Residents of eastern Chad have too often found themselves in the path of conflict, either between domestic rebel and government forces, or spilling over from neighboring Sudan’s Darfur region. Thousands have been forced from their homes, sometimes more than once.

International Relief & Development (IRD) is trying to make life a little easier for some of these people, with funding from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. When they arrive in Assoungha camp for internally displaced people, IRD collects their information and gives them a kit with hygiene supplies such as soap and water purification tablets. To give resident more economic options in the camps and once they’ve returned home, IRD offers small business skills training and microfinance support, particularly targeting women. Gender-based violence is often rampant in camp settings, so IRD organizes small theatrical productions on violence awareness and avoidance for both men and women. And when families are ready to return home, IRD provides them with blankets, cooking utensils, jerry cans, and other items they can use to start their lives over.

In a related program, funded by the World Food Program, IRD provides meals of enriched porridge for the 1,870 students in the camp’s schools, as well as an additional 10,390 students in a camp in nearby Kimiti. Girls who attend class at least 80 percent of the time also receive an extra ration of food for their families, which encourages families to keep their daughters in school.

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