Chad Appeal 2006-2007 No. MAATD001

This appeal seeks CHF 22,410,142(1) to fund programmes and activities to be implemented in 2006 and 2007. These programmes are aligned with the International Federation's Global Agenda, which sets out four broad goals to meet the Federation's mission to "improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity".
Global Agenda goals:

1. Reduce the numbers of deaths, injuries and impact from disasters.

2. Reduce the number of deaths, illnesses and impact from diseases and public health emergencies.

3. Increase local community, civil society and Red Cross and Red Crescent capacity to address the most urgent situations of vulnerability.

4. Reduce intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion and promote respect for diversity and human dignity.

Country context

The Republic of Chad, with a population of 9.1 million, had endured three decades of civil warfare as well as invasions by Libya before peace was finally restored in 1990. After suppressing most of the politico-military groups, the government settled a territorial dispute with Libya, drafted a democratic constitution, and held multiparty presidential elections in 1996 and 1997. In 1998, a new rebellion broke out in northern Chad, which sporadically flares up despite two peace agreements signed in 2002 and 2003 between the government and the rebels.

Despite movement towards democratic reform, power remains in the hands of one ethnic minority. However, considerable progress has been made in the past two years towards rehabilitation and reconstruction. In many areas, however, particularly in the north, east and south, where population movements and war-related traumas are common, people still suffer from lack of tolerance, discrimination and inadequate access to basic services.

The majority of Chadian population, both in towns and countryside continue to face difficult challenges in re-establishing their livelihoods and ensuring their basic needs are met. Health, water and sanitation concerns remain significant challenges to people's welfare and development. Living conditions in some regions (including eastern Chad) have worsened as a result of a poor harvest in 2004 and exhaustion of natural resources since the arrival of the Sudanese refugees.

The socio-political situation in the sub-region has remained critical since 2003 as the conflict in neighbouring Sudan between government forces, the Janjaweed militia and rebel groups has driven about 200,000 Sudanese refugees into Eastern Chad. In addition, Chad is hosting over 30,000 Central African Refugees in the South, with new arrivals being registered almost daily. Although having to manage its own issues and development, The Republic of Chad continues to respect its international agreements regarding the reception and hosting of refugees from neighbouring countries and remains an important country of operations for international and national aid organizations.

Focus 2006

The ultimate goal of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement presence in Chad is to reinforce and build the capacity of the Red Cross of Chad, to raise its profile and improve its characteristics to the level of a wellfunctioning national society and, through that, to render the Red Cross of Chad a relevant humanitarian partner capable of responding to the needs of the most vulnerable in Chad.

The main focus in 2006 will be to continue the management of two refugee camps in Eastern Chad; Tréjine and Bréjine, with a combined refugee population of 45,000 people, including a contingency plan for 20,000 additional refugees. The areas of intervention will be basic curative and preventative health services, food and non-food items, water and sanitation, community services as well as general camp management. The contingency plan for 20,000 additional refugees will also be covering the Central African refugees in the South, where the International Federation and the Red Cross of Chad will be seeking strategic partnerships with other operating UN agencies and NGOs to ensure an optimal use of available resources.

Operations support will be provided by the Federation delegation in Chad, as part of the capacity building programme for the Red Cross of Chad. The exit strategy and timeframe for the refugee operation in the East will depend on the development of the situation in Sudan and its impact on Eastern Chad as well as on the progress made by the Red Cross of Chad and its ability to ensure the continuity of assistance to the refugees. In addition, the Red Cross of Chad will focus on community mobilization, community health, disaster preparedness and management, internal capacity development and dissemination of Humanitarian Values.

The International Federation is the world's largest humanitarian organization, and its millions of volunteers are active in over 183 countries. Our aim is to build safer communities, able to prevent and respond to human suffering in times of crises and distress, and where people work together to promote hope, dignity and equity. We work to support vulnerable communities through neutral, impartial, independent humanitarian action, in accordance with our Fundamental Principles and in line with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Code of Conduct, the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response, and the SPHERE Project.

Note: (1) USD 16,964,528 or EUR 14,319,579

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