“Before, it took us about an hour and half to reach the main road, but now after the rehabilitation and paving, it takes only seven minutes,” explains Fadel, a 30-year old villager. “I lost my father. He was in a car accident and we couldn’t make it to the hospital in time. He died on our way – it was a long, rough ride.” Fadel and his community faced many challenges and struggles to get out of their village using the unpaved road. They had difficultly accessing hospitals and markets and other lifesaving facilities.

But that has changed now that a United Nations Development Programme project targeted an unpaved, steep and dangerous bottleneck in a road that connects 21 villages. Paving 630 meters of road has eased car and walking access and made the passage significantly safer for nearly 6,000 people. “I used to be very scared every time I walked that road; it was so rugged and totally unsafe. But now my family and I don’t worry about walking it – we feel much safer and can get to where we’re headed much faster,” says Hind, a 25-year old villager. 

Car owner, Abdulqadir Sharhan, indicated that the unpaved road cost him a significant amount more in time and gas, as well as wear and tear on his vehicle.  He now saves an average of 20 liters of gas when driving on the paved short-cut and is no longer worried for his safety.

Across Yemen, a total of 19 road pavement projects totaling 12.34 kilometers have been made possible through our partnership with the King Salman Relief Center. 

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UNDP has partnered with King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief)  to implement the US$10 million Yemen Emergency Crisis Response for Prevention of Famine in Yemen to provide urgent lifesaving needs and much-needed services for Yemenis hit hard by the ongoing crisis.