Chad / Humanitarian Action in Chad: Facts and Figures / Snapshot Report, 9 June 2008

 

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NDJAMENA, Chad, June 9, 2008/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Humanitarian Action in Chad: Facts and Figures / Snapshot Report, 9 June 2008

Overview

April and May proved to be particularly insecure months in eastern Chad, with several casualties among the humanitarian community and several partners being forced to scale back or suspend their work due to security concerns. The Head of Mission for Save the Children–UK was killed on May 1^st in a convoy heading to Adre just weeks after one of their drivers was killed while on duty – the NGO has since suspended activities in eastern Chad. CNAR (governmental body in charge of the security of camps) gendarmes in Bahai and Farchana were also killed in this period during the course of their work. In Iriba, the death of two CNAR gendarmes again highlighted the insecurity in the region and threats to humanitarians, and one implementing partner has since left Iriba due to the situation. These factors prompted a visit by the representatives and heads of CONAFIT, UNHCR, EUFOR, MINURCAT and the UN Humanitarian Coordinator to assess the security situation. Discussions are underway regarding future measures to improve security in the area.

 

Refugees and related humanitarian action

 

Sudanese refugees

• There are currently over 250,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad. Over 243,000 are hosted in 12 camps in the country’s east.
  
• During the month of February, when several areas of West Darfur were heavily hit by armed conflict, over 13,000 Darfurians fled to Chad’s eastern town of Birak and surrounding areas, approximately 60 km east of the town of Guereda. During March, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has transferred 5,357 of these newly arrived refugees from Birak to Kounoungou refugee camp, near Guereda. On June 3, the UNHCR resumed offering transportation to those refugees who have voluntarily agreed to a transfer to Mile refugee camp, also near Guereda. Upon arrival, refugees are being provided with tents and non-food items, including mats, blankets, jerry cans, kitchen sets, mosquito nets, and hygiene articles. Work is ongoing to extend the camps, and to install additional water points. Once arrived to the camp, refugees have access to the assistance and protection provided through all projects implemented by UNHCR’s partners. Those refugees who choose to stay at the border are receiving protection assistance. Protection monitoring teams have also been deployed to the border to provide advice to refugees in need, to register families for relocation, and to follow up on vulnerable individuals including separated children.
  
• The response programme of UNHCR for the refugees is based on the principle of ensuring the safety and dignity of refugees, thereby comprising four main pillars: protection; socio-economic well-being; self-reliance through income generation and skills-training; 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 that can be delivered by national authorities. 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, for example by providing energy-saving cooking pots to refugees, and engaging in reforestation projects in the areas next to the camps.
  
• The UNHCR is currently preparing to conduct workshops on traditional and modern justice in Chad, targeting local authorities, traditional authorities, as well as Chadian military. The workshops are due to take place in mid-June in the departments of Assoungha and Ouaddaï.
  

 

Central African refugees

• There are currently 57,000 refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR) in Chad, the vast majority of them being located in five camps in the country’s south.
  
• Around 10,000 of the Central African refugees in Chad have arrived to the country between December 2007 and March 2008. Transfers from the border village of Maya to the transit site of Dembo were completed on 3 April 2008 and transfers to the new refugee camp (Moula) near Maro are currently underway, with some 4,500 refugees having already been transferred.
  
• 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 support to local governance mechanisms.
  

 

Humanitarian needs and response for refugees

Education

• The UNHCR and UNICEF, along with the Chadian 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 provides 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 for the new school year 2008, provided by UNICEF, covered a total of approximately 63,000 children in 12 refugee camps. The schools are functioning full time, and teachers receive monthly incentives from UNHCR.
  

 

Food Security and Livelihoods

• The World Food Programme (WFP) continues to assist over 230,000 Sudanese refugees, in eastern Chad through the provision of monthly general food distributions.
  
• In the south, food rations are currently being provided to some 46,000 refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR) located in four refugee camps in the Gore and Maro areas. An additional 16,000 CAR refugees located in the Yaroungou refugee camp are supported through seed protection programmes during the lean season (April to July), along with the provision of food aid for vulnerable groups.
  
