LocationsDurable solutions support displaced families in Yemen
July 7, 2025
Layla stands with her daughter and niece outside their wooden tent.
In the scorching afternoon heat of Dar Saad District in Aden, Yemen, the scent of dust mixes with smoke rising from makeshift stoves. Children carry yellow jerrycans, some in rickety wheelbarrows, queuing patiently at a water distribution point. Amid the rows of wooden tents, time seems to stand still—yet every family carries with them a lifetime of movement. Each story, shaped by conflict, loss, and survival, contributes to the broader tale of Yemen’s enduring displacement crisis.
Among the 175 families living in Zahra Khalil Internally Displaced Persons camp are Suliman, Layla, and Ahmed— three individuals from Yemen’s western Hodeidah Governorate.
Rows of wooden tents stretch across Zahra Khalil IDP camp in Dar Saad, Aden, where 175 families displaced by conflict—many since 2016—live in difficult, overcrowded conditions.
A young boy pushes a wheelbarrow of empty containers to collect clean water—part of the daily routine for many children in the camp, who help their families with essential tasks like fetching water.
Suliman: A grandfather’s quiet strength
Suliman and his granddaughter Wafa sit inside their tent in Dar Saad, Aden. Displaced from Hodeidah in 2016 after losing his son to the conflict, Suliman now cares for Wafa in their modest shelter, clinging to memories of home and hopes for stability.
Inside his tent, Suliman sits cross-legged on a frayed mat, his granddaughter Wafa seated beside him. They arrived in Aden in 2016, following an emotional journey.
“My son was killed,” Suliman explains. “Our lives were threatened by constant shrapnel. The area we lived in had become a battlefield filled with landmines.”
The escape from Hodeidah took three days—by foot, overloaded buses, and on donkeys. “Some neighbors who returned told me the ceiling of my house collapsed. Cracks were everywhere.”
Now, in Dar Saad, Suliman has built a life around routine and caretaking. Wafa is the light that keeps him grounded. But life remains difficult—he dreams of a home that isn’t temporary, a roof that doesn’t leak when it rains.
Layla: A mother’s determined hope
In the tent next door, Layla stands in the doorway of her shelter—wooden planks patched together with plastic sheets. Inside, her eight children sit around a small fire. The smoke curls toward the ceiling, escaping through gaps in the walls.
“We survive on just one meal a day,” Layla says. “Some kind people give us bread. My hope is for a better life for my children. I want them to dress, eat, and learn like all other children.”
Displaced in 2016, Layla fled Hodeidah during a wave of rocket attacks that turned her neighborhood into rubble. “Some blame us for the worsening conditions in Aden,” she adds. “But we didn’t choose this.”
Layla’s wooden tent offers little shelter from the elements. Rainwater seeps through the roof, soaking blankets and basic cooking equipment. A small corner serves as a kitchen, where she cooks lentils or keeps leftover bread. Yet despite everything, Layla’s spirit is unbroken. “I’m still fighting,” she says.
Like many displaced families, Layla’s shelter offers little protection from Aden’s harsh weather conditions.
Ahmed: Father of eight
Ahmed, a former builder and father of eight, fled Hodeidah with his family. After developing medical problems, he can no longer work in construction but still supports his community in the camp when possible.
Ahmed was a skilled builder. He had worked abroad and returned to Yemen just before the war. When violence engulfed his hometown in Hodeidah, he fled with his wife and children. “My wife was very ill,” he recalls. “I had to sell everything I owned and borrow money to get her treatment.”
Displacement not only cost Ahmed his home but also his health. Years of labor left him with medical issues, and now he can no longer work in construction. “I used to carry heavy loads to feed my family,” he says. “Now, I can’t.”
Living in the camp, Ahmed also channels his skills to support others in the community when possible. He dreams of finding meaningful work again.
A shared journey of resilience
Though their stories differ, Suliman, Layla, and Ahmed have walked parallel paths. They fled the same area, navigated the same perilous roads, and now endure the same hardships. They didn’t know each other in Hodeidah, but in the camp, they’ve become neighbors, and friends.
They are among the 4.5 million Yemenis—14 percent of the population—who remain internally displaced.
Durable solutions in motion
To support families like theirs, the Internal Displacement Solutions Fund Joint Programme—implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) with support from the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, and Switzerland—is working to create lasting solutions. Piloting in Aden, Lahj, Taiz and Marib governorates, the programme partners with the local government and national institutions to ensure that Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are not left behind.
“The Executive Unit is leading efforts to strengthen coordination under the 2013 National IDP Policy,” says Najeeb Al Saadi, Head of the Executive Unit. “Local authorities must lead the humanitarian and development work. We only reflect what communities and IDPs want.”
Najeeb Al Saadi, Head of the Executive Unit, during a Durable Solutions Workshop in Lahj, in August 2024.
Durable Solutions Plans—tailored, area-based strategies co-developed with host communities—offer a roadmap toward voluntary return and local integration. These plans address housing, livelihoods, access to services, and protection.
Through workshops, consultations, and technical support, local authorities are now equipped to respond with a combination of humanitarian aid and development resources. Already, coordination has improved, data systems are being strengthened, and families like Suliman’s are being included in community dialogues.
Hope on the horizon
Back in the camp, Suliman watches Wafa draw pictures in the dirt with a stick. Layla boils tea for her children, while Ahmed helps a neighbor repair a broken tent.
"We will return home once our lives and the lives of our children are safe," said Suliman. "Even if our homes have been destroyed, we will rebuild."
Now, with a system slowly shifting to include them, their voices are helping shape a different story for Yemen—one of inclusion, recovery, and hope.
Related
content
content
