Impact Assessment of Aid Interventions in Yemen

Executive Summary

Download as PDF

In aid work, traditional monitoring and evaluation (M&E) processes frequently place a high priority on quantitative indicators and short-term project outcomes. This results in a cursory grasp of the impact of these projects rather than an understanding of the real and long-lasting changes or advantages experienced by beneficiaries and their communities. Furthermore, there is a limited understanding of the complex effects on communities because standard M&E frameworks frequently lack meaningful metrics of stakeholder participation.

This research proposes a novel impact evaluation metric, the Genuine Score of Impact (GSI), for assessing aid programs, which is being piloted through a case-study methodology. Through evaluating the impact of aid interventions in Yemen’s Lahj and Marib governorates, the framework examines perceived material wealth, social well-being, and empowerment, highlighting the aspects of aid that contribute to achieving sustainable and genuine impact. By offering detailed insights into how aid affects these factors at the individual, home, community, and institutional levels, the GSI framework tries to account for the difficulties of quantifying the impact of aid.

Geographically, this pilot case study is restricted to two governorates in territories controlled by the internationally recognized government, where local officials helped with access and permits for research and data collecting. The study covers six projects that were completed during the research period. The projects under study entailed interventions in the following clusters: nutrition; food security; water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); and health. Because the results are context-specific, they might be difficult to extrapolate to other regions, timeframes, or other kinds of aid initiatives.

Using a mixed methods approach – surveys and interviews – and interpreting the data through the novel GSI framework, the study produced a number of findings.

Summary of Findings

• In Lahj, respondents reported significant health advantages and said community cohesion was enhanced by focused health and sanitation efforts.
• In Marib, respondents said aid mostly offered a temporary respite, with little emphasis on sustainability.
• Across governorates and beneficiary groups, perceptions of aid differed considerably. Members of a control group, exposed to lower levels of aid, complained about unfulfilled needs and governance problems, while aid-targeted communities in Lahj reported greater satisfaction and long-lasting benefits.
• Aid projects in Marib were seen as helpful but mostly short-term, perhaps indicating a need for greater coordination between immediate relief and long-term development objectives to cope with the large internally displaced population.^[1]
• Respondents reported reduced healthcare costs and better access to water in some locations, and dimensional analysis showed that aid helped alleviate beneficiaries’ financial burdens.
• Nevertheless, many households in Lahj and Marib continue to rely on short-term assistance, underscoring the need for income-generating initiatives to promote resilience and financial stability.
• Host communities are still under stress due to population displacement, highlighting the significance of social infrastructure. Social solidarity has been reinforced by better access to services, especially in Lahj, and this could be a model for elsewhere.
• Local calls for more localization in planning and execution have been strengthened by the reported discontent and sense of exclusion caused by the absence of transparent and participatory procedures.
• Women were more optimistic about the financial, social, and empowerment effects of aid, especially infrastructure improvements like water points. Although they encountered obstacles, including uneven service delivery, they also reported better health and hygiene outcomes.
• Women were less likely to generate a steady income from initial monetary assistance, suggesting a higher level of financial dependence. They did not feel excluded from local committees involved in project planning but reported little influence over decisions.
• Men and women reported similarly limited levels of knowledge about project management and funding, especially when it came to international aid initiatives. The benefits of health and water programs in lowering community tensions, especially in internally displaced person (IDP) contexts, were also emphasized by female respondents.
• Projects that included infrastructure and economic empowerment activities were perceived by those targeted as being more effective in creating community resilience than those that did not include such activities.
• Where processes were more localized, beneficiaries’ perception of their impact was higher. This suggests integrating support for livelihoods with efforts to strengthen infrastructure and foster community ownership of aid projects could enhance perceptions of sustainability.

Summary of Recommendations

For Humanitarian Organizations & Donors:

• Economic Empowerment: Shift from direct aid to cash-based assistance, integrating vocational training, microfinance, and small business support to foster resilience.
• Health & Social Services: Invest in maternal and children’s health, strengthen local healthcare, and ensure education continuity for displaced children.
• Sustainable Infrastructure: Prioritize water, sanitation, and flood mitigation projects, ensuring local maintenance and long-term impact.
• Monitoring & Evaluation: Strengthen post-project evaluations and update the Gender and Social Inclusion framework.

For Community-Based & Civil-Society Organizations (CBOs and CSOs):

• Community Engagement: Involve local actors in planning and governance to foster ownership and trust.
• Localization & Transparency: Strengthen partnerships, improve communication on aid priorities, and enhance accessibility.

For the Government & Local Authorities:

• Women’s Leadership: Support women’s roles in community initiatives and provide skills training for long-term impact.
• Regional Focus:
  • Marib: Prioritize economic empowerment and include host communities to ease IDP tensions.
  • Lahj: Focus on sustainable infrastructure and strengthen partnerships with local actors.

While the GSI framework is piloted in this study, subsequent evaluations will enhance it. The GSI framework could be useful as a guide for the shift from relief-focused aid to longer-term, resilience-building development and provide an additional tool for policymakers and aid organizations to use in Yemen and beyond. The dependency-resilience duality of donor-led and internationally driven initiatives might also be addressed by refocusing attention on the ecology of relief and humanitarian action. Overall, this study aims to offer more thorough, nuanced evaluations of the social and long-term effects of relief and development interventions than traditional M&E methods.