Abs District - Rapid Assessment Report

INTRODUCTION:

MIRA assessment intended to collect data on the immediate needs of IDPs and other conflict-affected communities in Abs district - Hajjah governorate. The assessment was conducted by the Health mobile clinic team, this assessment took place on Thursday 17th of Dec. 2015.

The assessment demonstrated that both IDPs and Host communities are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Life-saving priorities are food, shelter, water, medicine, health care and cash. Most of the local population of this district lives in a worsening economic situation with most of the population located substantially beneath the poverty line due to unemployment and lack of job opportunities. Agriculture, craftwork, daily work and livestock are the main livelihoods in the area, but because of the crisis, many man and women have stopped working due to the lack of fuel and fear of movement, every day and every night coalition aircraft increase their fears. The Republic of Yemen provides social welfare to some families, but services have been suspended. In addition , aid was present in some area, but not in others. WFP was previously present in some areas not all villages of Abs district, also Oxfam only in some villages provided WASH respond. Due to coalition aircraft, many children couldn't go to school and many people in a constant state of fear. There is a severe lack of education ,WASH and access to health facilities is extremely low.

In regards to access to water, in Abs city people dependent on the purchase of water from a truck with very expensive prices, but in other villages there is a lack of state-led water projects. All the water projects non –functioning due to the recent crises. People now largely suffer from the water crisis in the area except Matwella, Albatariea and some small villages have small water project – Oxfam funding. ADO Implemented MIRA in 7 Sub – district (Bani Thawab, Bani Odhabi, Bani Hassaen, Al-Batariea, Qotaba, Matweela, and Al- Wassat), more than half of the IDPs are staying with their relatives or in host households and are adding pressure on the host family’s food resources, which were often insufficient in the first place. The displaced population is also putting pressure on meager water resources and overwhelmed or non-existent sanitation facilities.

Abs Development Organization for Women and Children (ADO): Main Office: Al -Reb at St., Sana'a, Yemen. Sub -Office : Hajja h, Abs, Alsouq Street , TelFax: +967-7-242960 Email: [email protected] , Web site: www.absyemen.org , Skype: Absorganization

Methodology:

The MIRA Assessment was carried out through a survey with the minimum sample size (36 individual) during mobile clinics ADO deployed a rapid assessment of ADO Team & ADO volunteers for 7 sub-district of Abs district. Were conducted in order to identify priority needs during 17th Dec 2015. ADO rapid needs assessment Team surveyed 36 Key informants (50% women, 50% men) from Abs district.

Executive summary:

• 94.4% of the participants confirmed that they don’t have access to adequate and safe drinking water, and the main source of water is through water tracking which is too expensive for them to get. The majority also confirmed that they are not able to use clean toilets and maintain personal hygiene.

• 94.4% of the participants are having a problem to access food for them and their families, and the main challenge related to food is the lack of availability in their stocks and the significant increase in food price in which is leading to negative coping strategy by decreasing the number of meals/amount of food per day/meal, which has also lead to malnutrition problems among the IDPs.

• 77.8% of the participants confirmed that IDPS are facing a big problem because of lake of money and sources of income.

• 13.9% of the participants confirmed that they children dropped school due to the current crises.

• 8.3% of the participants confirmed that people in the community are facing malnutrition problems due to the conflict and airstrikes.

• 5.6% of the participants have confirmed that IDPs are having health problems in terms of malnutrition, diarrhea, psychological problems, nerves, injuries, kidney, liver problems, and chronical diseases and they don’t have access to adequate health care and health centers.

• 5.6% of the participants stated that they have shelter problems, as most of the IDPs are living with relatives, friends and renting apartments, and their main problems related to shelter are: lack of cash to continue paying the rental, houses are crowded with many families living in the same house and lack of basic NFIs.

The Key findings:

 The top three identified needs were : 1- Food ; 2- WASH and 3- Livilihood  Until the date of assessment there are many families did not return to their homes.  There is more than 40 elderly people in Abs City without a breadwinner.  In 6 of 10 families from 27,333 families in Abs district need Food, Sanitation, Water, Hygiene and Livelihoods assistance.  High prices of fuel led to reduced job opportunities.  All schools in Abs city closed except Al-Thawera school between open and close according to density of aircraft flight.

Bani Bani Bani Priority Matwella Al-Wasatt Al Bataria Qotabah Thawab Odhabi Hassen 1 Food WASH Food Food Food Food Food 2 WASH Food WASH WASH WASH WASH WASH 3 Livelihoods Livelihoods Livelihoods Livelihoods Livelihood Livelihood Livelihood

Priority Needs

WASH Livelihood 31% 26%

Food Education 31% 5% Nutrition 3% Health 2% Shelter 2%

Priority needs:

Priority # 1 - Food: Nearly 34 respondents (94.4%) said that the first serious problem is food because of the high prices of food and there is no job. In addition, many people in the community are poor and can’t afford to meet their needs. Moreover, The recent crisis has prevented people from meeting their needs. Except Bani Odhabi sub-district said that the first serious problem is WASH because their "Water project" needs maintenance. Therefore, the people in Bani Odhabi suffering from no access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

