The current situation in Yemen cast a negative shadow on the Public Works Project (PWP). In 2015, donors suspended their funding, resulting in a total halt of all PWP’s development activities. The humanitarian situation, meanwhile, continued to deteriorate reaching a critical stage, and peoples’ needs for basic services, decent livelihoods, and new sources for income continued to grow and intensify. This dire situation prompted the World Bank, late 2016, to approve funding for emergency operations in Yemen, including the Yemen Emergency Crises Response Project (YECRP), administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The PWP was chosen as one of the implementation partners for the YECRP, a project aiming at creating short-term income generation and employment opportunities, while the poorest communities will benefit from restored socio-economic community assets, as implementation capacity is maintained for service provision programs such as the PWP.

The Public Works Project: A success.

The PWP is seen as a reliable and credible partner by the donor community. Thus, the World bank,s (WB) selected the PWP to partner in the implementation of the Bank,s funded YECRP, and channeled the funding through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).  WB has already allocated an amount totaling US$ 85 Million for the project covering the period from August 2016 to June 2019. This amount has been reallocated to Yemen’s various districts based on the distress index, which includes a number of parameters: population, density of IDPs, the community’s urgent priorities, and food insecurity, based on indicators and data regularly collected and updated by UN agencies.

Despite the dire situation in Yemen, the PWP overcame the challenges and adapted to this difficult situation. It continued to perform development efforts and deliver projects to all regions of Yemen with no exception, a matter that can readily be seen in the ground.

The PWP has succeeded in implementing projects closely connected to day-to-day lives of people, such as: water projects, rehabilitation of schools, access roads paving, sanitation, agricultural land protection. While providing services to the public, these subprojects also aim at creating income-generation work opportunities for skilled and unskilled labor - a very important contribution given the current circumstances in Yemen.

Support for Infrastructure by the PWP

Under the YECRP and the USAID projects, the PWP builds community assets, improves community infrastructure, and at the same time, generates short-term employment opportunities by implementing labor-intensive small infrastructure projects. This is done through a partnership with private sector local contractors. Subprojects include, for example, rain-water harvesting, agriculture land and irrigation, stone-paving of access roads, water supply and sanitation, and rehabilitation of schools,etc. Subprojects are approved for implementation on the basis of priority needs as identified by targeted local communities.

In implementing subprojects, the PWP takes into consideration the local community’s capacity for operating and maintaining the infrastructure supported without the need for outside expertise. The type of interventions and subprojects had been predetermined in consultation with the World bank

Expected Outcomes (for the Parent Fund and the Additional Fund).

The WB sets expected project development objective for the end of the YECRP implement (End of June 2019). This was based on an intensive plan development by the PWP’s Management Unit, most importantly: -

Building community assets and rehabilitation of basic infrastructure to contribute to the achievement of economic and social benefits and to facilitate delivery of basic services. At the same time, the labor-intensive subprojects will achieve the requirement of utilizing at least 35% of the cost for cash for work activities. It’s expected that the implementation will generate 2,000,000 work/day for about 118,000 direct beneficiaries and direct participation of labor. 1,100,000 persons are expected to be direct beneficiaries.

Utilization of Funding

Reflecting high efficiency and transparency, the Parent Fund for the YECRP has been completed and closed on August 31, 2018. The budget of US$ 14.765 million has been fully utilized, with 214 subprojects completed (constituting community assets in important sectors such as: education - rehabilitation of schools - paving and improvement, water supply and sanitation ,etc.) representing 83% of total budget, a positive indicator of efficiency in fund utilization by the PWP’s Management Unit.  

Under the Additional Funding, 980 subprojects have been contracted costing US$56.23 million, out of which 816 costing US$46.558 i.e. 83% have been completed and handed over to beneficiaries. These subprojects include, education - rehabilitation of schools - paving and improvement, water supply and sanitation, agriculture…etc.)
 The 164 ongoing subprojects will be completed by the end of March 2019.  

This brings the total disbursements to US$72.027 million, representing 85% of the total funding of US$85 million projected budget covering the entire project until the end of June, 2019.

The PWP has a left a favorable impact on local communities by reaching neglected and deprived communities, especially IDPs and destitute households - who are unable to buy even a loaf of bread.

Despite the dire situation in Yemen and the difficulties in accessing remote districts, the PWP overcame challenges and adapted to this difficult situation. It continued to perform development efforts and deliver projects to all regions of Yemen with no exception, a matter that can be readily seen in the ground.

The PWP has succeeded in implementing projects closely connected to the day-to-day lives of people, such as: water supply projects, rehabilitation of schools, access road paving, sanitation, agricultural land protection. Subprojects implemented by the PWP are labor intensive that generate work opportunities for skilled and unskilled labor, a very important contribution given the current circumstances in Yemen.

It can be said with full confidence that the PWP targeted all the 22 governorates, covering 307 out of the 333 of the country’s districts.

Indicators show that the PWP has achieved the objectives of the grant in a highly efficient manner and in ratios far exceeding plans.

Overall, 75 subprojects were contracted at a cost of about US$2.7 million, 72 subprojects have been completed. These include, rehabilitation of 62 schools (634 classrooms) with an enrollment of 32.000 students - 17,000 female students - showing an increased enrollment of 18,000 male and female students over end of project target of 14,000 - a ratio of 228%; 9 water networks at a cost of US$714,000, with a total length of 13,894 meters  completed out of a total of 16,676 meters targeted for the end of the project (i.e. 4.676 meters more than the planned 12,000 meters); provide 58000 work/days generated.

as well as 3 public latrines at a cost of US$96,000, one completed and two are ongoing and are expected to be completed in February 2019.