• May general food distributions for refugees have been completed, in all refugee camps in eastern and southern Chad. Due to logistical and security constraints, WFP covered 80% of the beneficiaries cereal needs.
  

 

Health

• In 2007 and 2008, with input from various partners, access to primary health care has been provided to 240 000 refugees. Some 10 000 new Sudanese refugees arrived in 2008 and have also received care in four health centres in Guereda.
  
• In order to cover the health needs of refugees for the second trimester of 2008, UNICEF has delivered vaccines, medical supplies, and medication, to its non-governmental organization (NGO) partners.
  

Nutrition

• The UNICEF continues to provide, trough its NGO partners, therapeutic food and equipment to therapeutic feeding centres in all 12 refugee camps of eastern Chad.
  

 

Sector or cross-cutting activities for non-refugees, or not uniquely for 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.
  
• 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.
  
• New vague of returns are observed in the field and humanitarian actors plan to conduct surveys in order to collect quantitative data for need assessment and response plan. The challenge of the humanitarian actors, in close collaboration with the Government and other partners, is to create conditions for sustainable returns. In this purpose, a framework for sustainable voluntary returns has been adopted in May 2008.
  

 

Common Services, Coordination, and Funding

Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP)

• As of 5 May, the 2008 Humanitarian Appeal for Chad is only funded at 30 %. The Appeal currently requests US$ 290 million, for 70 humanitarian projects proposed by 14 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and eight United Nations entities. The breakdown of funding by sector: agriculture (20%); coordination and support services (10%); education (2%); food (36%) health (6%); mine action (0%); multi sector (35%); protection and human rights (17%); and water and sanitation (2%). Contributors to this year’s appeal include Canada, European Commission, France, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey, United States of America and the United Nations (unearmarked fund and the Central emergency response Fund).
  
• The Central Emergency Relief Fund of the United Nations has allocated 4.3 million dollars to meet the needs of 12,000 Central African Republic refugees who arrived in southern Chad between January and February 2008. This funds have been distributed as follows: UNHCR (USD1, 490,510), WFP (USD 1,886,987) and UNICEF (971,774). Projects in the following sectors will be covered; education, food, health, nutrition and protection. United Nations agencies will implement projects with the following partners: CNAR (Commission Nationale d’Accueil et de Réinsertion des Réfugiés), the NGOs African Concern, LWF, COOPI and GTZ.
  
• Humanitarian actors in Chad met in mid-May in order to revise humanitarian needs and the requirements for the response, with the aim to present to donors and to the public a Mid-Year Review (MYR) of the Appeal.
  

Transport and logistics

• From January to May 2008, the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) transported a total of 15,366 passengers and 55 tonnes of humanitarian supplies, for over 70 humanitarian organizations working in Chad. The service currently reaches N’Djamena and nine locations in eastern Chad, as well as Goré and Moundou in the south, and the Cameroonian capital Yaoundé. Flights between Niamey in Niger and N’Djamena are due to start in the coming weeks.
  

 

Education

• Increased  school attendance rate amongst local population and IDPs: For the  first  time  since  the  beginning of the crisis, IDP children have completed  a full school year program through joint efforts of UNICEF in support  of  the MoE and together with its implementing partners JRS and PU  (Premiere Urgence:  Departments  of  Ouara and Assoungha; Jesuit Relief Services: Department Dar Sila (Koukou,  Goz Beida); no children at school yet in the Dogdore area (Save the Children -UK), as well as Am Dam/Haouish Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW)).
  

• Among  IDPs  in  eastern  Chad,  the  number  of  school-age children is estimated  at  over  50,000,  being  25  to  30%  of the total displaced population. The vast majority of these children has not been enrolled in school  or  has not completed their school year, and need to be provided  with  the  opportunity  to  continue  their  education.
  

• UNICEF  and its partners  face  and  are currently addressing several challenges in this endeavour:  lack of teachers among IDPs (up to 95% of the IDP population is  estimated  to  be  illiterate);  the  precarious  nature  of  school infrastructure; and shortages in school materials and equipment.
  

