UNICEF Chad Humanitarian Flash Update No. 14 (Refugees), 21 July 2023

Humanitarian Overview

• Since the beginning of the Sudan crisis in April 2023, a total of 260,390 refugees have been counted in Chad (UNHCR, 15 July). As of 14 July, IOM reported 39,117 Chadian returnees.
• 88% of the refugees are women and children.
• The situation is critical in Adre a city of 12,000 inhabitants in the Ouaddai province close to the border, where 133,702 refugees arrived over the last few weeks. Humanitarian actors including UN and INGOs (PU, IRC, MSF) are struggling to address the needs while the flux of new arrival is on average 2,000 per day.

UNICEF’s Response

• A total of 26, 246 people (8,189 girls, 7,559 boys, 5,459 women and 5,039 men) have access to safe drinking water through seven boreholes and 3 water tanks (Koufroun, Midjigueta, Dize Berte, Borota, Goungour, and Adre). Additional borehole sites have been identified. 5,050 people (1,576 girls, 1,454 boys, 1,050 women and 970 men) have access to 101 separated latrines in Adré, Ourang and, Farchana; and host communities in Koufroune, Midjiguelta and Dize-Berte.
• On 17 July, UNICEF and the Government launched a measles vaccination campaign targetting 1,320,731 children both in refugees sites and host communities of the Ouaddai, Wadi Fira, and Sila provinces. According to preliminary results, 150,552 children from 6 months to 14 years old have been vaccinated including 19,803 refugees.
• Child Protection activities are being implemented in three child friendly spaces in Ouaddai province. Since the beginning of the crisis, 31 unaccompanied children have been reunified with their parents or caregivers. UNICEF and its partner Croix Rouge Tchadienne provided 115 birth certificates to refugee newborns and 165 birth certificates to newborns from the host communities using the digital birth registration system in the provincial and district hospitals of Ouaddai, Sila and Wadi Fira.
• As of 20 July 2023, UNICEF supported the treatment of 2,133 SAM children. UNICEF is supporting the establishment of a 40-bed nutrition therapeutic centre in Adre (Ouaddai province). 18 heath workers will be deployed in the centre. UNICEF also provided 1,500 boxes of RUTF and 2,000 boxes of Amoxicillin to support mobile clinics run by NGOs.
• 3,152 complaints were received this week from refugees and host communities, whom 62% related to food security. In addition, this week 16,277 people including 6,465 women and 2,300 adolescents were reached with nutrition, breastfeeding and social cohesion messages.