actual living conditions of rural Yemenis; such visits could be made to poorer villages in the Tor al Baha area or the fishing villages near Bab al Mandab; they should involve small groups of similar people [eg young men, young women, shaykhs, older men and women etc..]. it is important and useful for both host community members and refugees to be reminded of the actual living conditions of the vast majority of Yemenis in rural areas [remembering that 70% of Yemen’s population are rural]. This will give both refugees and local villagers the opportunity of being reminded of the advantages of their own situation

- Literacy classes for women in the camp and in the villages. Mechanism for such classes are discussed in detail in annex 1.

Proposed operational mechanisms.

The project’s objectives are both to improve people’s livelihoods and contribute to increasing the level of household autonomy through reducing their dependence on handouts, and also to contribute to further improvements in social relations between the Somali refugee community and the Yemeni communities in the neighbouring villages. Some of the proposed actions can be done jointly and their implementation will be an opportunity for the development of relations between the two communities. Procedures and selection of activities should be based on the level of need and potential for cooperation between the communities:

- Agricultural and wadi bank protection activities will involve both groups in income generation work and improve their environment through greater availability of fodder and protection from risk of flash floods etc. Given the importance of livestock, the additional benefit to the landowners can be considered reasonable compensation for the fact that the host communities’ overall living standards are lower than those of the refugees.

- Training activities have excellent potential as both Somalis and Yemenis can be trained together, giving them an opportunity of getting to know each other better and of potentially considering implementing a project together. In addition holding some training in the camp and some in the villages will give both groups further opportunities of becoming familiar with the way of life and constraints faced by others, and to develop more sympathy with the others.

- Given the duration of the project, it is unlikely that training in all subjects can be implemented. The following guidelines should be used in deciding what to do: animal health training should be given first priority as the demand is clear in both social groups and it is of benefit locally. At least two training courses should be planned for 15 trainees each, one for men one for women. After that, on the basis of demand and consultation short courses should be planned in mobile phone maintenance and repair, again for both men and women. With respect to the other activities for each course for men, one should be held for women: demand from women is clearly prioritized towards sewing following by incense production and sweet making, whereas for men, demand should be used to decide which courses to hold. One course for each subject should be planned for this phase of the project

- Selection of participants should be done on the basis of relevant criteria which should be appropriately weighted. There should be a) balance between host communities and refugees and within the former between the different hamlets; b) priority should be given to the poorer with the greatest number of dependents and least alternative sources of income, c) talent and serious interest and commitment to making a living from the activity must also be given high priority

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- Selection of beneficiaries for the distribution of equipment/ tools should be done as discussed elsewhere, using very strict criteria to ensure that the majority of recipients will actually make maximum use of what they receive.

ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED AND OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS.

Inclusion of additional villages.

The villages currently included in the project are all within a 5km radius of the camp. There are other villages in the area, some of which are fairly near, and others have economic connections with the area’s population. It is also clear that, by comparison with most villages and hamlets throughout Yemen, conditions in these villages have benefited enormously from their proximity to the refugee camp. Where else in Yemen would one find small isolated hamlets of 20 or fewer households with water connections to every house and purpose built literacy buildings, with solar electricity panels? The villages/hamlets beyond that range do not have these facilities and their populations are well aware of the advantages that the refugee camp has given to their neighbours not only with respect to access to social services but also to employment potential. It would be wise to include further villages, at least to some extent, particularly with respect to access to social services, water in particular.

Khor Umeira is also supposedly supplied with fresh water from the same network as the villages, through a pipeline. However this is not operational. The mission was unable to establish the definite cause for this situation but it was suggested that owners of water tankers have a clear vested interest in the absence of a piped water supply to the village and that, in addition, some of the semi-nomadic communities through whose territory the pipe passes also have some interest in interrupting the flow. The fact is that the village does not have a functioning piped water supply as the pipe has been damaged and its population has to rely on water tanker supplies.

The largest villages which have a clear economic relationship with both the camp and the surrounding villages are Khor Umaira [17km from the camp on the coast] and Ras al Ara [25km further west along the coast] which, in addition to being a fishing village is also one of the administrative centres connected with the district. Both these villages are primarily fishing villages and their boat owners employ Somalis and Yemenis as crew as well as on-shore assistance. These villages are also unique in Yemen as they have some fisherwomen, including some women who own boats.

