Winner of Nansen Award - the Society for Humanitarian Solidarity

Founded in 1995 by Nasser Salim Ali Al-Hamairy, the Society for Humanitarian Solidarity (SHS) is a local, non-profit, humanitarian NGO based in the Mayfa’a district (Shabwa Governorate) near Aden, Yemen.

With 290 staff members, SHS patrols 600 km of the 2,000-km Yemen coastline along the Gulf of Aden, providing life-saving assistance to thousands of refugees and migrants who arrive on the shores of Yemen every year. SHS staff go beyond the call of duty by carrying out rescues at sea, burying people who have drowned, and giving emergency first aid to the injured. The NGO delivers water, juice and food to combat dehydration and hunger among the new arrivals on the coast. It transports all new arrivals from the coast to reception centres where meals and medical care are provided. In addition, SHS works in Kharaz refugee camp where it distributes food rations and provides daily meals for the school feeding programme and to vulnerable refugees. It also manages the infrastructure, constructs shelters and schools, and maintains the electrical and water network. In Aden, SHS runs an overnight shelter to assist new arrivals who choose to settle in urban areas.

The NGO also assists the local community in Mayfa’a, Ahwar, and Hadramaut to mitigate the impact of new arrivals on the local population and provide much needed support.
As one of UNHCR’s local implementing partners, SHS’s courageous staff are on the front line of the crisis affecting the Horn of Africa, often working around the clock to provide vital humanitarian assistance. Without its constant monitoring of the coast, many more people would die each year as they make the treacherous journey across the Gulf of Aden.

Driven by personal commitment to the humanitarian cause, SHS staff often risk their own lives to help others in need: engaging in rescues in dangerous sea conditions, working amid security concerns and tribal strife and frequently in isolated areas.

SHS is funded by the international humanitarian community and public donations.

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