ReliefWeb

This November, the first targeted food distribution successfully occurred in Goz-Amir, a camp for Sudanese refugees in Eastern Chad. During 2011 and 2012, WFP and UNHCR carried out assessments on the impact of food assistance for long-term refugees in several countries, including Chad. Based on the results of these assessments, the Chadian Government, through UNHCR, FAO, and WFP, developed a joint programme for refugees to build their self-reliance.

Hamat Abdullah, 48, is one of these refugees. He has lived with his family in Goz-Amir for ten years. Though he was satisfied with the food assistance when he arrived, with the reduction of food intake in recent years, he became worried about his future.

“I realized that food assistance could be terminated while I’m not prepared to support myself! Plus, I also have to support my relatives. It is clear to my wife, my five children, and myself that we must get more involved and not only depend on the food assistance.”

The strategy focuses on gradually reducing people’s dependence on humanitarian assistance, and promoting peaceful coexistence between host communities and the refugees in the area. It categorizes and targets different households within refugee communities according to their socioeconomic standing and livelihoods. The aim is to better identify people’s different needs in order to provide specific, integrated and appropriate responses.

The strategy was tested among 30,000 refugees in Goz-Amir in September 2013. Studies from Household Economics Analysis showed that in Goz Amir, nearly half the households (43 percent) are categorized as “very poor.”

Targeted food distributions, along with a new livelihood development program, is a relief to Hamat – even though he is in the “middle-income” division, and his ration increased only slightly. The important thing to Hamat is that resources are distributed to “poor” and “very poor” people who still depend entirely on humanitarian assistance. People in these categories also will have the opportunity to get involved in trainings with markets and gardens, which allow people to diversify their income, becoming less dependent on food assistance.

The first successful implementation of the pilot project in Goz Amir confirms the positive impact of the joint programme between CNARR, UNHCR, and WFP to beneficiaries at the World Food Programme and will have a positive impact on other refugee camps in Chad