Posts Tagged ‘International Programs’
5 Things You Need to Know about Chad
Chad is home to one of the most diverse and vibrant people groups on the planet. The country also faces multiple humanitarian crises including political uncertainty, food insecurity and climate instability.
Over five million people are food insecure, and nearly 1.7 million suffer from recurrent cases of preventable diseases. What’s more, Chad plays host to thousands of refugees and internally displaced people — a displacement crisis that The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says tends to go underfunded, in spite of the country’s evident need.
That’s why this year, World Relief is expanding its programming into Chad, compelled by our faith to go further and reach deeper to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable.
While Western news and media outlets often overlook stories from this Central African country, we believe it’s essential for you to get to know the people and the places where World Relief operates. With that in mind, here are 5 things you need to know about Chad, its people and its history.
1. Chad is one of the world’s most ethnically and linguistically diverse countries.
Home to over 200 ethnic groups who speak over 100 languages, it’s little wonder Chad earned the moniker “Babel Tower of the World.” The country’s two official languages are Arabic and French, echoing the country’s not-so-distant colonial past.
About 75% of Chad’s population live in rural areas and belong to a nomadic or pastoral tribe, while others primarily live in and around the capital city of N’Djamena.
2. Lake Chad, a primary ecosystem and food source, has lost 90% of its original surface area and counting.
Many people depend on Lake Chad for fishing, farming and as a watering source for herds of cattle and goats. Yet because of climate change, the lake’s ability to serve as a sufficient resource shrinks yearly, contributing to conflict over access to its shores.
Extreme weather patterns in the region prohibit the primarily agrarian society from reaping sufficient harvests year after year. The length of “lean seasons,” the time before crops are ready to harvest, also continues to grow.
Faced with such volatile weather and arid land, some Chadians are now partnering with scientists to integrate indigenous farming methods and rehabilitate the dry land.
Hindou Aoumarou Ibrahim, a Chadian activist and President of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad, advocates for the importance of using traditional knowledge to combat the effects of climate change in Chad.
3. Chad hosts over 555,000 refugees and over 400,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Despite Chad’s turbulent government, its doors remain open to refugees from South Sudan, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR) and Nigeria, all bordering countries impacted by violence and climate change.
For example, Chad shares a border with Sudan’s Darfur region. Though not as prevalent in the news today, Darfur saw high rates of conflict in the early 2000s, which contributed to large numbers of refugees fleeing across its border to Chad.
4. As of 2020, the WHO reports a shortage of medical professionals in Chad — less than one medical doctor for every 10,000 people.
Similar to many countries during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chad found its health system even more constrained by a shortage of doctors and a rising number of cases mid-2020. Chad also contended with a need for essential medical equipment, such as ventilators, medicines and vaccines.
Yet months after the pandemic began, the UN developed an innovative partnership with troubadours, or traditional storytellers, to deliver and communicate information about the virus to Chad’s remote and nomadic communities — in much the same way World Relief equipped church and community leaders in places like Rwanda. These troubadours, along with community-selected health workers, traveled between communities and, instead of news or songs, shared critical health safety measures (i.e. social distancing) to help stop COVID from spreading.
5. Chad ranks 187th out of 189 countries on the Human Development Index, and 42% of the country lives below the national poverty line.
A land-locked country of 16.8 million, Chad ranks among the poorest countries in the world today. More than 6.1 million Chadians require humanitarian assistance as of 2022, almost one-third of the country’s population.
The need in Chad is two-fold: immediate emergency responses and capacity building for holistic, long-term sustainability and ministry.
What is World Relief doing?
In 2023, World Relief will open a new office in Chad.
The Southern portion of Chad — a Christian-majority region where population density is high and humanitarian actors are few — is ideal for World Relief’s holistic ministry model. Additionally, the number of Christian humanitarian agencies who work closely with churches in the area is limited and competition for funding is low. Existing local, faith-based NGOs are in need of capacity building from an international Christian NGO like World Relief to scale and expand impact.
At World Relief, our mission calls us to listen and walk alongside the men, women and children of Chad. As our world continues to change, we must respond in new ways and go further than ever.
Meghan Gallagher is a Seattle-based freelance content writer and strategist. She has a B.S. in Marketing Management and a background in digital marketing for healthcare, nonprofit, and higher education organizations. When she’s not writing, you can find her working as a local bookseller and enjoying all the Seattle area has to offer.
COVID and the Issues
It’s been five months since World Relief first began responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our U.S. and International offices closed their physical office locations in March, and our teams began innovating new ways to continue serving the most vulnerable in the U.S. and across the globe.
In the coming weeks, we will be sitting down with leaders and program experts from across World Relief’s program areas to bring you an in-depth look at how our U.S. and international teams have adapted to serving their communities throughout this global pandemic. You’ll hear more on the issues of economic development, child development, health, gender-based violence, immigration, food security and nutrition.
To kick off this new series, we wanted to give you a bird’s eye view of the work that’s been happening over the last few months and why your continued partnership in response to the coronavirus is so vital.
The vulnerable populations we serve across the globe are the most at risk of increased hunger, poverty and violence as a result of the social and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the coming weeks, the number of people struggling with life-threatening hunger could double, and 500 million more people could be pushed into extreme poverty. Continuing our international development activities is essential as this pandemic evolves.
Hear more from Myal Greene, SVP of International Programs at World Relief.
Just like in the U.S., it is now suggested that people wear cloth masks in many of the countries where we work. Our international teams and church partners are working hard to ensure the most vulnerable have access to face masks. Additionally, our teams are adapting their programs and utilizing their vast networks to make sure people have access to vital programs and services.
Hear more from Joanna Kretzer Chun, Director of Program Resources Team.
Listen as Joanna talks about how our international teams are utilizing their networks of church partners to reach thousands of people with important COVID-19 health information.
Disseminating accurate COVID-19 awareness and prevention messaging has been a key part of World Relief’s international response. Many of our teams have utilized text messaging platforms to reach hundreds of church leaders with clear and accurate information. In order to reach those living in more remote areas, our teams have had to get creative, using billboards, loudspeakers and radio stations to spread messages.
Hear more from Rhona Murungi, Senior Program Officer and International Operations Director.
Listen as Rhona talks about the vital role that local churches are playing in reducing the spread of COVID-19.
The negative effects of COVID-19 will be wide-reaching. The World Food Program has forecasted a famine of biblical proportions. The number of people facing life-threatening hunger could double in the coming months. Ensuring that affected communities have access to food has been a critical part of our international response.
Hear more from Charles Franzen, Humanitarian and Disaster Response Director.
The effects of COVID-19 continue to impact our U.S. teams as well. Many of the immigrants we serve work in industries that have been hardest hit by layoffs and the economic downturn, and our teams are working hard to provide additional services to them during this time of need.
Likewise, with social distancing measures still in place in many states, our teams have continued to innovate by offering many of our programs online. Recently, two of our U.S. office directors wrote about the changes their teams made in order to keep serving immigrants in the U.S.
Read more from Tami McLaughlin, Director of World Relief Fox Valley, and Laura Fontaine, Director of World Relief Quad Cities.
Rachel Clair serves as a Content Writer at World Relief. With a background in creative writing and children’s ministry, she is passionate about helping people of all ages think creatively and love God with their hearts, souls and minds.