Executive Summary
Overall Project/Programme Status:
The Chad Development Operational Plan aims at strengthening the capacity of the National Society (NS) in disaster management through the training of volunteers at branch level and mobilizing and pre-positioning of contingency stock to alleviate the suffering of disaster victims nationwide. The plan also aimed at promoting fundamental principles through various projects, carry out sustainable projects for the benefit of vulnerable victims and enhance the management capacities of the Chad Cross of Chad (RCC) at national and local level.
During the reporting period, inadequate funding prevented the implementation of planned activities. As of 24 June 2013, the Chad DOP was only 10 percent funded. This has however changed to 62 percent funding after the receipt of funding from Finnish RC at the end of June. The Chadian business unit began the year with a fund deficit which caused the contributions from partners like DFID and the Japanese Red Cross Society to be absorbed. This coupled with the late funding meant that no planned activities were carried out during the reporting period.However, with the funding now received; activities are scheduled to begin in July 2013.
In the first half of 2013, Chad was involved in the implementation of activities mainly related to emergency responses such as floods, food security (flood and food security appeals were launched in 2012 but extended to 2013) and population movement in the east of the country. The NS has distributed NFIs to 3,160 households in Bongor area and surrounding villages and enabled 200 families in the outskirt of Bongor to acquire semi-durable shelters. The flood emergency appeal was mainly funded by DG ECHO and the Swiss Red Cross.
Food distribution under the food security emergency appeal was finalized in late 2012. However, long-term support such as the distribution of agricultural materials, construction of hand operated water pumps was not carried during the reporting period. A total 80 local initiatives have benefitted from the distribution of agricultural materials and motor pumps enabling them thereby to launch off season cultural activities in marshlands areas. Income-generating activities for local initiatives composed mainly of women were ensured through the distribution of mills. A total of six-hand operated water pump were built in areas identified as extremely vulnerable in terms of water availability. Six villages composed of around 1,200 persons have benefitted from these water points.
In early February, armed conflict between two Sudanese tribes living in an area near the Chadian border has erupted leading to an influx of 30,000 refugees and 20,000 Chadian returnees into the eastern region of Sila. The Red Cross of Chad and the IFRC country office responded with a Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) allocation to assist 1,200 families for three months. The DREF enabled the construction of emergency latrines, NFIs distribution and training volunteers for mass sensitization campaigns. It was followed by an emergency appeal for six months targeting 3,000 households.
Key Issues: Delayed funding has caused a delay in the implementation of planned activities. The Chadian business unit started the year 2013 with a deficit. Receipt of pledges from PNSs who have made soft pledges to the appeal will enable Chad write off the deficit and recover the funds locked by the deficit and implement activities according to plan.
Key Accomplishments. Notable accomplishments for this reporting period were mainly related to emergency response for disasters such as floods, food insecurity and population movement.
Plans for next quarter. Activities for the next quarter will mainly focus on the community resilience project funded by the Finnish Red Cross and aimed at providing vulnerable Sudanese refugees with income-generating activities and provide autonomy of water supply system through the installation of a solar panel station. Planned activities with DFID funds like the regional workshop on food security and PMER training will also be implemented. The Japanese Red Cross contribution will support the National Society to carry out health activities in the camps on communicable diseases prevention. An emergency stock for over 3,000 households will be received from Geneva in October. This move will enable the National Society to reduce the time between the disaster occurrence and the response operation (the country is landlocked and transportation costs from the port of Douala to Chad are very expensive).