These problems are exacerbated by chronic instability and conflict, with violence creating over 100,000 internally displaced people (IDPs). Instability also means fluctuating food prices, which leave poor families malnourished, and a suffering education system, with over half the population unable to read or write.
Islamic Relief in Chad
Islamic Relief began working in Chad in 2006, when the conflict in Darfur forced thousands to flee from Sudan to Chad, overwhelming the already struggling country. We provided immediate assistance to support both the refugees from Sudan and IDPs within Chad, setting up an office in May 2007 to continue development work.
As well as emergency relief, we provide support to farmers, water and sanitation facilities, and training on reproductive health and midwifery, to tackle the maternal health problem suffered by Chad. We are also working to protect Chad from future droughts, by ensuring they are prepared to produce and store enough food.
Current project: Preparing for droughts
With low rainfall frequently leaving entire villages hungry, Chad needs to prepare itself for droughts in advance. Over the next two years, Islamic Relief will be working in the Sila Province, giving over 23,000 people the tools to produce food all year round. We’ll be digging wells to irrigate land for years to come, giving farmers seeds to grow crops which can survive the dry season, and building up food savings so that when times are hard, no-one needs to go hungry. We hope that once this project is complete, the people of Sila will be well-prepared for the future, and homes will be full of healthy, well-fed children.