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Facts on Chad
- Chad is among the world’s ten poorest countries (according to the Human Development Index)
- More than half of the population over the age of 15 is illiterate
- There is one doctor for every 29,000 people
- Access to improved sources of potable water is limited to three out of every ten people
- Electricity is accessible to only 1 percent of the population
- There are only 404 miles of paved roads in a country more than twice the size of France.

Background
The Republic of Chad is one the poorest countries in the world according to the Human Development Index rates.

Chad is a central African country surrounded on all sides; it therefore inherits many of its neighbor’s problems. Famine, drought and conflict have all sent refugees over Chad’s various borders putting immense strain on the already poor country. There are currently 290,000 refugees in Chad.

The humanitarian crisis has considerably worsened by the recent Sudanese Darfur conflict looming at Chad’s eastern border, which has resulted in about 240,000 refugees who are now scattered in 12 camps inside Chad’s borders. In a similar situation, the south has to cope with the influx of 50,000 refugees from the northern region of the Central African Republic living in three camps and villages. Possibly tens of thousands more are fleeing their villages and heading towards the border. Host communities are poor, and resources which were already scarce are now stretched further across this new population.

Added to this, Chad has been facing its own civil war for the last 30 years. The consequences of war are reflected in the socio-economic status of the country, with low level of services including; education, health, access to water and livelihood, high numbers of orphans, widows, disabled, and high mother and children death rates. Over 50,000 Chadian’s are internally displaced within their own country as a result of this ongoing conflict.

Islamic Relief in Chad
Islamic Relief was registered in Chad in September of 2006. Islamic Relief is currently establishing a base in Ndjamena, the capital of Chad and plans to initiate projects in the five provinces of Kanem, Batha, Chari, Guera and Salamat. These lie in the central belt between Ndjamena (the capital) and Abeche. Here the situation is more secure than the areas nearer to the border. The population is very poor and vulnerable to drought; and few other international agencies are working in this region. Our immediate work will focus on livelihoods, supporting farmers, and water and sanitation supplies.

Once Islamic Relief has established a presence in the country, we will gradually expand our operations to include education and health in the longer term. The health program is expected to focus on reproductive health and training of midwives as well as providing basic medical supplies and equipments to hospitals. Education has been vastly neglected in Chad and much investment is needed to strengthen and improve the situation. Islamic Relief plans to rehabilitate and construct schools and help strengthen school management and administration. Islamic Relief hopes to provide education to displaced nomadic populations, with a special focus on girls and the provision of vocational skills for illiterate youth, adult education and the training of adult literacy teachers.

Current Projects
Water and Sanitation
Farmer Livelihood
Reproductive Health and Midwives Training
Seasonal Ramadan and Udhiyah/Qurbani Food Distribution

Click here to read the article about Chad: Conflict and Displacement