This situation provides an opportunity to strengthen relations between the fishers and the inland communities, whether host or refugee. Mechanisms for common activities or joint projects should be examined with care. However it should be possible to establish some joint/complementary activities which would contribute to improved livelihoods among the poorer members of these communities. For example, it might be possible to establish a marketing chain for the fish caught by the fisherwomen: a contract would be made between the group of fisher women to sell their fish at a reasonable market price to a group of refugees and villagers. The latter would be provided with appropriate mobile cold storage facilities [ie large ice boxes] which could be transported on motorbikes and the fish could then be sold in the camp and the surrounding villages. Should there be enough fish and sufficient demand, the marketing mechanism could extend to further inland villages, eg Tor al Baha. To increase the likelihood of success, it would be important for each individual or group to be responsible for an autonomous section of the value chain, thus minimising the points of potential conflict and facilitating the determination of responsibilities.

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Issue of credit vs grant.

In addition to training for a variety of skills, the main investment the project can make to improve people’s ability to become self-sufficient and reduce their dependence on the outside world, will be to provide some of the refugees and host community members with sets of tools or equipment which will enable them to operate as micro-enterprises. The types of tools and equipment are discussed above, and range from simple equipment for cooking and preparing sweets to more sophisticated equipment to repair mobile phones or for welding. The main issues which need to be addressed here are a) the selection of beneficiaries for equipment, as not all trainees or all those who claim to have a certain skill can be supported and b) whether this equipment should be provided on a grant or credit basis.

Previous experience in and around the camp clearly indicates that this is going to be a significant problem. ADRA has in the past years attempted to implement a micro finance scheme. Initially without a specific limit to the size of the loans and without adequate guarantees, the repayment rate was extremely low. In 2009, ADRA changed its operational system and now limits loans to a maximum of YER 40 000 and currently have 52 projects under credit including 23 shops (16 of which have been fully repaid), 5 cafeterias, 2 juice shops and 10 hawkers (four of whom have fully repaid); unfortunately they were unable to give a breakdown by gender of beneficiaries. All their operations are with refugees and within the camp and ADRA credit comes in the form of the goods/tools required for the enterprise, not of cash. The new system involves the borrower providing a guarantor, as well as two witnesses. However, ADRA is still finding it difficult to ensure repayments and its staff complain that there is a strong dependency attitude within the camp which means that people tend to consider all inputs from NGOs and others as gifts. The project is trying to address this by holding workshops on project management and in particular on financial management and stock management, to encourage people to have a more business-like approach to the investments.

It is clear from ADRA’s experience and from discussions with others related to the camp as well as the surrounding villages that the presence of the camp has encouraged and developed a strong sense of entitlement and dependency. I am also unsure about the situation with respect to the CPP project.

My views and recommendations on the issue are the following:- The project needs to decide whether to get involved in micro-credit or not. Under no

circumstances should it itself implement a micro finance operation. It has neither got the qualified staff nor the permanence which are required for such an operation to be successful and, given that it is already known as a grant giving organisation, the shift between grant and credit would be almost impossible to bridge with a resulting abysmal repayment rate.

- Any micro-finance operation involving credit should be implemented by a long-term agency specialising in the subject. There are now a significant number of such agencies in Yemen, ranging from the Amal Bank and al Kuraimi Micro finance to the Aden Micro finance Foundation [altogether I gather there are over 20 such institutions]. Such an institution might be willing to set up a ‘branch’ on a full or part-time basis in the camp, given the size of its population and could operate micro credit [and possibly savings] operations in association with the project. Most likely they would not need an injection of capital [as most of them are capital rich] but it might be necessary to help with start-up operational costs. It is essential that such credit be clearly separated from any other project related activity. The project could then act as an advisor and intermediary, possibly assisting the institution in assessing the viability of the micro-projects and help in finding guarantors, or in creating solidarity groups, depending on the modus operandi chosen. If the project chooses this option, it should contact the institutions potentially interested in working in the area and issue a request for proposals, clearly outlining the requirements and the possible project input. Given the time required to get something like this operational and the duration of the project, this should be set in motion as soon as possible. This should be done through a contract, however CARE could only provide start-up finance, as the project is of short duration, and the institution should be

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willing to commit itself to long-term involvement. Given the current multiplicity of such institutions and their search for clients, it should be feasible and relatively easy.