• UNICEF  is  advocating with the Ministry of Education to recruit, deploy and take in charge 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.
  

• Furthermore, partnership  with  IRW  foreseen  for  the  Am  Dam and Haouish area (no
  

activities started yet, due to lack/delay of funding).

• Since the beginning of 2006, construction of 120 classrooms has been completed in IDP sites, with construction of classrooms in Dogdoré still underway, under the leadership of UNICEF and through the employment of local labour.
  

•   The distribution of school supplies for the new school year 2007/2008, provided by UNICEF, was completed in December 2007, benefited a total of more than 22,000 children in ten IDP sites throughout the departments of Ouara, Assoungha and Dar Sila.  Each establishment received equipment/ furniture  such  as  blackboards,  plastic  mats,  desks  and chairs for teachers  etc.,  as  well as teaching and learning materials such as the "school in a box" and recreation kits
  

 

Food Security and Livelihoods

Food assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs)

• To date, WFP is providing seed protection rations to over 160,000 IDPs in eastern Chad. Provision has been made to assist beneficiaries with a 90-day food rations between end of May and the beginning of June to cover the lean season (May to July). This aims to support IDP self-reliance. In April, a total of 105 beneficiaries have also received a 15 day food ration (647 tonnes) in the Goz Beida and Koukou areas.  
  							

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 beneficiaries 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. Due to the food price increase, logistical and security constraints, WFP is distributing reduced rations until October 2008.
  

Livelihoods

• From the agricultural and food security point of view challenges faced are related to: weak availability of agricultural inputs such as good quality seeds, unstable access to natural resources such as  water ; tensions and competitions on resources between groups ; weak beneficiaries technical means; and sustainable access to markets. In addition, around 180 000 IDPs, about 700 000 persons are affected by the crisis, many of them need to be more supported and included in programmes and projects. Around 90 % of IDPs are farmers, most of them will not crop this year if they are not assisted. Food prices have increased drastically recently and there is a risk of aggravation of food insecurity in the region.
  
• In its response strategy to support farmers and herders, FAO and its partners achieved the following the following as of mid-May: seeds distributed to 8,500 households out of 15,000 targeted for the year and small ruminants provided to 250 households out of the 2,500 households targeted for the year.
  

 

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, indicate 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 their cereal needs for more than three months. Results were better among host communities, showing that 40% of the population will be able to cover their own cereal needs for for three months, 15% for seven months, and 19.7% for nine months. Based on recommendations made by aid agencies following the food needs assessments WFP will continue to provide general food distributions to IDPs in the Dar Sila area, whereas for those in the Assongha department, food assistance is planned only during the lean season with targeted assistance for vulnerable groups.
  

• 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.
  

• WFP needs over 92,000 tonnes of food, in order to meet the needs of refugees and IDPs during 2008. Transport operations to bring the food to Chad consist 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 need 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.
  
• To enhance WFP transport capacity and ensure timely pre-positioning of food in the refugee camps and IDP sites, the aid agency has set up in early May a logistics hub in Faya Largeau in northern Chad. A first convoy of over 790 mt of food is expected on 07 June in the new logistics hub.
  

 

Health

• The Health Cluster has been established in eastern Chad and its terms of reference have been developed. It coordinates interventions of 26 partners working in the health sector: Ministry of Health, 16 NGOs, three Red Cross organizations, five United Nations agencies and the German Development Service-DED.
  
• WHO provided primary health care to 173 000 IDPs and 1.4 million people from the local population. A pharmaceutical depot in the Ouaddai region has been inaugurated and is operational, allowing partners to purchase essential drugs locally. Nearly 100 vesico-vaginal fistulas were repaired at the Abeche Regional Hospital. Rehabilitation of health centres in Koukou and Ade was undertaken to enable it carry out activities, emergency surgery and childbirth, and to increase the capacity of hospitalization. Some technical equipment was also provided. A new health centre was built at Ablelaye, and the centre at Allacha has been rehabilitated. Several training workshops were conducted in fields as diverse as those of fighting HIV, reproductive health, immunization, laboratory confirmation of outbreaks, epidemiological surveillance, health information system, Integrated Management of Childhood Illness, prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS. A monitoring of the “Minimum Activity Package” was conducted in IDP camps and sites.
  
