An urgent conflict recovery appeal
This Christmas, stand with families recovering from war
“In a year so full of conflict, we must stand side by side with families as they recover. We must rebuild what war has destroyed, together.”
Fatma Jaffar, Oxfam in Yemen
Three critical ways your donation can help
Hear directly from Abeer in this special report and see how restarting water supplies can make a major difference to families recovering from conflict.
Photo: Ahmed Hakim/Oxfam
The only way to recover from war is side by side.
My name is Fatma Jaffar. I’m a humanitarian worker and part of the local Oxfam team in Yemen. My country has seen so much suffering. We have seen our daily lives destroyed by violent acts far beyond our control. But this experience has also brought our communities even closer together.
And side by side, we must now rebuild, restart and recover what war has destroyed. On this fragile road to recovery, we must find lasting solutions that local partners and communities can own and manage themselves. And this is exactly what your support today can help make possible.
Photo: Ahmed Albasha / Oxfam
Restart safe water supplies together
One woman’s words, Abeer from Taiz, have stayed with me throughout this year: “I wish for my children’s good health and a life free from exhaustion.”
Abeer is a mother of two and sole provider for her family. Conflict and drought had caused acute shortages of clean, safe water in her village in Taiz, forcing her to make long, tiring journeys. But even after miles of walking, the only water available was often dirty and made her children sick.
She shared with me: “We had to wake up early every morning to go to distant wells and wait until noon because of the long queues. We’d carry water on our heads for kilometres… my children suffered from diarrhoea and vomiting because of the polluted water.”
Side-by-side with Abeer’s community, my team has installed a solar-powered water system that has restarted water supplies to 4,650 people.
As Abeer told me with great joy, “Now, we no longer have to fetch water. The solar project has lifted an enormous burden from us. We can fill our storage tanks at home, and I am overjoyed that my children can drink clean water without falling ill.”
Abdullah Gilan Abdullah harvests fresh vegetables in Taiz Governorate, Yemen, on 18th November 2025, where improved seeds and irrigation have transformed his land into a productive and sustainable farm. (Ahmed Hakim/Oxfam)
Restore local food supplies together
The crops and food supplies people rely on have also been destroyed in conflict – and severe climate-related droughts are making the situation much worse.
In Yemen, nearly half the population is experiencing crisis-level food shortages. Abdullah is a farmer in Taiz governorate, where growing food and earning a living has become harder than ever before. Conflict forced him to flee his village, but he returned seeking stability – only to face rising costs, drought and ongoing water shortages. As he explains:
“Everything became expensive… fuel, fertilisers, even basic needs, nothing was within reach.”
But by working together with our local partner, Tamdeen Youth Foundation, Abdullah received drought-resistant vegetable seeds and training in irrigation techniques. This means he’s been able to introduce new varieties of crops such as courgette, sweetcorn and tomato.
These drought-resistant plants need less water and can still provide vital food and a reliable income for Abdullah and his family.
“My sons and daughters now work with me and the farm supports all of us… Farming brought our lives back. After struggling with high prices, growing vegetables became a source of protection for my family.”
Photo: Ahmed Hakim/Oxfam
Recover lost livelihoods together
For many more families, ongoing war and the changing climate have also taken away their income. Ahmed told me of the perfect storm of conflict, erratic temperatures and persistent pests he now faces.
“The heat burned our seedlings, and the cold damaged what survived. Everything became unpredictable.”
Ahmed has now received training and materials to build his own greenhouse. With it, he is able to grow a much wider range of crops and also protect them from the elements. He’s using drip-fed irrigation so he can make more efficient use of limited water resources.
It’s a transformation that’s already making a huge impact. Ahmed is successfully growing avocado, pomegranate and papaya, and earning a steady income for his family. And, with food supplies still fragile and unpredictable across Yemen, his work is also a vital way of re-establishing local supplies and tackling the food shortages his community continues to face.
“The greenhouse saved us months of work… Now the seedlings grow faster, stronger, and without pests. We achieved a real livelihood. My family, my neighbours, even the livestock benefit from this change.”
Photo: Ahmed Hakim/Oxfam
What war has destroyed we must rebuild together.”
Fatma Jaffar, Oxfam in Yemen
For every £1 Oxfam spends
Excluding the costs of running our high street and online shops.
Your gift can help families learn eco-friendly farming skills, get access to emergency food or help support small businesses suffering losses to get grants and keep people in work.
Just 10p in every £1 is used to keep Oxfam alive; paying our staff and our running costs.
For every £1 we spend, 11p is invested on generating future income, helping us to fund even more vital work.
Every donation will help fight the causes and consequences of conflict.
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