Iriba, Chad - May 2006 — Mohammed is 11 months old. In addition to being malnourished, he suffers from several serious health complications that the tribal doctor is unable to diagnose or treat. The people in his village have lost their cattle and have eaten their seeds — and without seeds to plant or crops to harvest, there was little hope for the future until recently.

IRD is implementing several programs that bring hope to the people of Chad. These programs show that it is not too late for Mohammed and other children like him to live a life free of malnutrition and hunger. Through IRD’s Food for Work program, the neediest populations are receiving food rations for their families in exchange for labor to dig wells, dams and water catchments.

In addition, IRD’s supplementary feeding program targets children under the age of five, as well as pregnant and lactating mothers. While distributing the much-needed food, IRD personnel perform malnutrition screenings among the children in the villages, treating cases of moderate malnutrition and referring more severe cases to the nearest hospital.

IRD also distributes seeds and agricultural tools to farmers and vaccinates livestock from disease; over 70,000 people in Northeastern Chad benefit from the program. In 2006, IRD is expanding programs such as these in Chad and other parts of Africa, to help thousands more successfully defeat hunger.