- Providing grants to selected beneficiaries is the alternative to credit. It fits in with previous activities and interventions in the area but obviously furthers the ‘dependency’ and ‘entitlement’ attitude which already exists in the refugee community as well as among some of the villagers in the area. The main advantage of this option is that it would be comparatively easier to implement and not demand a long-term institutional involvement. However it would require the establishment of very clear and very tough criteria for the selection of beneficiaries, as demand is likely to far outstrip realistic and effective use of the items provided. A few people met who had received equipment and tools after earlier training all claimed that they had no work and that the tools provided were insufficient. I believe this is as much a result of unrealistic expectations and lack of opportunities as of the actual inadequacy of the tools provided. It is clear that, given the limited amount of electricity available in and around the camp, trained electricians will only find occasional work locally and that most work opportunities will have to be sought elsewhere.

Distribution of tools/equipment for micro-enterprises.

Regardless of the mechanism finally decided for the provision of such tools, it will be essential to have strict criteria for selection of beneficiaries. Regardless of the credit situation, the following criteria are suggested, particularly with respect to grants. They are weighted with a total score of 100 where appropriate:

- Candidates should include both individuals who have been trained through the project and others who have previous experience of the skill and have lost their equipment either when coming from Somalia or more recently through some other accident

- There should be a balance between refugees and host community members [50/50]- Gender balance needs to be a selection criterion: clearly some skills and investment are

gender specific [hairdressing and bukhur making for women, vehicle mechanics for men] but others can be gender neutral [eg mobile phone repairs, sweet manufacture]. There should be equal numbers of men and women selected and the total value of credit/grant should be similar for men and women

- Technical skill and competence: candidates should demonstrate their ability to use the tools/equipment through a series of ‘real life’ actual tests, and only those whose capacity is demonstrated should be short listed; score 30

- Poverty has to be a primary selection criterion: individuals with responsibility for many dependents and without alternative sources of income need to be given priority over those with fewer dependents and whose current livelihoods are more comfortable; score 20

- Demonstrated previous experience of running a similar type of business should be given priority over previous experience of running a different type of business, but both should be taken into consideration; score 30

- Local demand for the skill/enterprise proposed; this is important though not exclusive as many among both refugees and local host community members, may well use their skills beyond their home area; score 10

- References should be taken from really respected community members or leaders, teachers, camp institution staff etc… to indicate commitment; score 10 according to the details of the references

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BASIC DATA ON VILLAGESThis table includes the basic data I was able to collect. It requires some updating and corrections and could be used as a basis of data collection for the baseline.

Name Nu HH

Retired Government employees

Landholders shops Cattle

Camels Fishers Vehicles SWF benef

Male grad

FEmale secondary

school grads

Mobile phones

Turan 36 7 20 milit, 3 teachers, 7

NGOs

1 3 1 7 1 (1985) 15 18 U 0

Khober 23 1 15 teachers, 2 milit

18 2 9 1 10 app 0 20 app

3

Saliba7 11 1 0 3 0 0 0 1Sahala 55 35 0 2 20 15 S 9 30Mahaned al Sufla

24 1 20 milit 3 0 1 6 0 4 2

Mahaned al A’la

12 4 6 milit 4 0 1 4 0 1 1

Hagf 19 1 5 milit 1 0 0 1 0 1S 10MHuseinoora 33 4 8 0 1 3 y 0 9S 4MHuweireb 190 50 20 milit, 11

teachers and health,25 camp

staff

20 though only one has all the

land near the village

2 5 0 50 10 20 U 6

7 This is a ‘new’ hamlet, hence has not benefited from earlier project’s buildings and electricity networks

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ANNEX 1. MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES WHICH SHOULD BE ADDRESSED WITHIN THIS PROJECT

Literacy buildings and classes for women

All the villages [except Huweireb] have been provided by earlier CARE projects with a one room building to be used for literacy classes. These are currently in different conditions, reflecting the care and attention they have been given by their beneficiaries. It would appear that, while literacy classes were held regularly during the period of the CARE financing, they are nowadays not operating in most, if not all, of the villages. This appears to be due to the fact that the Min of Ed’s Literacy programme have not, as intended, fully taken over the responsibility. Some of these buildings are clearly used for other purposes while others seem to be largely unused. Unless something is done about it, it will have been largely a wasted investment. The mission makes the following recommendations:

- Assess the cause for disrepair and neglect of those buildings which are not cared for, and develop an appropriate strategy to deal with this

- Develop training for some young educated village girls to become literacy trainers for the women and girls in their villages, ensure they are provided with the necessary equipment [books, notebooks, whiteboards etc…] and develop a ‘community based’ reward system for these teachers, to ensure the sustainability of the activity beyond the project period

- Where these buildings are used by youth clubs and others, equip them with a lockable book case and a supply of educational and entertainment books of different levels to develop the reading and literacy skills of the villagers, as well as improve educational standards

- Where necessary repair and provide spare parts for the solar electricity systems to make them operational and in particular strengthen them to make it possible to use them to operate a computer and internet system

- Where youth clubs and the local young people in general are active and interested, assist them with supply of a) electricity, b) TV with satellite dish and receiver c) appropriate seating arrangements and d) the necessary training in securing these items. This would ensure the communities have greater access to the outside world and can benefit from facilities which should be available to all with respect to information and education. Arrangements should be made to ensure facilities are available on an equal basis to males and females [alternate days or other suitable mechanism]. It will also be essential to get a significant contribution from the beneficiaries both in materials and in labour/management of the facility, to ensure that the investment is of maximum benefit.

Toilet facilitiesEach of these buildings has been equipped with a latrine. These are apparently completely unused. This should be investigated, and if a simple remedy can be ensured to make them usable, this should be implemented. It is possible that the lack of use is due to their visibility and the fact that any user would be seen going in and out. Lack of water [the explanation given when asked] seems a less likely reason as water can be brought by users as is traditionally done for most latrine facilities in the region. Lack of privacy is more likely to be a real reason.

Solar lighting

Both villages and the camp have been provided with a number of solar powered ‘street’ lamps. Many of these are not operational, largely because parts of the system have either been removed or have broken down. While those in the camp are too numerous to address, and there is now an alternative electric lighting system provided through the generator, in the villages the situation should be examined and remedial action taken as necessary. Where the lamps are not operational through neglect or theft, no action should be taken. Where they are not working due to a technical breakdown,

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they should be repaired and/or parts replaced as necessary. In particular the electricity supply to the literacy ‘schools’ should be strengthened to make it able to operate computers and TV/satellite systems. Again where community members have taken the initiative to improve their conditions they should be assisted and if there are indications of neglect and lack of interest those groups should be given lowest priority, being encouraged to demonstrate some commitment prior to an investment being made for their benefit.

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ANNEX 2. BASELINE INFORMATION TO BE COLLECTEDTo be reviewed once the actual activities have been defined. Please see cover note

Introduction

Baseline data are required to enable stakeholders to assess the achievements of the project at the time of its completion. Hence the data collected should be directly and specifically focused on the activities and interventions which are included in the project and provide information on these points at the time of project start up.

A baseline was prepared in 2009. Tables from this baseline have been made available to this mission, but not the report itself. Given that the first phase of the project had ’conflict reduction’ as a main objective, the baseline should contain data on incidents of conflict in the year [or two years] prior to the beginning of the project, ie 2007 and 2008. To my knowledge such data are not available. The final evaluation report states that CPP have been monitoring incident and that 30 incidents were recorded between June 2009 and March 2011 [p 9]. I am awaiting detailed breakdown of these incidents requested from CPP management at the time of writing [31.1.2012] it is not clear from the data in that report whether these incidents are between Yemenis and Somalis or other.. I was not able to collect other data. Either way, we have no comparative data for the earlier period. The tables from the baseline survey are presented in a graphic form regardless of the usefulness and relevance of the data. For example there are endless columns on water and electricity supply which could easily be summarised in a single sentence: water supply is available from wells in Husseinoora and from the UNHCR supply in all the other villages, rather than have columns with zero for rain, springs, dams, public water, small reservoirs, water tanks and purchase

The baseline data for this second phase should have the three following characteristics:- Update the relevant data from the earlier baseline- Collect basic data on issues on which the project is intervening- Collect basic socio-economic data on the camp

Data that need updating

The following data were collected in 2009. It would be useful to update them both to check on any changes and as a means of correcting any errors which could have been included initially:

- Number of households in each hamlet/village- Age distribution within the villages, using the same categories as those used earlier [18+, 10-

17, 0-9, total]

It could be helpful to collect some statistical data for the activities discussed above with respect to the livelihoods; I have presented what I managed to get in the table in the report and it would be good to check/correct these., so the following would be useful

- Number of landholders and size of holdings- Number of people who work as agricultural labourers [male and female] and in particular the

number of days/season in which they work [difficult to get that accurately]- Number of households with zero small ruminants [indicator of poverty]- Number of each type of person with regular income [retirees, military/security, teachers,

camp staff, other]- Number of people [M/F] trained in different skills, number of people [M/F] earning and

income from these skills and average monthly earning. The total number is likely to be small hence this need not be presented in table form, but rather as text.

- Number of women participating in literacy classes [2010, 2011]

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- Cooking fuel used [kerosene, gas, wood/charcoal] for each identify the fuel most used and method of acquisition

- Update number of camels and cattle

Data on project intervention activities.

Some of the data listed above covers these topics, eg the data on skills training and income from said skills. However, once the exact activities have been determined, staff should make sure that they have data on current income status of project participants, and note this information, so it can be referred to at end of project to see if there has been any change.

With respect to the agricultural activities, changes in yields and achievements of crops could also be a result of interventions: if crops have not reached maturity in recent years and they do after rehabilitation of diversion streams, this could be due to the work carried out. This is not necessarily the case as it could also be due to better rainfall distribution, but it should be noted.

If the project re-develops the literacy classes as suggested, it will be important to assess the current literacy situation among women aged 15+ in the villages, at the start of the project and later at its completion to check whether the literacy programme has achieved its objectives. Thus numbers of literate adult women need to be obtained at both moments of the project.

The following could be used as wealth indicators: cattle in the villages, mobile phones everywhere, number of shops and vehicles which give overall view of the living standards in the villages. In the camp: mobile phones and use of electric lamps and TVs are the best indicators but depend on the availability of a generator in the block or area in question.

Basic data on the camp

The camp is very large and it is important here that data be collected on a sample basis. The sample should include 3 blocks whose construction/settlement have different dates, eg one build between 1998 and 2002, one between 2003 and 2007 and the third between 2008 and the present. In addition two groups of temporary shelters should be selected, one from an earlier period and the other among the most recent. In these the following data should be collected as baseline:

- Number of households [number male and number female headed] - Age and sex distribution [18+, 10-17, 0-9, total]- Availability of electricity by generator and number of lamps, TVs and other items used

through the generator- Length of residence in Yemen, and the camp- Current economic activity within the camp and outside: number of shops, workshops, other

micro enterprises, number and sex of people employed/active in these activities- Number of men/women employed on a casual and permanent basis- Literacy status of adult women [if literacy classes are to be held]- Details on presence of different skills insofar as these skills will be the subject of training

courses

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ANNEX 3. MISSION TERMS OF REFERENCE

Consultancy: Field Study to propose livelihoods activities in support of peace building in the wider Kharaz area

I. Background:CARE Yemen is implementing the project ‘Building Bridges of Understanding and Shared Interests Between IDP’s, Refugees and Host Communities in Yemen’, funded by the UK Conflict Prevention Pool. One of the project’s purposes is ‘to reduce potential for conflict between Somali refugees and host communities in the Kharaz area in Lahj Governorate’. In addition to creating avenues for dialogue and social contact, the project aims to address poor livelihoods opportunities as a key source of tension between these groups. In order to design and implement appropriate interventions to both increase mutually beneficial economic interaction and build positive relations between refugees and host communities over the long-term, a field study needs to be conducted.II. Objectives:The objectives of this consultancy are to:

Understand current livelihoods opportunities for both refugee and host community populations and how these currently either connect or divide these groups

Present this information as a baseline against which to measure impact of future livelihoods interventions in terms of both economic and peace impact

Research potential alternatives livelihoods strategies for both refugees and host communities which have both economic impact and build positive relationships between these groups over the long term

Make clear recommendations for CARE on interventions which support these livelihoods strategies over a two-year period (2012-2014)

