Why are we working in Chad?

For an impoverished country like Chad, itself beleaguered by persistent and violent conflict between the government forces and rebel militia groups, this is a heavy burden.

CORD has been in Chad since the Darfur crisis unfolded; we currently support 82,600 refugees living in the four camps of Gaga, Farchana, Tréguine and Bredjing.

Sixty per cent of the refugees are children and young people under the age of 18. Many are orphans of the conflict, left fending for themselves and trying to care for younger brothers and sisters.

The traumas of what they witnessed and endured remain prevalent in the daily struggle to survive; where food remains scarce and access to water is rationed. The lack of protection from the elements- the 45 degree heat and dust storms of the summer, the risk of hypothermia in winter – and the destructive rains in the wet season- all compound to make camp life more difficult.

Most people arrived with nothing but a few clothes and possibly a cooking pot. There seems little hope of returning to Darfur in the foreseeable future.

Rebel insurgency in Chad itself has led to fierce fighting and hostilities surrounding the camps, making it difficult to travel between sites because of banditry. Rebel recruitment of young refugee men to join their cause is a problem.

All of these issues make our programmes even more imperative in enabling them to develop a structure to their young lives, and the chance to experience some normality amidst constant uncertainty.

Meanwhile the local Chadians have themselves become victims to rebels who attack and plunder their villages. Many have been forced to move and to live in camps. Some resent the help and support being given to the Sudanese, whilst their communities go without.

With no sign of peace in either Darfur or Chad, both communities find themselves caught in a vicious circle of poverty and conflict. The CORD team, alongside other NGOs find themselves in a dangerous and volatile country, sometimes face life threatening situations and evacuation.