• The armed confrontation in N’Djamena in February 2008 resulted in approximately 1,000 injured being cared for by health sector partners.
  
• WHO and partners develop preparedness plans and responses to outbreaks: in the dry season (mainly meningitis) and rainy season (hepatitis E, cholera, diarrhoeal diseases, malaria).
  
• Health intervention coordination has resulted in joint planning and prioritization of needs, which led to drawing up of 26 health projects for the CAP 2008, and its mid-term review.
  
• As a last resort, WHO has been providing various partners and beneficiaries with Inter Agency Emergency Health Kits, Trauma Kits, stibogluconate to treat leishmaniasis, Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy as well as Parachek.
  
• WHO has maintained the Early Warning System for epidemic prone diseases (EWARS), collecting weekly data on 12 illnesses in 76 health centres and public hospitals, 12 IDP sites and 12 health centres at Sudanese refugee camps in eastern Chad in eight health districts. In 2007, the most common diseases were: respiratory diseases (124 976 cases including 68 deaths), acute watery diarrhoea (171 049 cases including 63 deaths) and malaria (43 889 cases including 65 deaths).
  
• Particular attention has been given to meningitis in 2008, which was considered at epidemic risk in Chad. Seventy cases, including six deaths, were reported and investigated by eastern Chad health districts. No health district, refugee camps, and IDP site has crossed the warning threshold. An epidemic of hepatitis E, spread by faecal-oral and support water, was declared, particularly in IDP sites in the Goz Beida health district (3359 new cases including 45 deaths). It was quickly brought under control due to the collaboration of actors working in the field of health, WASH and social communication. No major epidemic has been declared in eastern Chad thanks to this system.
  

 

Nutrition

Overview

• Monitoring of nutrition interventions carried out by UNICEF at the end of the first quarter of 2008 at IDPs sites throughout Dar Sila shows that Nutrition programmes are functional and that main indicators are given high importance. The recovery in SFC is close to 100%, death rate and defaulter’s rate stand at nearly 0%.
  
• The latest data available regarding the nutritional status of children (6 – 59 months) among IDPs stems from a survey carried out in June 2007. This survey covers IDPs and host population of the following regions: Batha, Guera, Kanem and Ouaddai. The survey shows that at IDP sites the Global Acute Malnutrition rate is 21, 4 % with a severe acute malnutrition of 2,6 %.
  
• The overall nutritional status is very unstable, particularly in the context of Chad, which is characterized by scarceness of the natural resources and insecurity. It is therefore essential to have regular data updates on the nutritional situation. The Nutrition Cluster will shortly undertake a nutritional survey at IDPs sites.
  

Activities in eastern Chad

• The UNICEF continues to procure F-100 and F-75 milk for therapeutic feeding in IDP sites of eastern Chad. In addition it provides NGO partners with vaccine, Vitamin A, de-worming drugs, cold chains, medical kits, impregnated bed nets and blankets.
  
• High-energy biscuits are regularly delivered to each newly arrived IDP in eastern Chad, providing approximately 1,000 kcal per person per day for two days.
  
• As cluster lead for the nutrition sector, UNICEF is spearheading monitoring of nutrition activities, and working to strengthen the capacities of the cluster members, including through the provision of training on software for nutritional monitoring. The overall aim of these efforts is to achieve a more systematic and regular analysis of the nutritional situation in IDP sites.
  
• UNICEF regularly supplies its NGO partners with medical supplies and equipment, as well as therapeutic food, to respond to cases of severe malnutrition in IDP sites as well as refugee camps in eastern Chad.
  

 

Protection

Monitoring and profiling activities

• To ensure that all partners involved have a good understanding of the situation of internal displacement (both statistical data as well as general profile of the IDPs concerned), UNHCR in cooperation with UNFPA and IFORD embarked on a major profiling exercise in April/May 2007. The results of the profiling were reflected in a comprehensive report, which was finalized in October 2007. The challenge for 2008 consists on keeping the database updated and to cover some of the groups of IDPs who were not covered by the 2007 exercise mainly the returning areas. In March 2008, a general head counting has taken place in Dogdore (28,000 IDPs) and preparative activities are underway to cover Goz Beida and Koukou IDP sites.
  