Design baseline data collection tool, along with guidelines for CARE’s use of the tool. III. Proposed methodology:Some quantitative data will be gathered to form the baseline in as much as possible. However, the research will be mainly qualitative and include the following:

key informant and focus group discussions with local officials focus group discussions will be held with: community leadership in both the camp and each of the villages, (including women leaders if

available) male and female youth and adults in each community and a number of meetings in the camp,

given its population; groups would be roughly age based [15-25, 25 +], i.e. a minimum of 4 meetings in each location, and more in the camp. Efforts would be made to ensure that each meeting is with about 15 individuals, selected at random

If available, hold meetings with some existing micro-enterprise operators to discuss constraints and potential for expansion and increase

Hold about 20 individual household interviews to assess their livelihoods strategy, and discuss details of issues and advantages

Topics for discussion: Perception of the camp/community by each group Existing sources of income for men and women and other aspects of livelihood strategies Adequacy or otherwise of income Constraints to economic development Ideas and proposed solutions to solve problems and increase income Proposals for co-operation between villagers and camp dwellers and any potential joint

economic projectsIV. Deliverables and duration:

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Proposed methodology and data collection template/guideline for consultation with C-Yemen and CIUK

Draft report- date to be confirmed Baseline data collection tool with guidelines. The report would be brief [ideally no more than 20 pages] and include, amongst others, some of

these aspects: Background and understanding of the history of camp, relations of its population with host

community, and mutual perceptions of refugees and community members Duration of residence of refugees as this is very important with respect to income generation

activities for them Basic socio-economic conditions of the area: existing agriculture and potential for

development [including tenure and access to water], current livestock holdings and management [including grazing rights and sustainable yield], fishery activities, any artisanal produce [including source of raw materials], other sources of income locally or nearby

In so far as possible provide quantitative data/descriptive statistics to be used as a baseline Assessment of economic development potential and the requirements to achieve it locally or

within commuting distance, i.e. that would allow those involved to return daily Recommendations for action for CARE for both host community and refugees and proposed

implementation mechanisms to ensure good cooperation between the two groups Final report – date to be confirmed

It is understood and agreed that the Consultant will not, without the prior written consent of CARE, have the right, directly or indirectly, reproduce any work produced pursuant to this Agreement except for purposes of this Agreement or for personal use, to prepare derivative works based on such work, to distribute copies of such work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or to display the work publicly.All original data collected, questionnaires or focus group discussion notes will remain the property of CARE Yemen. Upon completion of the project the Consultant will deliver all materials produced in this project to CARE Yemen head office.

Duration: 21 working days. Fieldwork will be undertaken between the 31st of December 2011, and the 14th of January, 2012. The study will be completed by the 30th of January 2012.Develop baseline data collection tool and review based on CARE feedback

2 days

Fieldwork 10 daysTravel in country 1 dayTravel into-out of country 2 daysBriefing/de-briefing in Sana’a 1daysReport writing 5 days

V. Consultant compensation:The consultant will be paid $600/day in consulting fees, as per the following schedule:

25% will be paid upon receipt of the draft report and an invoice for payment. 75% will be paid upon receipt of the final report and an invoice for payment.

VI. Logistics:The Consultant will operate within CARE’s established security systems during data collection in the field. The principal contact for and on behalf of CARE Yemen will be the Program Coordinator, CPP Project Manager and the Assistant Country Director – Programs. CARE Yemen will provide all reasonably available secondary information as the Consultant may require to perform his/her obligations under this Agreement. Additionally, CARE International in Yemen will cover one round-trip airfare between the home of record of the consultant to Yemen. CARE will also cover any transport costs for field visits outside

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Sanaa, as well as hotel accommodations for the consultant and YR 5,000 per day to cover for meals and incidentals.

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ANNEX 4. FIELD METHODOLOGY

Logistics

Group interviews. Field methodology largely followed that planned in the TORs, insofar as the following were implemented:

- 10 meetings with men in the villages/hamlets including about 80 men- 11 meetings with women in the villages/hamlets including about 110 women- 5 meetings with men in the camp including about 35 men- 7 meetings with women in the camp including about 105 women- 2 mixed meetings in the camp including 10 men and 38 women

Given that the villages/hamlets have a far smaller population than had been assumed [and the consultant was not informed that this was the situation despite the existence of the 2009 baseline study which has this information and which I only discovered when I got to Aden and only obtained on my return to UK by email], only one meeting was held with each group in most of them, with the exception of Huweireb which is much bigger where 4 meetings were held with women and 3 with men.

