About FHI 360

FHI 360 is an international nonprofit organization working to improve the health and well-being of people around the world. By partnering with governments, the private sector and civil society, FHI 360 provides healthcare, education and livelihoods programmes. Their approach is grounded in research and evidence to design innovative programs that promote behavior change, increase access to services and improve lives. More than 4 000 professionals work at FHI 360 in over 60 countries, operating under the belief that a 360-degree perspective is required to best address complex human development needs.

FHI 360 in action

FHI 360 has responded to the humanitarian crisis along the Western Coast of Yemen since 2018. Five years of intense conflict, the worst cholera outbreak in modern times, and millions of people acutely vulnerable to famine and severe health concerns have contributed to creating the collapse and breakdown of public institutions and services. As expressed in the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan for June to December 2020, the operating environment for humanitarian partners has become increasingly challenging with 4 200 incidents reported - of internal restriction of movement, violence against humanitarian personnel, assets and facilities or interference in the implementation of humanitarian activities - creating significant barriers to providing the core components of the Minimum Service Package.

Strengthening the functionality of health systems

FHI 360 ensures the availability of primary health care to 65 000 crisis-affected Yemenis while addressing the drivers of poor health through integrated WASH and nutrition activities. FHI 360 supports three government health facilities in the Taiz governorate (Al Gharaffi, Al Ghaded and Al Shatheliah) and one in the Hudaydah governorate (Al Khawkhah) as well as one mobile health team in Hudaydah governorate to provide a core package of maternal and child health, immunization, out-patient care, and referral services. While addressing the lifesaving needs of these communities, FHI 360 builds the supporting health system through supervision and training of facility staff, operation of the medical supply chain, and support to the health information system including disease surveillance. FHI 360 has rehabilitated the supporting infrastructure of these facilities through the provision of solar power to maintain the cold chain and refurbished pharmacies and storerooms to ensure the quality of medicines. The integrated WASH activities provide the facilities with clean water for Infection Prevention and Control, functioning sanitation, waste disposal pits and incinerators to safely dispose of medical waste. Integrated nutrition activities ensure that children referred for Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) receive the life-saving care required or are referred to higher level care for complicated cases. Infant and Young Child Feeding counselors at the facilities coach caregivers on proper breastfeeding approaches and optimal diets for their children. Under the current USAID-funded Integrated Humanitarian Assistance to Yemen (IHAY) programme, these facilities have provided more than 90 000 health consultations for beneficiaries.

At community level, FHI 360 supports 50 Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) in the Taiz and Hudayah governorates, who are a key cornerstone for linking communities and health facilities, integrating health and nutrition activities and forming an integral part of disease surveillance systems within the catchment areas of supported facilities. CHVs conduct home visits to screen children for SAM and deliver information and education communication sessions, collect community health statistics and disseminate health promotion messages including breast feeding or complementary feeding, maternal health, family planning, infectious diseases and vaccination.

Co-coordinating the Aden sub-national Health Cluster

In addition to providing services, FHI 360 is the NGO co-coordinator for the Health sub-national Cluster in Aden that is led by WHO. Building upon existing coordination structures, FHI 360 supports the implementation and performance evaluations of work to achieve the six core cluster functions and accountability to the affected population. Ahmed Unshur, the Health Cluster co-coordinator with FHI 360, cites the following challenges in coordinating partners’ efforts in Aden, “fragmented government structures that impede coordination, defunding of partners operating in the country and the expansion of the frontlines of the conflict are the primary barriers to reaching crisis-impacted communities.” Ahmed was recruited and deployed in January 2020 to fill the co-coordinator position in Southern Yemen. The role of the co-coordinator is to ensure that partners participate in and assume their minimum commitments to the Health Cluster. The overall purpose of co-coordination is to enhance the timeliness and impact of humanitarian health assistance for crisis-impacted communities and to improve collective health outcomes. FHI 360 also participates in the WASH and Nutrition clusters to ensure its approaches are complimentary and to contribute to the larger humanitarian initiative in Yemen.

Related Links:

Quality Improvement Task Team
Co-lead 2020 - present

COVID-19 Task Team
Member 2020 - present

Strategic Advisory Group
Member 2020 - present