Emergencies
Humanitarian Action for Children
Challenges
The humanitarian situation in Chad is best described as a prolonged multidimensional crisis caused by displacement of people fleeing conflict in neighboring countries, consistent food insecurity and high rates of malnutrition resulting from a conjunction of factors such as the economic crisis, natural hazards natural including rainfall deficit in large grazing areas, and decrease in agricultural production, as well as a vulnerability to epidemics such as cholera, hepatitis E and measles. All these interact in a structurally deficient environment where social services are inadequate for the population’s most basic needs.
In 2020, it is expected that 4,1 million people including 2,3 million children will be in need of humanitarian assistance resulting from a conjunction of three majors crisis i.e. food insecurity and malnutrition, people displacement and a health crisis.
Chad is currently hosting 657,000 people (51 per cent women and girls and 57 per cent children) including 449,700 refugees and asylum seekers fleeing armed conflicts and insecurity in Nigeria, the Central African Republic and Sudan. In the east, 336,000 Sudanese refugees have been living in 12 camps for more than a decade. 124,000 internally displaced persons are registered in the Lake region, and approximately 39,000 Chadian have returned from neighboring countries. In the south, more than 97,000 central Africans are settled in camps as well as among local communities.
3,7 million of people are food insecure; the National Severe Malnutrition Rate (SAM) is 4 per cent (above the 2 per cent WHO threshold), according to the 2018 SMART survey.
The country is currently facing a measles epidemic that was declared in May 2018 and to date has recorded more than 20,000 cases.
The 2017 rainy season was characterized by insufficient rainfall distribution, leading to a rainfall deficit in large grazing areas, and decrease in agricultural production. In 2018, the nutritional situation continued to deteriorate due to the economic crisis
Solutions
UNICEF is using a multi-sectoral approach to respond to humanitarian needs in Chad, facilitate access to basic social services and build the capacities of national and sub-national counterparts while strengthening the complementarity of its humanitarian response and development programming. Interventions include providing access to education to out-of-school students through the construction of both temporary and permanent learning spaces, the distribution of learning materials and the payment of teachers’ subsidies. A lifesaving package is being offered through the provision of potable water and ensuring access to safe sanitation services. With an increasing number of children suffering from severe malnutrition, UNICEF is working closely with partners to give access to both preventive and curative services such as the provision of dietary supplements and case treatment. In line with the CCCs UNICEF is also providing immunization services as well as access to HIV treatment for pregnant women and newborns.
In 2019, under its programmes UNICEF is targeting:
- 304,600 children aged 6 to 59 months with SAM treatment,
- 142,600 children aged 6 months to 14 years for vaccination against measles,
- 33,000 pregnant women to access HIV and AIDS screening and prevention of mother-to-child transmission services,
- 68,476 people to access quality and quantity of water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene,
- 65,000 severely malnourished children and their families to receive a life-saving WASH package,
- 35,550 children to be reached with psychosocial support through child-friendly spaces/other safe spaces,
- 205,300 crisis-affected children who will receive learning materials.
