Meet Samih*, head of the Community Committee at the Ash-Shorooq site in Aden. As a community representative, he works closely with humanitarian organisations and the camp management team to identify the needs of displaced families and help coordinate services within the site.
Samih participates in a CCCM Stakeholders training in Aden, May 2026
Yemen remains one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises. More than 5.2 million people remain displaced, many of whom live in sites where access to basic services and humanitarian assistance is limited.
To help ease the suffering of these communities, Acted plays a vital role as one of the leading Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) actors in Yemen, supporting more than 100 displacement sites across the country. This project, funded by the European Union, aims to enhance living conditions for displaced people through better coordination, information accessibility, community participation through the establishment of community committees, and improved communication to understand their needs and convey them to service providers and authorities.
Community Resource Centre established to improve communications with vulnerable people, Aden, March 2026
In Ash-Shorooq site, Samih says the main challenge that displaced people face is the lack of services. Like many other site community members, he sees CCCM as a way to organise the response and improve access to support.
Like many other camp residents, Samih was forced to leave his home in 2015 because of the conflict. After fleeing to Aden, Samih and his family of 8 members faced the difficult task of rebuilding their lives.
Today, he represents residents at the site and works closely with camp management teams, local authorities, and humanitarian actors.
Samih explaining the role of community committees during CCCM stakeholder training, Aden, May 2026
I coordinate with different partners and the camp manager, and I help facilitate the implementation of activities.
Samih
Why Community Committees Matter?
In displacement sites, community committees play an important role in ensuring that residents can participate in decisions that affect their daily lives. Rather than being an external structure, these committees are community-based initiatives where members are identified and selected directly by the residents to ensure true grassroots representation.
The process begins with community-led mobilisation, where residents identify trusted individuals from among their peers who understand the site’s unique challenges. Through a transparent selection and election process, the displaced community votes for their representatives, giving leaders a mandate to communicate priorities, flag concerns, and share information about available services.
Samih’s own journey reflects this community-driven process. Over the years, he became increasingly involved in community activities before being selected by his fellow residents to lead the committee.
His experience as a displaced person motivated him to take on this responsibility. When asked what drove him to take the lead, Samih said,
Because I love serving my community and supporting displaced people. As someone who has experienced displacement myself, I understand their struggles.
Samih
Members of displaced community represented by Samih at Ash-Shorooq site in Aden
Strenghtened Community Inclusion
The Community Committee works to ensure women, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups are actively included in discussions and decision-making. “We involve them in regular meetings and ensure their active participation in identifying the needs of the area,” Samih says. He adds that this has helped the community become more involved in decisions that affect daily life at the site.
Coordination meeting of displaced persons and host community, Aden, June 2026
Building Skills Through CCCM Training
As part of Acted’s stakeholder capacity-building activities, community representatives received training on CCCM principles, communication, coordination, community participation, and problem-solving.
Samih’s role grew through community participation. He was chosen by the displaced community to lead the committee, and the training he received helped him take on the responsibility more effectively. “I received capacity-building training and have gained broad knowledge in the field of humanitarian work,” he says. He believes the community can continue to manage its own affairs with the right support.
Samih in group work during the CCCM Stakeholders training in Aden, May 2026
Towards Lasting Change
Although challenges remain, Samih believes communities can play a greater role in managing their own affairs when they have the right skills and support.
“With the training we received and the experience we already have, we can manage the camp and solve our internal problems.”
He hopes coordination between communities, authorities, and humanitarian organisations will continue so that displaced families can access the support they need.
“We thank them for their cooperation through the implementation of the project in the previous period, and we highly appreciate the support provided to us by the donors in the past period.”
As part of the project “Improving living conditions and supporting durable solutions for displacement-affected communities across Yemen”, funded by the European Union through its Humanitarian Aid Operations and implemented through the Yemen Displacement Response (YDR) Consortium, Acted supported more than 89,000 people across 101 displacement sites through site coordination, community engagement, referrals, infrastructure improvements, and maintenance works. The project also strengthened local capacity by training 434 CCCM stakeholders and improved accountability by managing more than 6,700 complaints and feedback cases. Together, these efforts improved access to services, strengthened community participation, and supported more organised and accountable site management for displaced families.
* The name of the beneficiary has been changed to protect his privacy.