Chad
- Population: 16.9 million
- People in Need: 5.5 million
Our Impact
- People Helped Last Year: 525,369
- Our Team: 306 employees
- Program Start: 1981
3.4 Million People Face Severe Hunger
It’s been one year since civil war broke out in Sudan, and the crisis has caused one of the world’s biggest displacement crises. Over 8.5 million Sudanese have been forced to flee their homes, and 1.8 million have crossed borders, including into South Sudan and Chad. The war continues to rage on, forcing people to seek shelter and safety in countries ill-equipped to respond to take on the emergency.
Chad is especially impacted by the influx of refugees. Over 570,000 have fled across the eastern border. Although refugees look for a reprieve from the fighting and hunger, Chad is also burdened with food insecurity and humanitarian aid is insufficient throughout the country. It is urgent to reinforce the humanitarian response throughout the country as the lean season (the months between harvests) approaches.
Displaced people in Chad wait for water.
3.4 million people are currently facing a hunger crisis in Chad. The number of severe acute malnutrition cases expected between last October and September 2024 is close to 480,000 children. That is roughly 15% more than last year. The host provinces of eastern Chad, notably Sila and Ouaddaï, are among the country’s most vulnerable areas, with poor access to basic services, and the arrival of refugees is drastically exacerbating needs.
“88% of refugees are women and children. In the Zabout camp alone, the rate of severe acute malnutrition in children under five is 1.9%,” said Henri-Noel Tatangang, Action Against Hunger’s Country Director for Chad. “This is an alarming figure, given that the World Health Organization’s emergency threshold is 2%. But Chad is experiencing a major humanitarian crisis throughout all its territory.”
A woman uses a MUAC band to screen a child for malnutrition in Chad.
From May onwards, the humanitarian situation is likely to deteriorate even further. The arrival of the rainy season and the lean season will increase needs and, at the same time, make it harder for humanitarian workers to access hard-to-reach populations.
A lack of funding has largely compromised humanitarian response, particularly food distributions. To date, only 4.5% of the humanitarian response plan for the whole country has been financed.
“For Action Against Hunger, it is urgent that donors guarantee sustainable funding for the humanitarian response, and in particular for food distributions throughout Chad, in order to support the most vulnerable populations in the country,” said Tatangang.
Support Our Work in Chad
In Chad, 5.5 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Action Against Hunger works to prevent hunger by providing food to vulnerable communities, teaching farmers how to grow sustainable crops, and spreading awareness about gender equity.
About Action Against Hunger in Chad
Action Against Hunger has worked in Chad since 1981. The teams are working in N’Djamena and Logone Oriental, Bahr El Gazal, Lake, Kanem, Ouaddai and Sila provinces with projects in nutrition, health, mental health and psychosocial support water, hygiene, sanitation, food security, and livelihoods. Last year alone, Action Against Hunger teams reached over 771,000 people across the country.
