Story by Katie Machell and photos by Katie Machell and Mounbaye Ngodroi, Issa Ali and Abakar Hassab (Concern Worldwide)
STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES IN CHAD “While faced with instability itself, Chad is also a host community for refugees from neighbouring countries including Nigeria, Sudan, and the Central African Republic. In addition to these refugees, Chad also hosts numerous returnees who fled to Sudan (Darfur), the Central African Republic, Cameroon
of eastern Chad. The fouryear programme aims to improve the living conditions and resilience of indigenous, refugee and returnee populations in host areas, through support for inclusive local development to minimise the factors contributing to intercommunity tensions, instability
and Nigeria during different periods and are now back in Chad. The provinces bordering these countries, already characterised by extreme vulnerability, are all affected by these population movements.” (Concern Worldwide)
and the risk of increased forced experience of life in the eastern displacement and conflict. region. As the project enters its final year, some consortium staff recently flew with MAF to Am Timan, provincial capital of the Salamat, for a four-day visit.
between the local and international partners is doing; and to focus on planning and strategy for the final year of the programme, particularly the exit strategy.” A humanitarian worker who has been in Chad for four years, Bella has significant personal
“I spent almost two years living in Goz Beida [provincial capital of the Sila]. I think it gave me an excellent grounding for the work I now do in starting to understand something about Responding to this is a “It was a support and evaluation this part of the country, the consortium comprising three mission,” explains Consortium way the culture works and the national and three international Coordinator Bella, “to see where way people live. Having spent NGOs, who work together with the teams are doing well and time there, seeing the needs communities in the Ouaddai, where we need to improve; and seeing what has worked Sila and Salamat provinces to see how the collaboration in response and what can 18
