Chad ~ Assisting Conflict-Affected Families

June 2007 - June 2009

Conflicts between Sudan and Chad created great insecurity. CRWRC intervened on  the behalf of thousands of internally displace people (IDPs).

Having gained relevant experience in Darfur, Sudan and in Chad in recent years, CRWRC established a project in Eastern Chad. Focusing on three of the largest refugee camps in Eastern Chad–Gouroukoun, Gassire and Ganashour–CRWRC provided aid to 18, 000 individuals (3, 600 households). The project began in June 2008 and ran through December 2008.

CRWRC partnered with six agencies in Chad and Sudan, forming The Global Relief Alliance (GRA). The group of relief and development agencies combines their resources and expertise to address large-scale urgent needs in the area. The six agencies are:

• World Concern (WC)
• Food for the Hungry (FH)
• MAP
• Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC)
• World Relief (WR)
• Medical Teams International (MTI)

Displaced families lost both their assets and their means to make a living. They lived in crowded camps where the provision of clean water, sanitation, food, and health care was erratic and insufficient. The project endeavored to meet families’ immediate food needs while helping them become less dependent on humanitarian aid.

CRWRC provided food aid to 13, 000 people. Around 10, 000 people receive food for work on restoration projects. 600 families with special needs–approximately 3, 000 individuals - receive food without being asked to work. In order to avoid jealousy, 25 percent of the work force comes from outside the IDP community–from families who host the refugees.

Food for work sub-projects included reforestation, water-retention, fertilization, and soil conservation–foundations for providing long-term food security.

CRWRC provided animal-care training to 5,000 people. The knowledge and skills attained by these beneficiaries empowered these communities to keep their livestock healthy while increasing the overall food production.

Rather than directly distribute food in payment for work, the Alliance issued market vouchers instead. Workers would go to the local market and use their vouchers to purchase food. In order to ensure this approach worked, the Alliance held many meetings and collaborated with merchants, local authorities, other agencies and most importantly the beneficiaries themselves.

The use of vouchers proved to be a great success. Beneficiaries negotiated directly with food sellers, ensuring a fair price. Local merchants received more business, which boosted the local economy. And 2,000 vulnerable beneficiaries found market employment as a result of the new system. Furthermore, the Alliance avoided becoming an unfair competitor to local food sellers. Other agencies in the region  visited our fairs to learn how they might use this method in their own work. Everyone involved in the process expressed their appreciation for this approach.