“The war was a disaster. I lost my job as the conflict intensified in Aden last year. I had also to take my family into a safer location outside the city but I was broke.” -Mohammed Salim, a 32 old man from Aden.

The war has not been a disaster from Mohammed only. Many people like him lost their jobs and their sole source of income. But he thinks his responsibilities are bigger than he can handle and the conflict has affected him more than the others.

Mohammed supports two families of 10 members: his late brother’s family and his own family. Before the war, Mohammed used to work in a shop selling domestic gas in his neighborhood of Al-Mansoura. His job barely covered the need of his two families.

"When the war stopped, the situation was tragic. The city was almost empty. The fuel disappeared from the local markets. Most of the businesses were closed. It was too difficult to move or find a job.”

After the situation normalized in Aden, it became even harder for Mohammed and his family to survive. It was impossible to find a job and he had to pay off a loan he have had borrowed to shelter his family.

“I was totally desperate. I did not know what to do. When I heard about the UNDP project in Al-Mualla, I rushed out to them. I was luckily selected.”

Along with 15 other vulnerable youth, Mohammed participated in a UNDP initiative that re-opened ten closed bakeries in Al-Mualla neighborhood. The ten bakeries were provided with wheat, diesel and water tanks to restart their activities, selling bread at half price for a period of two weeks. The initiative helps the bakery owners to regain their customers and improve food security of the population.

“I worked for two weeks in Al-Mualla, delivering bread to the local communities. The money I earned enabled me to provide the necessary food to my family.”

Mohammed received a tricycle as part of the UNDP intervention. With the in-kind assistance received, he started a business in his old profession. He is now able to take care of his two families and help them to survive.

“With the tricycle I received, I started providing domestic gas delivery service to the local communities. I buy gas cylinders from the local market and sell them throughout the neighborhood of Al-Mansoura. This business provides with sufficient income to support my family.