Al-Batariea Food Qutaba 14% 13% Al-Wasatt 8% Bani Thawab 29%

Matweela 25% Bani Odhabi Bani Hassen 0% 14%

100% of the respondents asked to be supported with cash for food and General Food Distrbution. IDPs have identified the most important difficulties they are facing to access food as follow:

Main difficulties relating to food

No cooking gas Food prices 23% increased No enough 36% healthy food 5%

No food in our No food in the stock market 22% 14%

Priority #2 - WASH:

94.4% of the respondents indicated that there is a serious problem because people do not have enough water that is safe for drinking, or personal hygiene. The main reasons why people do not have enough water is that water is too expensive because of fuel crisis and also the motor pump in most areas need rehabilitation.

WASH

Bani Odhabi 33% Bani Hassen 33%

Bani Thawab 17%

Al-Batariea Matweela 0% Qutaba Al-Wasatt 0% 0% 17%

WASH Majority of the IDPs are facing a big problem in terms of getting an adequate and safe drinking water, in addition people are facing challenges in getting water as follow:

Reasons preventing people getting water

Well with motor Water is not pump need healthy or clean rehabilitation 9% 21%

Water is expensive 32% well with motor pump need fuel Water trucks is not 28% The well is far available because away of fuel crises 6% 4%

Priority #3- Livelihoods: 77.8% of respondents indicated that there is a serious problem because of poverty and they can’t afford to meet their needs. In addition, the recent crisis had prevented people in Abs district from meeting their needs.

Livelihood Al-Batariea Qutaba Al-Wasatt 0% 17% 17%

Matweela 0%

Bani Hassen 16% Bani Thawab 50% Bani Odhabi 0%

People in Abs district earn their basic needs from daily work of low income source which used to help them survive with their families which has been destroyed in the airstrikes and they were not able to recover. The sources of income that the people used to have are as follow:

Income sources

not able to work Agriculture 20% 17%

Live stock 6%

Daily labor 26% Betty trade 31%

Priority of women : ( N 18) 50%:

The top three priorities among women were, Food (54.8%), WASH (37.9%) and Livelihood (50%).

Priority of men : (N 18) 50%:

The top three priorities among men were Food (45.2%), WASH (55.2%) and Livelihood ( 50%).

Top Three Priorities among Women and Men

60.0% 54.8% 55.2% 50.0% 50.0% 50.0% 45.2% 40.0% 37.9% Food 30.0% WASH Livelihood 20.0%

10.0%

0.0%

Women Men

Problems Ranking 1:

Bani Bani Bani Al- Matweela Al-Wasatt Qutaba Priorities Thawab Odhabi Hassen Batariea % M W M W M W M W M W M W M W 1 Food 2 5 0 0 2 1 2 4 1 1 2 1 1 2 24 (66%) 2 WASH 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 (17%) 3 Livelihood 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 6 (17%) 4 Learning 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 Health 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 Shelter 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 Nutrition 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 4 7 1 1 4 2 3 5 2 1 2 1 2 2 100%

Problems Ranking 2:

Bani Bani Bani Al- Matweela Al-Wasatt Qutaba Thawab Odhabi Hassen Batariea Priorities % M W M W M W M W M W M W M W 1 WASH 2 2 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 14 (38.8%) 2 Livelihood 0 1 0 1 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 9 (24.9%) 3 School 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 6 (16.6%) 4 Food 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 (12%) 5 Health 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 (2.7%) 6 Shelter 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 (2.7%) 7 Nutrition 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 (2.7%) Total 3 6 1 1 5 3 4 3 3 1 1 2 2 2 100%

Problems Ranking 3:

Bani Bani Bani Al- Matweela Al-Wasatt Qutaba Priorities Thawab Odhabi Hassen Batariea % M W M W M W M W M W M W M W 1 Livelihood 3 4 0 1 1 1 1 2 0 1 1 1 1 0 17 (47.2%) 2 WASH 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 2 1 0 0 0 9 (25%) 3 Food 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 (8.3%) 4 Learning 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 (8.3%) 5 Shelter 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 (5.6%) 6 Nutrition 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 (5.6%) 7 Health 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 4 6 1 1 4 2 1 3 4 3 2 1 2 2 100%

Overview of serious problems :

Bani Bani Bani Serious problems Matweela Al-Wasatt Al-Betaria Qutaba Thawab Odhabi Hassen Safe water No Yes Yes No No No No Toilets Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Cleanliness Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Food Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Malnutrition Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Illness and injury Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Adequate healthcare Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Care for family Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Family separation Yes No Yes Yes No No No Shelter Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Money, resources Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Essential items Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Overview of serious problems

Family Shelter Money, separation resources Care for family Essential items Safe water Adequate healthcare Toilets Illness and injury Cleanliness Malnutrition Food

Operational Agency:

Operational Bani Bani Bani Matwella Al-Wasatt Al Bataria Qotabah Presence Thawab Odhabi Hassen ADO      -  Oxfam        MSF    - - - - WFP    - - - -