Chad Appeal

Chad faces one of the most complex humanitarian crises in the Sahel. Climate shocks, regional conflict, large‑scale displacement and overstretched health services weakened by recurrent epidemics mean that, in 2026, 4.5 million people – including 2.5 million children – will require humanitarian assistance. Of the 4.5 million people identified as in need, the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan targets 3.4 million (38 per cent fewer than in 2025) to focus limited resources on the most severe needs. Among these individuals, 1.9 million people – all people in need in areas with intersectoral severity 4 – are considered absolute priorities.

Chad hosts 1.5 million refugees, 424,661 returnees and 225,689 internally displaced persons. Children, increasingly exposed to gender‑based violence and family separation, remain at the centre of the country's crisis. The crisis in the Sudan has further strained Chad’s fragile systems. In 2026, Chad is hosting 910,740 Sudanese refugees (61 per cent children) and 344,399 returnees (67 per cent children) who have entered through Ouaddaï, Sila, Wadi Fira, and Ennedi Est. This has put pressure on social cohesion, services and natural resources in refugee-hosting areas.

Chad remains in a nutrition emergency, with global acute malnutrition rates above alert levels in 14 provinces and severe wasting exceeding the 2 per cent emergency threshold in 10 provinces. Children aged 6–23 months are most affected. In 2026, 1,508,751 children under age 5 will face either severe wasting (338,488 children) or moderate wasting (1,170,263 children). This, combined with another 174,111 pregnant or breastfeeding women, means that nearly 2 million people will require nutrition support. The nutrition crisis persists as humanitarian, climatic and structural pressures continue to compound one another.

In 2026, 1,706,766 people, including 938,721 children, will require essential health services. Recurrent epidemics pose severe risks. There were 517 meningitis cases, 5,456 diphtheria cases and 2,914 cholera cases reported in 2025. Persistently low vaccination coverage, insecurity, isolation and population movements continue to hinder immunization efforts.

Education in Chad is severely disrupted, with 1.4 million school‑aged children requiring education support due to displacement, overcrowded classrooms and insufficient teachers and resources.

Chad, the second most climate-vulnerable country for children in the world, faces recurrent floods and droughts that have destroyed homes, contaminated water sources and impeded humanitarian access. Protection incidents numbered 10,185 in 2025, compared with 5,662 in 2024. Intercommunal violence displaced more than 12,500 people in early 2025, and armed non-state actors continue to threaten communities in Lac Province. In 2026, 254,200 children will require protection assistance in the most affected regions.

Humanitarian access has been hampered by insecurity, violence and seasonal flooding, particularly in southern and eastern provinces.

The overlapping crises in Chad demand urgent, flexible funding, which will enable UNICEF and partners to deliver essential health, nutrition, WASH, education and protection services to vulnerable children and families.

This Humanitarian Action for Children appeal is anchored in the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action and aligned with the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. It reflects UNICEF’s vision for streamlined, nationally led humanitarian planning. Within this framework, UNICEF’s strategy in Chad focuses on the most critical hotspots identified in the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, while retaining flexibility to address localized emergencies. Guided by the principle of no one left behind, UNICEF aims to deliver timely, equitable and inclusive assistance. 

UNICEF will adopt a multisectoral, integrated life-saving approach that is disability‑inclusive, gender‑responsive and climate‑resilient. A key priority will be supporting national vaccination campaigns for epidemic‑prone and vaccine‑preventable diseases, while strengthening preparedness, surveillance and response systems at national and decentralized levels. 

As the country’s sole supplier of ready‑to‑use therapeutic food, UNICEF will ensure continuity of treatment and prevention of severe wasting. At the same time, UNICEF will reinforce government capacity for supply chain management, logistics and quality assurance to strengthen long‑term national ownership and reduce risks of aid diversion. 

UNICEF will support government‑led child protection systems by strengthening capacities in case management and in preventing and responding to gender‑based violence and grave violations of children's rights. UNICEF will support efforts around protection from sexual exploitation and abuse. 

UNICEF will ensure access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services for affected populations. The organization will reinforce national institutions’ capacities to sustainably operate WASH systems and help to strengthen their emergency preparedness. 

In education, UNICEF will promote inclusive access to formal and non‑formal learning and support relevant ministries to improve planning, teacher deployment and emergency coordination, enabling a transition towards stronger government leadership. 

UNICEF’s approach to accountability to affected populations prioritizes government‑led feedback and complaint mechanisms whilst promoting accessible, interoperable channels integrated into national systems.

Preparedness and response will be reinforced through pre‑positioning of supplies, anticipatory action, humanitarian cash transfers and community‑based mechanisms. There will be a strong focus on developing national emergency management capacities, supported by an enhanced field presence for both UNICEF and government partners to ensure rapid, localized, and context‑specific interventions. 

Localization remains a central principle, and UNICEF will invest in government institutions and civil society organizations to strengthen sustainable national leadership. 

UNICEF will operationalize the humanitarian–development–peace nexus to reduce risks, build resilience and ensure emergency interventions reinforce government‑led systems strengthening. 

Finally, UNICEF will continue supporting coordination across the Education, Nutrition and WASH clusters and child protection matters under the Protection Cluster, and contribute to coordination structures for the Sudanese refugee response in eastern Chad, led by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.