OCHA Situation Report
Chad: Facts and Figures Snapshot Report
6 March 2008


Source:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Refugees and related humanitarian action

Overview

Sudanese refugees

There are currently over 250,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad, almost all of
whom are located in 12 camps in the country's east. Over 56% of the
refugees are women, and over 60% are under the age of 18 - two
circumstances that call for particular attention to sectors such as
education and health.

During the month of February 2008, at least 12,000 new refugees arrived to
Chad from the Sudan's Darfur region.  Contingency plans were in place,
enabling the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR)  and its partners to meet their most immediate life-saving needs,
and to relocate them to camps where assistance and protection can be
provided in the best possible way.

The response programme of UNHCR in the affected regions is based on four
main pillars:protection;socio-economic well-being and dignity;
self-reliance through income generation; and promotion of community-based
approaches for coexistence with the host communities.  Together with
UNHCR, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) oversees the day-to-day
management of nutritional and vaccination programmes, as well as child
protection and education activities.

Through active collaboration with local and national authorities, host
communities, and the refugees themselves, UNHCR and its partners are
working to protect the refugee population, whilst at the same time
supporting capacity building for the Chadian judiciary with a view to
enhancing protection.  United Nations agencies also work on protection
monitoring activities in the domains of sexual and gender-based violence
(SGBV), as well as awareness campaigns in the domains of the environment,
health and sanitation, and HIV/AIDS, while also supporting community
infrastructure projects in the camps.

The mainly arid lands of eastern Chad pose significant environmental
challenges for the refugee programme, as firewood and water are scarce.
The UNHCR has installed special protective measures to take these
environmental and livelihoods elements into account.

Central African refugees

There are currently over 57,000 refugees from the Central African Republic
(CAR) in Chad, the vast majority of them being located in four camps in
the country's south.  At least 10,000 of these refugees have arrived to
Chad between January 2008 and the present time.

As conditions in the affected areas are more conducive to self-reliance
activities, compared to the arid regions of the east, UNHCR in concert
with its donors and partners is working to link humanitarian relief to
development, for the benefit of the local communities as well as the
refugees.  Agricultural, vocational, and micro-credit initiatives are in
place, in order to help preserve the dignity of refugees in the area.
Projects include health clinics catering for refugees as well as the host
communities, the promotion of local markets, and the support to local
governance mechanisms.

Humanitarian needs and response for refugees

Education

The UNHCR and UNICEF, along with the Government, are working for the
provision of primary education - targeting children aged six to 14 - in
the 12 refugee camps of eastern Chad.  The United Nations currently
assures access for all primary school-aged children to quality education,
with particular attention to attendance by girls.  In order to support
these efforts, the building of infrastructure, the recruitment and
training of teachers, and timely provision of educational materials, are
among the major activities.  The recruitment and training of female
teachers are a priority for UNICEF, in order to achieve gender parity in
education.

The distribution of textbooks and school uniforms for the new school year
2008, provided by UNICEF, was completed in December 2007, covering a total
of approximately 63,000 children in 12 refugee camps.

Food Security and Livelihoods

In eastern Chad, the World Food Programme (WFP)  is currently assisting
all Sudanese refugees, through the provision of regular monthly food
rations.  The rations are designed to provide 2,100 kcal per person per
day.

The WFP is also currently assisting approximately 30,000 refugees from the
Central African Republic (CAR)  through general food distributions, in
three refugee camps in southern Chad.  An additional 16,000 CAR refugees
located in a fourth camp have sufficient coping mechanisms, and do not
require food aid. They are instead supported through seed protection
programmes during the lean season (April to May), along with the provision
of food aid for vulnerable groups.

Health

The fourth national polio vaccination campaign, organized by the
Government of Chad with support from UNICEF and other partners, covered
the totality of refugee children aged under five in eastern Chad's camps
of Bredjing, Djabal, Farchana, Goz Amir, and Treguine.

Sector or cross-cutting activities for non-refugees

Overview on internal displacement

There are currently approximately 180,000 internally displaced persons
(IDPs)  in Chad, the vast majority of them living in the east.  The IDP
crisis started in December 2005, and worsened in the last quarter of 2006
due to deterioration in the security environment.

Humanitarians feel that, in the vast majority of cases, security
conditions don't allow for safe returns, and that this is reflected in the
preference of most IDPs to remain in the host areas.

The United Nations and its partners work with the Chadian Government, in
order to provide vital assistance to IDPs in a timely manner.  The United
Nations has furthermore conducted IDP profiling activities, in order to
identify the areas of origin of all IDPs, with a view to organizing return
operations once it is possible to do so.

