Scaling up nutrition services and maintaining service during conflict in Yemen: Lessons from the Hodeidah sub-national Nutrition Cluster

This case study is one of six case studies produced through a year-long collaboration in 2015 between ENN and the Global Nutrition Cluster (GNC) to capture and disseminate knowledge about the Nutrition Cluster experiences of responding to Level 2 and Level 3 emergencies. They each provide very rich insights into the achievements of the cluster approach and the challenges of working in complex environments.

Yemen is one of the poorest Arab nations. It is characterised by high chronic and acute malnutrition and since March 2015 has been embroiled in a violent civil war. The Nutrition Cluster was established in 2009 and continues to coordinate the large-scale nutrition response in five governorates of Yemen. This case study documents the history of the nutrition response, focusing on two governorates, Hodeidah and Hajjah, which are characterised by high malnutrition and continuing conflict over 2012-2014. The case study highlights the challenges and lessons after an intense period of scale-up due to increased conflict in 2015.