Yemen is one of the world's least-developed countries that is grappling with high levels of poverty, rising unemployment and widespread food insecurity. Over 40 percent of the country's 19.7 million people struggle to live on less than US$2 per day.

The country's poor resources are taxed by an influx of Somali refugees who have been arriving in the country since a civil war broke out in Somalia almost 20 years ago. The number of registered Somali refugees living in Yemen has exceeded 100,000.

Yemen is also dealing with a humanitarian problem in the northwestern governorate of Sa'ada, where an escalation of a conflict in January 2007 led to the displacement of over 40,000 people from rural areas to the town of Sa'ada and other more secure areas in the governorate.

Since 1967, WFP has provided about US$400 million in food assistance, focusing on education, agriculture and rural development, health, natural disasters, and refugee assistance.

WFP current activities include:

Food Assistance is given to malnourished children under the age of five and malnourished pregnant and lactating women. Food is distributed through health centres to over 24,000 people annually, including TB and leprosy patients under treatment. This five-year project will provide nearly 21,000 tons of food costing US$11.2 million.

Food-for-Education projects which encourages families to enrol and keep their daughters in basic and secondary-level schools. It targets an annual average of 96,000 female students in 1,300 schools in poor and food-insecure districts with low education indicators. This five-year project, ending in 2011, will provide nearly 75,000 tons of food, costing US$36.6 million.

Food Assistance to Somali Refugees reduces malnutrition among pregnant and lactating mothers and children under the age of five. It also encourages children to attend school where meals are served. WFP assistance to Somali refugees started in 1992. The current operation, (April 2003 - December 2007), targets over 33,000 of the most vulnerable Somali refugees with 7,852 tons of food at a total cost of US$3.8 million.

Food Assistance to IDPs: In June 2007, WFP began providing food assistance to 20,000 IDPs. A three-month emergency operation started in September 2007 to assist 36,000 IDPs with 2,442 metric tons of food at a total cost of USD$1.7 million.