Common Services, Coordination, and Funding

Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP)

The 2007 Humanitarian Appeal for Chad, within the framework of the
Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP), received US$ 264 million, being 97% of
the total funds requested.  This makes Chad's appeal the best-funded
annual appeal worldwide. However, while funding has been very good for
some sectors (132% of requirements were met for food security, 101% for
multi-sector aid to refugees, and 100% for shelter and non-food items), it
has been disappointing in others (the education sector received only 12%
of requirements, while 45% was received for water and sanitation
projects).

In support of the Government, the United Nations and its partners in Chad
have presented a Humanitarian Appeal for 2008, within the framework of the
CAP.  The total amount requested is US$ 286 million. However, as of 05
March, only 2.3% of the appeal has been or is being funded (including
uncommitted pledges).  Should funding lead to an interruption in the
provision of assistance in life-saving sectors, this could turn eastern
Chad's current humanitarian crisis into a humanitarian disaster.

Transport and logistics

During 2007, the United Nations HumanitarianAirService (UNHAS) transported
a total of 26,352 passengers and 78 tonnes of humanitarian supplies, for
over 70 humanitarian organizations working in Chad.  This represents a
sharp increase from 2006, when approximately 17,000 passengers used the
service.  The service currently reaches N'Djamena and nine locations in
eastern Chad, with flights scheduled to start soon to Gore and Moundou in
the south.

In February 2008, in response to an inflow of Chadian refugees into
Cameroon, UNHAS introduced regular passenger and cargo services linking
Chad to locations in Cameroon, including the Cameroonian capital Yaounde
as well as the north-eastern cities of Garoua and Maroua.

Education

Among IDPs in eastern Chad, the number of school-age children is estimated
at almost 50,000, being 30% of the total displaced population.  The vast
majority of these children have not been enrolled in school or have not
completed their school year, and need to be provided with the opportunity
to continue their education. The UNICEF and its partners face and are
currently addressing several challenges in this endeavour: lack of
teachers among IDPs (up to 95% of whom are illiterate); the precarious
nature of school infrastructure; and shortages in school materials and
equipment.

The UNICEF is advocating with the Ministry of Education to recruit
additional teachers.  Meanwhile, throughout the east, UNICEF is funding
three NGOs - Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), Premiere Urgence, and Save the
Children - United Kingdom (SC-UK)  - to work towards the strengthening of
teachers' capacities.

Since the beginning of 2008, construction of approximately 100 classrooms
has been completed in IDP sites, with construction of classrooms in
Dogdore still underway, under the leadership of UNICEF and through the
employment of local labour.

The distribution of school supplies for the new school year 2008, provided
by UNICEF, was completed in December 2007, benefiting a total of
approximately 22,000 children in ten IDP sites.  Each establishment
received furniture, as well as learning materials such as the 'school in a
box' kit.

Food Security and Livelihoods

Food assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs)

At present, WFP is conducting general food distributions for IDPs in over
22 different sites.  During 2007, it delivered 12,208 metric tonnes (MT)
of food to over 174,500 IDPs and members of the host communities in
eastern Chad.  These deliveries covered the departments of Assongha, Bahr
Azoum, Dar Sila, Jourouf al-Hamar, and Wadi Fira.

Food assistance to host communities

In addition to general food distribution for refugees and IDPs, WFP has
made provisions to assist up to 150,000 beneficiaries among the host
communities, through food-for-work (FFW)  projects targeting vulnerable
farming families in rural areas.  The programmes are designed to help them
manage their productive assets in a sustainable manner, thereby supporting
their incomes on the long term, as well as the local economies of the
areas concerned.

Livelihoods

During 2007, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has provided
packages of cereal and vegetable seeds to over 23,000 vulnerable
households in Chad's eastern areas of Bahai, Goz Beida, Iriba, Koukou, and
in the areas of Gore and Maro in the south.  The FAO's activities included
assisting the targeted households to adequately prepare the land, plant
the seeds appropriately, and protect crops.

Food needs for 2008

The results of a food self-reliance assessment among Sudanese refugees,
internally displaced persons (IDPs)  and host communities in eastern Chad,
conducted in November 2007 by the United Nations and partners, have been
released.  The results show that the vast majority of those affected will
continue to be in need of food aid during 2008.  Over 95% of households
will not be able to cover more than three months of their needs for
cereals.  Results were better among host communities, showing that 40% of
the population will be able to cover their own needs for cereals for three
months, 15% for seven months, and 19.7% for nine months. The poor
agricultural production among refugee and IDP households is explained by
adverse environmental conditions, low availability of agricultural land,
and difficulties in obtaining seeds.

