Cooperative Agreement No. 72027918CA00001 YCST Monthly Program Update – July 2021

The program aims to mitigate conflict, strengthen social cohesion, and promote peaceful resolution of differences in Yemen. YCST is being implemented by Global Communities in partnership with the Field Medical Foundation, Build Up, and Partners for Good. The program has four main objectives: engaging communities, building capacity, promoting peace, and enhancing outcomes. Objective 1, engaging communities, involves identifying and implementing service delivery and conflict mitigation projects in 13 target communities. As of July 2021, seven projects have been completed, and three projects are being implemented in the governorates of Aden, Abyan, and Lahj. In July 2021, YCST supported community entry activities in ten communities situated within four governorates of Yemen. In the Hadramout governorate, 133 participants attended five workshops, with 48 females and 85 males in attendance. Community Enhancement Committees (CECs) were elected in eight communities, and three CECs had identified potential service delivery projects to address community stressors. Objective 2, building capacity, involves building the capacity of formal and informal local leaders, organizations, and networks to serve as neutral arbitrators and peace builders. As of July 2021, 24 initiatives are underway, with 20 initiatives having completed activities. Phase 2 initiatives involve reviewing applications received in response to a Request for Application (RFA) published in June 2021 for engaging youth in civic life in Phase 1 communities. Objective 3, promoting peace, involves supporting local authorities' efforts to identify and pilot projects that can peaceably manage conflicts and prevent a resurgence of violence. In July 2021, three projects were being implemented, which aim to rehabilitate a sanitary-drainage system, a health center, and several schools. Objective 4, enhancing outcomes, involves carrying out regular and action-oriented learning and contextual analysis to support adaptive management for enhanced outcomes. In July 2021, YCST updated the third-party monitoring plan to support evaluation of PACE and stabilization activities. Additionally, 1,181 household surveys were conducted in Abyan, Aden, Lahj, and Hadramout governorates to collect quantitative data for YCST's Phase 2 baseline study. The program has also provided support to integrate gender and socially inclusive CECs during the formation of Phase 2 community CECs members. Furthermore, support was provided on how to be inclusive when conducting key informant interviews to identify and prioritize community stressors. In terms of implementation, several projects are underway in July 2021. In the Aden governorate, the Al-Rabash Sanitary Drainage Network Project is being implemented, with 7,967 beneficiaries anticipated. In the Lahj governorate, the Al-Madharebah (Al Shatt) Water Rehabilitation Project is being implemented, with 3,283 beneficiaries anticipated. In the Hadramout governorate, community entry activities were completed in July 2021, with 133 participants attending five workshops.