Humanitarian Action for Children 2023 - Chad

Appeal highlights

• Chad faces a combination of rapid-onset and protracted humanitarian crises that have been exacerbated by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Some 6.1 million people, including 3 million children, will require humanitarian assistance in 2023. Armed conflict and intercommunal violence have led to increased population displacements, primarily of women and children, both within the country and from neighbouring countries. Chad remains highly vulnerable to epidemics and climatic events, including floods and droughts. It also faces a protracted food and nutritional crisis. Access to essential services remains limited.

• UNICEF will provide a timely, coordinated, life-saving multisectoral humanitarian response in provinces facing recurrent population displacement and other crises.

• UNICEF requires US$88.7 million to provide assistance to vulnerable children and women affected by humanitarian crises, with a focus on nutrition, health, WASH and protection from violence, preventing further erosion of Chad's fragile service provision systems. A systematic gender lens will be used in analysis and programme design.

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND NEEDS

The humanitarian situation in Chad can be described as a prolonged multidimensional crisis caused by continued population displacements due to conflict, natural disasters, persistent food insecurity, high malnutrition, economic crisis and political instability. Chad ranks 190 out of 191 countries on the Human Development Index, and an estimated 6.4 million Chadians live in poverty.

Following the death of the Head of State and unconstitutional transfer of power in April 2021, the country entered an 18-month transitional period expected to result in the adoption of a new constitution and presidential elections.
In 2022, there has been an increase in people fleeing conflict in the Lake Chad Basin and seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. Nearly 568,919 refugees reside in Chad and 381,289 Chadians are internally displaced. Armed conflict in the Lake Chad Basin is also limiting humanitarian actors’ ability to reach affected populations.
The nutritional situation remains alarming. The prevalence of global acute malnutrition in children under five is 10.9 per cent, including 2 per cent who suffer from severe wasting. It is estimated that 1.9 million children aged 6-59 months who are wasted will require treatment.

Inadequate rainfall has led to poor agricultural production, with nearly 5.3 million people food insecure. These pressures are further exacerbated by the effect of the war in Ukraine on food prices.

The government declared a state of food and nutrition emergency in June 2022.

Despite progress, enormous challenges remain for vulnerable children to access quality education services across Chad, with 56.8 per cent of primary school-age children missing out on education. The number of displaced children needing access to education increased by 8 per cent between 2021 and 2022,20 stressing an already struggling education system.

The fragile health system is under severe pressure from outbreaks of measles and the COVID-19 pandemic and remains vulnerable to such epidemics as yellow fever, cholera and chikungunya, and to the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Climate change continues to impact Chad, increasing WASH needs across the country. The mortality rate attributable to unsafe WASH in Chad is 101/100,000, the highest in the world. In 2022, increased rainfall countrywide reached 30-year highs, with floods impacting 622,550 people. Loss of livelihoods due to flooding could worsen food insecurity and malnutrition in 2023.

More than 360,000 displaced children remain extremely vulnerable to physical and sexual violence, psychosocial distress and exploitation as well as recruitment by non-state armed groups.