The number of meetings in the camp was far superior than had been originally intended. This was due to the following factors: a) it was relatively easy to get people together in the more populated blocks, b) people were very willing to meet and talk as they expected to receive concrete benefits from such meetings

Meetings were not differentiated with respect to age for the following reasons: a) in the villages the number of people available was very small and having age separated groups would have almost meant individual interviews in many cases b) the escort was largely unavailable for meetings during work days as he has a job, c) in the camp people gathered indiscriminately and it would have been difficult to exclude some. Specific meetings concerning young people were those held with the Youth club leaderships in Huweireb, al Kharaz [with Somalis and Oromos separately]. It is to be noted that the requests and interests expressed by both men and women were not significantly different according to their ages. All were interested in training, even though it could be considered unsuitable for older people, and all were interested in obtaining income generating capital, whether cash or kind.

With respect to leaderships: in a number of the villages [Mahaned, Huseeinoora and Turan] village shaykhs accompanied the mission, for part of the time at least, and also expressed their views separately, views which were similar to those of other interviewees, and hence are not discussed separately. Despite considerable efforts of timing and requests, the Shaykh for Huweireb was only met on the last day at a meeting with all the shaykhs, including the Somali ones. Again this had been requested both by the consultant and by the Aden office but, when it came to it, the Aden office staff organised for the consultant to talk with all the shaykhs in the breakfast break during a training session they were having on this day.

Individual interviews. A total of 22 individual household interviews [2 more than is required by the TORs], 10 of these were in villages and 12 in the camp. The households were selected more or less at random [by the CPP guide], but attempted to cover the full range of socio-economic conditions and ranged from destitute old people, to loan sharks

Key informant interviews The mission met with the main relevant members of the local authority in al Hauta, Lahej governorate; the following meetings were held

- One meeting with the Secretary General of the Local Council Mr Ali Mater, who offered his support to the mission, ensured it had contacts with the relevant security institutions and

31

authorized our movements. He also pointed out that externally funded activities had more or less stopped since mid-2010 and that local institutions such as SFD and PWP had vastly reduced their activities since mid-2011.

- One meeting with the Director of the Ministry of Social Affairs accompanied by his assistant who informed the mission of the activities of his ministry in and around the camp area

- One meeting with the director of the Social Welfare Fund in the Governorate who explained the functioning of the SWF, and its activities in microfinance including the MF institutions with which the SWF works and the mechanisms of implementation, some of whom were present at the meeting;

- One meeting with the Aden Micro Finance Network who explained what the network does in Lahej governorate, including the fact that it has no activities either in or around the camp

In the camp and the villages 4 meetings were held with mixed groups from the Youth clubs, two each in the camp and the villages, in which most of the topics were discussed but with a particular focus on the specific livelihoods issues affecting young people as well as the value of the sports activities held in phase 1. In addition the youth club in Huweireb presented a shopping list of requirements which was rather impressive [numerous computers, TV, furnishing for many rooms, etc..]

Topics discussed

The following are the questions which were addressed in all meetings. When appropriate more details were discussed or additional issues investigated to obtain a better picture of the overall living conditions and income generating activities.

Villages. The following topics were discussed- Agricultural conditions in recent years- Number of people/households involved in cultivation: time taken by this work, land tenure

status,- Agricultural working conditions for livestock and cultivation- Types and numbers of livestock held, and husbandry mechanisms- Professional activities of village men [women do not have salaried or clear income generating

activities other than in agriculture] and number of men involved in each activity, rough income generated

- Number of households receiving SWF support- Facilities in the village [shops, workshops, vehicles, sanitation, mobile phones etc.]- Perspectives for youth, professional expectations and hopes; educational levels of youth

[male and female] - Situation of the ‘literacy’ school and solar electricity schemes- Situation of the literacy classes- Cooking fuel- Opinions about the camp: how do they see it? How has it affected their livelihoods? What

relations do they have with the refugees? How would they like to see these relations develop?

Camp Conversations in the camp also covered many of the topics above, but concentrated on the following:

- duration of residence in Yemen and in the camp- level of mobility between camp and outside world, - current livelihoods strategies, - livestock held and sources of fodder- proposals for improvements in their living conditions,- current relations with the surrounding communities - proposals for furthering such relations.

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