Canadian Government Grants $500K to Protect the Children of Chad 

Toronto, ON (August, 2007) Since August, Save the Children Canada has been supporting a two-year program to address urgent child protection issues among internally displaced people (IDP) in Chad.  Update on the program

Chad is rated 171 out of 177 according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) 2006 Human Development Report and is thereby considered one of the poorest countries in the world, where an estimated 80% of its population lives on less than $1 a day.

In 2006, the security situation sharply deteriorated in eastern Chad. Clashes between Chadian security forces and Chadian rebels, incursions of Janjaweed militias and armed groups from Sudan, attacks on villages and targeting of civilians, banditry and attacks on humanitarian organizations have all increased. Even more worrying has been the sharp escalation of better organized, more widespread and more heavily armed inter-ethnic fighting. Since November 2006, hundreds of civilians have been killed and dozens of villages attacked and burned to the ground in attacks, reminiscent of Darfur.

Latest estimates from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are that the numbers of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Chad is 180,000 spread over 25 settlements. Possibilities for return or relocation are hampered by security concerns, lack of space in alternative sites, and potential tensions between the different community groups. This has added a devastating new dimension to the ongoing humanitarian crisis which has already seen an estimated 240,000 Sudanese refugees and 60,000 Central African Republic (CAR) refugees flee to the area since 2003.

The current conditions for the recently displaced in Chad remain dire. Many internally displaced Chadians struggle to survive with little food and without the means to support themselves, and are prevented from returning to their homes by patrolling gunmen. They remain in insecure informal settlements in need of assistance.

Save the Children Canada has received a grant of $500,000 from the Canadian government that will help support children and their families in the town of Dogdore, Dar Sila district, eastern Chad. It is a remote area bordering Sudan, less than 20 kilometers from the formal border area. The IDP site has an estimated population of 27,500[2], while the population of the town of Dogdore is approximately 3,000. Children make up over 50 percent of the population in Chad.[3] There are serious unmet needs among the IDP population; many children and families have been without basic supplies for many weeks, children are not adequately protected from the high exposure to abuse and harm, and education facilities are almost non-existent.

Our work will address both children’s immediate well-being and safety, and promote sustainable community-based child protection mechanisms. It will include
     • the establishment of child friendly spaces and children’s clubs
     • training of children in key life skills such as good hygiene,
     • the formation and training of effective Community-Based Child Protection Networks
     • support for extremely vulnerable children through non-food items and referral services
    • and advocacy for child protection to local authorities in order to minimise child protection issues and ensure that community–based solutions are found.
 
The integration of the above five elements into one project will help minimize the immediate and grave risks faced by the 15,000 children in Dogdore IDP site.

The Dogdore program is part of a larger two-year project that Save the Children is managing  in 5 IDP camps of Eastern Chad.

Footnotes:
[1] UNHCR, June 2007
[2] UNHCR June 2007 estimated figures
[3] 2005 UNICEF population statistics for Chad estimate that children under 18 make up 54% of the population.