Gender Based Violence:

• UNICEF, UNFPA, UNHCR and Oxfam GB undertook a series of trainings and sensitizations on GBV and developed standard operating procedures for prevention and response, which will continue to guide inter-agency interventions in 2008. An IASC -GBV Consultant was deployed during the first trimester facilitate the coordination of GBV activities but was unfortunately withdrawn before end of mission due to security constraints.
  

Child protection

• Identification, withdrawal, transit care and community reintegration of children associated with armed groups (child soldiers): 512 children have been released from various armed groups and rehabilitated since the beginning of this project in 2007. 80 % of them came from the FUC (armed group known as Forces for Union and democratic Change) when they rallied the Chadian National Army (ANT) before they withdrew. Advocacy is still ongoing for the release of more children associated with armed forces.
  
• Child Friendly Spaces have been set up in all IDP sites in Dar Sila and are functional. More than 55 children well being committees have been set up and are monitoring on grave child rights violations (Res. 1612).
  
• Sensitization campaigns on child trafficking have been carried on in IDP sites. More emphasis will be put on it during the coming months.
  
• According to UNICEF, three children have been killed and 19 seriously wounded when picking up explosive devices between February 2007 and February 2008. The last case was a girl in Goz Beida wounded by an UXO in mid-May.
  

 

Site management, Shelter, and Non-Food Items (NFIs)

• During 2007 alone, UNHCR has distributed 650 tents, 20,213 blankets, 6,822 mats, 9,568 plastic sheets, and 11,187 jerry cans to IDPs, as well as additional hygiene items. At the same time, it has also prepared contingency plans for further distributions of such items, should future internal displacements occur.
  
• The UNHCR is responsible for site management in Chad, including updates on site facilities, and the collection of statistical data.
  
• A meeting was held in March between the Government of Chad and UNHCR, in order to clarify the responsibilities of each party regarding the management of IDP sites. Objectives were set for 2008. These include, among others: enhancing gender-based camp governance, thereby aiming at the inclusion of more women in decision processes; ensuring access to adequate shelter; and promoting peaceful co-existence with host communities. Furthermore, the Government of Chad and UNHCR agreed upon continuous information sharing.
  

 

Water and Sanitation

Water supply

• In Dar Sila, SPHERE standards fixed at 15 liters of water/person/day are reached and even exceeded in 70% of the IDPs sites. However, in the sites of Koloma and Kerfi, the level of access to drinking water is respectively at 9.1 l/p/d and 8.8 l/p/d. In Assoungha, the access to drinking water is of particular concern in the IDPs sites of Arkoum/Goz Bagar (5,6 l/p/d), Goundiang (3,6l/p/d) Goungour (1,4l/p/d) and Adré (8,6 l/p/d).
  

Sanitation

• Concerning the sanitatioan situation, SPHERE standards are almost reached in 50% of the IDPs sites with aratio of 20 persons per latrine. The sites close to the standards are those of: ¶Gouroukoun, Gassiré, Koubigou, Koloma, Aradib. The situation is alarming in some IDPs sites in Dar Sila (Dogdoré, Habilé and Koukou) and Assoungha. 40 persons per latrines in ¶with more than 30 Arkoum, Goz bagar, Alacha, Gongour, Adré and Abdi.
  

Achievements¶

• In spite of the constraints and the difficulties met, partners in the sector achieved results in term of potable drinking water provision for IDPs and host populations since the beginning of the year.
  
• In the beginning of the year UNICEF and partners planned to ensure continued access to safe water to 200,000 people and reached 160,000 at present.
  

Regarding sanitation facilities the target was 120,000 IDPs and 70,000 have been reached. UNICEF and partners have implemented school hygiene education programme to 10% of schools.

SOURCE : UNITED NATIONS