In conflict settings, access to trustworthy information can be as lifesaving as food, medicine, or shelter. It shapes whether families trust an aid distribution, avoid a scam, or know how to protect themselves online. When misinformation, disinformation, and harmful speech spread, the consequences can be severe, deepening fear, eroding trust, and making already fragile situations even more dangerous.
Since 2019, Creating Hope in Conflict (CHIC) has invested in bold ideas that improve access to lifesaving information in conflict settings. As part of this work, CHIC has supported a small number of innovations specifically focused on addressing misinformation, disinformation, and harmful speech, often referred to as MDH.
In 2024, Grand Challenges Canada’s MDH scoping study highlighted the need for a shift in how the humanitarian sector responds to digital harm. The study emphasized the importance of locally led approaches that build resilience at the community level, rather than relying only on reactive, top-down responses after harm has already spread. It also reinforced the need to invest in trusted local actors, stronger learning and evaluation, and more sustainable support for MDH work in humanitarian settings.
Here, we’re spotlighting the SecDev Foundation’s Siraj project, a CHIC-supported innovation in Yemen. Siraj offers a strong example of how youth leadership, local partnerships, and community-based digital safety work can help protect people in one of the world’s most challenging humanitarian contexts.
@SecDev Foundation, Mohammed from Siraj team, 2023.
The Siraj Project: Youth-Led Action Against Digital Harm in Yemen
The Siraj project was launched by the SecDev Foundation in partnership with the Sheba Youth Foundation, a trusted Yemeni civil society organization. Together, they set out to strengthen digital resilience in Yemen by helping communities recognize and respond to online harms, including scams, misinformation, online harassment, and false rumours that undermine trust in humanitarian aid.
At the centre of Siraj was a simple but powerful idea: communities are best positioned to protect themselves when they have the right tools, knowledge, and local leadership.
From 2021 to 2023, Siraj trained 71 young Yemenis as digital safety champions. These youth leaders learned how to identify harmful content, respond to misinformation, and support safer online behaviours within their own communities. Their work extended far beyond training sessions. Siraj supported 64 awareness-raising activities, including youth-led community sessions, radio segments, workshops, and online outreach. The project also developed 49 localized learning materials in Arabic, all tailored to Yemeni realities.
@SecDev Foundation, Digital Safety trainings with Siraj teams, 2023.
In just 18 months, Siraj reached 495,826 people with digital safety resources. More than 73,000 people reported improved understanding of digital risks, and nearly 4,000 adults said they felt better protected from digital harms. More than 430,000 people actively engaged with the project through campaigns, trainings, or online platforms.
One of the strongest examples of Siraj’s impact comes from Tasea, one of the youth leaders trained through the project. After participating in Siraj, she changed her own digital habits, stopped using unsafe apps, and began sharing what she learned with family and friends through a WhatsApp group. What started with just a few people grew into wider peer-to-peer learning and support, showing how digital resilience can spread through trusted local networks.
With strong local ownership and continued uptake by trained youth leaders, Siraj shows that effective responses to digital harm are not only possible in conflict settings, but can also be community-driven, adaptable, and deeply relevant to people’s daily lives.
Read the full case study on the Siraj project here.