Chad, WB, WFP, partners join forces to meet crisis-affected people’s food needs

The Government of Chad – with support from WFP, the World Bank and other partners - has launched its national emergency response plan to meet the immediate food and nutrition needs of one million of the most vulnerable people across eight provinces during the June-August lean season - when food is scarce and hunger peaks in between harvests.

Supported by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the World Bank, the European Commission, Japan, and the United States of America, this response plan involves the distribution of food, seeds, and cash transfers to families most exposed to hunger in the provinces of Ennedi East, Wadi Fira, Ouaddaï, Sila, Logone Oriental, Lac, Kanem, and Barh El Gazel.

This intervention will be complemented by the provision of nutritional supplements for children under two, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.

"Our country is facing unprecedented food insecurity, exacerbated by multiple crises including a massive influx of refugees and insufficient agricultural production due to the effects of climate change," said Dr. Abdelmadjid Abderahim Mahamat, Minister of Public Health.

"The large-scale response the government is launching today with funding from the World Bank, the European Commission, the people of Japan, and USAID, will enable WFP to distribute vital assistance to our citizens in urgent need".

Chad is experiencing its fifth consecutive year of severe food insecurity with 3.4 million people projected to be unable to meet their basic food and nutrition needs during the lean season, according to the March 2024 Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis.

This represents a 240 percent increase in the same period in 2020 when food stocks are typically depleted and hunger peaks before the next harvest. Malnutrition has also reached alarming levels, with approximately 1.4 million cases of acute malnutrition in children under five reported in the country.

The food security and nutrition situation is worsened by structural and overlapping factors, including the negative impact of conflicts, rising food prices, and climate shocks such as floods and droughts.

"Our teams are on the ground and doing everything possible to meet the immediate needs of those hardest hit by this crisis. It requires a major emergency response by all partners," said Koffi Akakpo, WFP's interim Representative for Chad.

"To mitigate the future impact of the increasingly severe and recurrent crises, WFP calls for substantial investments in sustainable solutions that strengthen long-term food security, improve agricultural productivity, support resilience to climate shocks, and reinforce the purchasing power of the most vulnerable populations," Akakpo insisted.

"By mobilizing more than $100 million to help the government cope with the food emergency, the World Bank is working to improve the living conditions of the Chadian people, who are facing several shocks at once. This includes the US$52 million channeled through the WFP " says Rasit Pertev, the World Bank's Resident Representative in Chad.

In Chad, WFP has been working on innovative and transformative long-term solutions against hunger and is committed to supporting national programmes that strengthen community resilience to crises through social protection and investments in inclusive and resilient food systems.

Since 2018, WFP's integrated resilience programme has reached 787,000 people in 282 villages across 14 regions and has contributed to restoring degraded land for food and fodder production, promoting children's education through school canteens and nutritional assistance, improving food access, and increasing incomes.

Since the start of this programme, WFP has recovered and developed land across the country equivalent to 46,400 football fields.