The WFP needs over 92,000 metric tons (MT) of food, in order to meet the
needs of refugees and IDPs during 2008.  Transport operations to bring the
food to Chad are due to begin before the end of 2007, in an operation that
will involve sea transport as well as a fleet of 8,000 trucks to travel
overland (either from Douala Port in Cameroon, or along the
1,800-kilometer 'Libyan corridor' across the Sahara desert).  Once it
arrives in the country, food required for a period of five months needs to
be pre-positioned in eastern Chad before June, as roads become impassable
and are officially closed from July to November during the rainy season.

Given the long lead time (five months) of food deliveries to Chad,
confirmation of donor contributions is urgently required, in order to
ensure that purchases are completed in the coming months, and that food
reaches Chad on time.  Any delay could have a dramatic impact on the lives
of tens of thousands of vulnerable people who rely entirely on WFP food
assistance for their survival.

Additional resources amounting to US$68 million are urgently required by
WFP, to ensure continued assistance for Sudanese refugees, IDPs and host
populations in eastern Chad until the end of 2008.

Health

Thefourth national poliomyelitis vaccination campaign, organized by the
Government of Chad with support from UNICEF and other partners, covered
the totality of IDP children in the sites of Gassire, Gouroukoun, Habile,
Koloma, and Koubigou. These campaigns also covered children from the
neighboring host communities.

However, two cases of poliomyelitis have been reported and confirmed by
WHO between February 2008 and the present date - one in Abeche, and one in
the capital N'Djamena. The WHO is supporting the Ministry of Health, in
preparing a response.

Among the local population of eastern Chad's town of Bahai, two suspected
cases of meningitis have been reported since the beginning of February,
leading to one known death.  The WHO confirms that this remains below the
alert threshold.

Nutrition

The UNICEF continues to monitor nutrition activities in 23 out of the 29
IDP sites of eastern Chad, and to procure F-100 and F-75 milk for
therapeutic feeding.

During 2007, as part of efforts to combat malnutrition among children in
the host communities, UNICEF has supported the opening of five therapeutic
feeding centres by SC-UK in the towns of Abeche and Goz Beida.

Humanitarians remain concerned about chronic malnutrition in western Chad.
According to 2004 data, 58% of children under five suffer from chronic
malnutrition in the regions of BET, Kanem, and Lacs - a figure well above
the national average of 41%.  In 2007, a survey by the Chadian Ministry of
Health and the United Nations reported a rate of 49% for chronic
malnutrition among newborns and children aged six to 59 months in the
Kanem region - a figure much higher than those for Batha (30%), Guera
(32%), and Ouaddai (33%) in the east.

Shelter and non-food items

Since the beginning of 2007, United Nations agencies and their partners
have distributed 12,535 blankets, 10,275 mats, and 14,600 plastic sheets,
to IDPs.  At the same time, they have also prepared contingency plans for
further distributions of such items, to cater for the eventuality of new
arrivals.

Water and Sanitation

During 2007, UNICEF provided safe drinking water to over 45,000 IDPs and
members of the host communities, by installing water-pumping stations,
drilling machines, and manually drilled boreholes with hand pumps.  A
total of 1,870 latrines were constructed with UNICEF support, and family
water and sanitation kits were distributed to over 5,000 IDPs.  In 2008,
UNICEF will further expand its aid package for IDPs in eastern Chad, with
a focus on infrastructure for safe water access and latrines.

In December 2007 alone, 122 family latrines were built with UNICEF support
in the IDP site of Aradib, while 400 water family kits, 5,400 buckets, and
50,000 soap bars, were distributed in Habile.  Around Goz Beida, the
distribution of sanitation material is currently underway.  However, the
volatile security situation in the east caused a delay in the deployment
of private enterprises by UNICEF for the installation of mechanical hand
pumps

If you have inputs for the next edition, or questions and comments on this
one, please contact:

Maurizio Giuliano, Public Information Officer, United Nations, Chad Email:
giuliano@un.org, Tel: +235-6053892

Katy Thiam, Associate Reporting Officer, United Nations, Chad, Email:
thiamk@un.org, Tel: +235-6201542

For information specific to the following sectors, you may also contact:

Activities for Refugees, Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFIs),
Protection: Annette Rehrl, Spokesperson, Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Chad, Email: rehrl@unhcr.org, Tel:
+235-6385195

Education, Nutrition, Water and Sanitation: Cornelia Walther,
Communication Officer, United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Email:
cwalther@unicef.org, Tel: +235-6182722

Food Security and Livelihoods: Magda Jurkowiecka, Reports Officer, World
Food Programme (WFP) Email: magda.jurkowiecka@wfp.org, Tel : +235-6201131

Health: Jonas Naissem, Information Officer, World Health Organization
(WHO), Email: naissemj@td.afro.who.int, Tel: +235-6294720

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