Attachments
Overview
Key messages
- Severe Humanitarian Crisis: In January and February 2024, Chad’s food insecurity crisis persisted, with 2 million people experiencing severe food shortages due to climate shocks, economic instability, and other contributing factors. Projections for the 2024 lean season indicate a worsening situation.
- Sudan Refugee Crisis Response: WFP scaled up emergency operations to support 554,000 Sudanese refugees and vulnerable host communities in Chad, addressing urgent needs and ensuring dignity through cash-based transfers.
- Building Resilience Amidst Challenges: WFP’s interventions helped 72,000 people strengthen resilience through school meals, food assistance for assets, and livelihood support, contributing to the long-term food security of vulnerable communities.
In 2024, Chad faced one of its most severe humanitarian crises, driven by escalating conflicts, recurrent climate shocks, and ongoing economic instability. The ongoing conflict in Sudan forced hundreds of thousands of refugees to seek safety in Chad, placing immense pressure on already strained local resources, food supplies, and humanitarian services. At the start of the year, 2 million people were acutely food insecure, but this number peaked at 3.4 million later in the year, illustrating the worsening severity of the crisis. Additionally, over 1.8 million children and pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls required urgent nutritional support, underscoring the devastating impact of widespread malnutrition on vulnerable families and communities.
WFP’s 2019-2024 Country Strategic Plan (CSP) aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 (Zero Hunger) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The CSP encompasses a coordinated strategy to address immediate and protracted crises, aiming to save lives, enhance nutrition, build resilience, foster human capital development, and support the Chadian Government in achieving sustainable outcomes. In January and February 2024, WFP implemented a range of activities, reaching 1.2 million people (54 percent women) through USD 7.4 million in cash-based transfers (CBT), 14,000 metric tons of in-kind food assistance, and capacity-strengthening initiatives. WFP prioritized the use of CBT to empower beneficiaries with greater choice while stimulating local economies. Additionally, the expansion of SCOPE, WFP’s beneficiary information and transfer management platform, greatly improved transparency and accountability. By February 2024, 839,000 beneficiaries had been enrolled in SCOPE, representing an 80 percent increase from its rollout in 2022.
By February 2024, more than 554,000 Sudanese refugees, many of whom were women and children, sought safety in Chad, placing immense pressure on host communities, particularly in the eastern regions. In response to rising humanitarian needs, WFP employed a dual approach, addressing immediate needs while building long-term resilience. Emergency assistance reached 728,000 people, including unconditional food assistance and nutrition support. WFP also implemented targeted preventive and curative nutrition programmes for 288,000 children aged 6-59 months, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls. These efforts achieved a 98 percent recovery rate for malnourished children, highlighting the efficacy of WFP’s interventions.
In addition to life-saving efforts, WFP invested in programme to foster long-term climate resilience and sustainable local food systems. Through Food Assistance for Assets (FFA) and Smallholder Agricultural Market Support (SAMS), WFP supported 72,000 people in rehabilitating degraded land, restoring water infrastructure, and enhancing food production. These initiatives strengthened communities’ resilience to climate shocks, such as floods and droughts, while promoting sustainable agricultural practices to improve productivity and mitigate future crises.
Recognizing the importance of school feeding programmes in emergencies and human capital development, WFP provided nutritious meals to 133,000 schoolchildren in 488 schools across Chad in January and February 2024. These programmes not only addressed food insecurity and malnutrition but also improved education outcomes, especially for girls, by enhancing school attendance and retention. WFP also promoted home-grown school feeding, linking local farmers with schools to foster community-based solutions and strengthen local food systems.
Collaboration with the Chadian government and UN agencies, including UNICEF and FAO, was central to WFP’s efforts. Together, these partnerships strengthened national systems for managing food security, nutrition, and social protection. WFP supported the Government in monitoring food security, responding to emergencies, and integrating sustainable local solutions into national strategies.
However, WFP faced significant challenges at the beginning of the year. Funding shortfalls required the prioritization of beneficiaries, often leading to reduced rations and shortened assistance durations. Climate-induced shocks, such as severe floods and droughts, disrupted food production and further strained vulnerable households, particularly in the Lake Chad Basin and eastern Chad. Rising food prices compounded these difficulties, limiting access to essential nutrition for food-insecure populations.
In response to these challenges, WFP adapted its strategies by increasing reliance on cash-based transfers to enhance market access and beneficiary flexibility. Pre-positioning food stocks in strategic locations helped mitigate supply chain disruptions, ensuring timely delivery of assistance. Collaborative efforts with partners such as UNHCR, IOM, and UNICEF maximized resource impact and addressed the needs of both refugees and host communities.
As Chad continues to grapple with escalating humanitarian demands, WFP remains steadfast in its commitment to providing life-saving assistance while advancing resilience-building efforts. The 2024-2028 CSP emphasizes the integration of emergency response, school feeding, and nutrition-sensitive interventions. To tackle chronic vulnerabilities to food insecurity, whether it is for populations enduring protracted displacements or recurrent seasonal acute food insecurity levels (lean season), WFP will prioritize social protection, expand cash-based programming, and strengthen local food systems to meet immediate needs and support long-term development.
WFP's priorities for 2024 focused on addressing urgent humanitarian needs while fostering long-term resilience and sustainability. Key objectives included scaling up humanitarian assistance to support new refugee arrivals from the Sudan crisis, implementing adaptive agricultural programmes to enhance community resilience against climate shocks, and promoting sustainable food systems to improve livelihoods and environmental sustainability. Additionally, WFP continued strengthening the Chadian government’s capacity to address food security and malnutrition, ensuring a more effective and coordinated response to hunger. With sustained donor support and timely funding, WFP aims to support Chad in achieving SDG 2 (zero hunger) and SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals), laying a foundation for long-term food security and resilience.