IDA gives $60M for Yemen’s social development [Archives:2004/717/Business & Economy]

The Board of Director of the International Development Association (IDA) approved a credit of $60 million to support Yemen's third phase of the Social Fund for Development (SFD) project.
IDA has already supported the SFD with two credits of $30 million, and $75 million. Because of the strong record of the SFD, more donors are joining with the IDA in supporting the SFD.
From four donors in the first phase, the SFD now is being supported by 12 donors.
The SFD has become the leading development agency in Yemen. Since 1997, it has supported about 3,260 sub-projects across the sectors across the country at a total value of about $230 million, out of which about $153 million has been disbursed.
Impact studies indicate that the SFD is reaching out to the poor segments of the society in Yemen, and is having a positive impact on the sectors in which it is active.
An example is its impact on girls enrollment rates in the areas where it is financing education sub-projects. Girls enrollment in the SFD supported communities were 20 percent higher than those in the comparison group.
Over the years, the SFD has become a model agency in Yemen of how a public institution can work with private sector rules, and perform efficiently and effectively when the enabling environment is provided.
The SFD is now increasingly playing an institutional development role to a selected number of NGOs, communities, and government agencies.
Over 200 NGOs, and 150 community groups received training and/or capacity building activities from the SFD.
During the proposed third phase, the SFD will focus more on these aspects besides continuing to support the delivery of social services to the poorest in Yemen.
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