Achieved Ouputs:

Overall, it can be confirmed that all output indicators show that outputs already achieved have exceeded planned output for the YECRP by far.

Output results are for completed subprojects consolidated for both PF and AF that have now reached 1030 subprojects (214 PF & 816 AF).

1. Cumulative No. of cubic meters achieved for the 293 completed subprojects is 270,651 cubic meters. Remaining 51 subprojects will increase the output to approximately 320,000 cubic meters. Water harvesting subprojects are usually communities’ highest priority in most of the rural remote area and so the targets will be exceeded.
2. Completion of 175 km of roads that have been accumulatively paved in 301 access road paving subprojects (44 km in 81 completed sub-projects under PF and 131 km under AF for 220 completed subprojects.
3. 163 subprojects in the agricultural land protection and irrigation sector have been completed, so far covering 9,192 hectares i.e. 131% of final target of 7,000 hectares. The final number of hectares is expected to reach 19,700 at the end of the project (AF only).
4. Cumulative number of classrooms rehabilitated for the 214 completed schools is 2,189 while end of project target is 820 classrooms, 210% of planned target.
   The large numbers of classroom rehabilitation could be attributed to selection of large schools in urban areas, and cost of rehabilitation per classroom being relatively low than anticipated.

The PWP’s Management Unit has a proven successful track record in achieving efficiency and a high utilization capacity for the YECRP funds to maximize and optimize the benefits for target communities. Results achieved so far have shown that targets have exceeded plans as reflected in the following:

• Ratio of investments in community assets to total funds is 85%. Hence, maximizing number of community assets that benefit vulnerable communities most in need.  
• Investment cost per beneficiary so far is US$ 32 while planned by YECRP Design was expected to reach US$ 77.
• PWP Operational Costs is 4.1% of total disbursed for the AF. This is a low ratio if compared with the achievements in the ground. Hence, this is a comparative advantage for the PWP.
• Consultancy Services 5.8% slightly less than initial allocations.
• 1,200 subprojects have been contracted at a cost of US$ 68.04 million from both finances. 1030 subprojects at cost of US$ 58.621 million have been completed and handed over to the beneficiaries i.e. 86% of contracted subprojects have been completed.
• Activities under the Parent Fund are fully completed, whereby 214 subprojects are delivered and handed over to beneficiaries.  
• Under the Additional Financing, 980 subprojects have been contracted at a cost of US$ 56.23 million. 816 subprojects have been completed costing US$ 46.558 million, while 164 subprojects are still ongoing at a cost of US$ 20.4 million.
  
   

In September 2017, USAID allocated an amount of US$3.158 through UNDP for a 12-month period (Sept. 2017 - March 31, 2019). The grant aims to contribute to the improvement of critical infrastructure for local communities through the rehabilitation of schools serving IDPs and host communities, and water and sanitation interventions to improve access to clean water and sanitation.

USAID,s Additional Grant

Due to the persistent need for rehabilitation of more schools and contribute to the urgent response to prevent recurrent spread of the cholera outbreak, USAID allocated additional finance for the year 2019 - through the UNDP - worth US$3.68 million  for (i) Rehabilitation of 503 school classrooms in 54 schools in 47 priority districts selected based on consultations with the Education Cluster and district local authorities, and guided by the YECRP Distress Index used for the YECRP, (ii) Rehabilitation of 10 water networks in priority districts that are identified as high priority, where communities lack access to clean drinking water or are under threat of seasonal drought with no wells in reach or affordable drinking water and 5 rain water hervesting reservoirs and 5 rainwater harvesting reservoirs.

75 subprojects are planned to be implemented out of which 27 have already been contracted and remaining under contracting procedures. All activities will be completed by the grant closing date Dec. 2019

 

Progress indicators have shown efficiency in the PWP activities and an ability to optimize benefits from available funds, utilizing such funds to maximize community benefits, as reflected in the following:

1. 89.3% of the total funding for the civil works components has been utilized. This indicates that the PWP has maximized community assets that benefit vulnerable communities most in need.
2. Cost of consultancy services reached 7.1%
3. Operational cost is 3.6%, an indicator of high cost-efficiency in implementation by the PWP’s Management Unit.

The PWP’s PMU pays a great deal of attention to enhancing women participation in the identification of priorities and the selection of subprojects to be implemented in target areas. This is manifested in the action taken by the PMU to establish a gender unit within the PMU with the aim of:

• Coordination and action to include women activities in the PWP’s subprojects.
• Assist in the implementation of subprojects serving women.
• Engagement of women in all stages of a project’s life cycle.
• Ensure sustainability of subprojects implemented by strengthening the participation of local community stakeholders in the various stages of the project’s lifecycle.

Greater progress has been made in this respect, including: -

• 200 female consultants have been appointed to ensure women participation in identification of needs, prioritizing, and selection of subprojects, improvement of access, and application of safety measures.
• In 287 subprojects, the number of female’s participants exceeded the number of males, thus ensuring selected subproject represents women’s high priority.
• 369 women community councils have been formed with 14,537 women participation in selection and prioritization of subprojects. Similarly, 320 women have been trained in various governorates in planning and needs identification. 402 male community councils have been formed with 9,928 male participants.

Gender mainstreaming is also accomplished through women mobilization teams. The teams conduct awareness campaign on prevention of the cholera outbreak. During field visits, they distribute booklets and posters and train women on hygienic practices.

The PWP has adopted an initiative to encourage contractors to engage women in their activities with the aim of creating income-generation opportunities for women that are suitable for their abilities. So far, 3318 women have been hired by contractors in various activities at an average daily wage of YR 1400 per day.

The PWP has succeeded in ensuring that women are engaged in the identification of priorities for subprojects to be implemented during field surveys and studies for identification of communities, needs.