Chris White MP to raise awareness of refugee’s urgent plight in Chad

We're delighted to announce that we will host a parliamentary reception on 13 March 2012 with Chris White MP to raise awareness of the increasing challenges facing refugees in Chad.

Cord has been working in Chad since 2004 when 250,000 refugees were forced to flee from their homes in the Darfur region of Sudan. Since then the Warwickshire-based charity has helped more than 100,000 people to rebuild their lives and currently has 35,000 children in regular education.

The charity’s recent study in Chad found that the scarcity of firewood for cooking is increasingly leading to conflict between the indigenous Chadian community and the Sudanese refugees, threatening the balance of peace in the region. On 13^th March at the House of Commons Cord will announce a programme which will see revolutionary solar cookers and essential training which has already been delivered to nearly 16,000 people in the refugee camps reach thousands more.

Brian Wakley, chief executive of Cord said: “It is clear that conflict causes poverty, but it is often overlooked that poverty can cause conflict again. We are working in Chad to help the Sudanese refugees take control of their own lives and provide food and education for their children.

“One of the biggest causes of conflict in the region is the scarcity of firewood for cooking, which often creates tension and violence between the indigenous community and the refugees as they both struggle to find resources. The solar cooker offers a revolutionary solution to this challenge.”

On average a refugee spends 1o hours a week just finding or buying firewood and carrying it back to the camp.   As well as the physical excursion required and the tensions it creates between the two communities it is also creating a serious deforestation problem in Chad.

Chris White MP, supporter of Cord and member of the International Development Select Committee said: “It is so important that we address the causes of conflict early on and work towards a sustainable peace. When I visited the refugees in Chad in 2009 before I was an MP I was overwhelmed by the severity of the situation and could quite easily see how conflict creates poverty and can so quickly create conflict again.”

Cord was first established in 1967 and has been working with communities in conflict zones to help them build better lives. The charity currently works in Chad, Burundi, Cambodia, Laos PDR and is dedicated to bringing peace through partnership.