Capital: N'Djamena
Area: 1,284 million km²
Population: 9.8 million (July 2005)
Ethnic groups: Sara, Bagirmi, Kreish, Sudanese Arabs, Teda or Tubu, Mbun
Official language(s): Arabic, French
Religion(s): Muslims, Christians, Roman Catholics, Protestants
Currency: 1 CFA franc = 100 centimes

Chad is the most northerly Central African country and borders with Nigeria, Niger, Libya, Sudan, Cameroon and the Central African Republic.

The country suffered through decades of civil war and social and economic conflicts, which left the economy and infrastructure in a desperate state. Eighty-five percent of the working population are employed in the agricultural sector, upon which the country's economy is largely dependent. Chad is one of the poorest countries in the world and depends on foreign help.

Child care facilities are lacking throughout the country. The situation of many children is exceedingly dismal. Children up to the age of six are in an especially precarious state, as none of the few facilities in existence there can take them in and care for them.

In 1988, negotiations were started between SOS Children's Villages and the government of Chad. After a very promising beginning, talks were interrupted for years due to differences in concepts. In 1996 negotiations were taken up again. The decisive step was finally taken in 2002 with the signing of a government agreement, also owing to the support by several committed celebrities who worked hard behind the scenes to promote the idea of SOS Children's Villages in the country. The government made a plot of land available to SOS Children's Villages in the capital of Ndjamena. Construction work started in 2003, and in 2005, SOS Children's Village Ndjamena was completed. The SOS Kindergarten and SOS Hermann Gmeiner School are open also to children of the community neighbouring the SOS Children's Village and these facilities set the pulse for the educational sector to a great extent. An SOS Medical Centre offers the population in the city outskirts initial medical treatment, as well as general, dermatologic, paediatric and gynaecological assistance.

 

The crisis in Darfur, Sudan, has led to massive turnouts of the population and a refugee flow from Sudan to the Chad. SOS Children’s Village helps directly on site, in the Oure Cassoni Camp, the largest one in the East of Chad with approx. 30.000 refugees. There SOS Children’s Village provides psycho-social support to children, who are traumatized by their experiences related to the conflict and their status as displaced persons in a refugee camp as well as to their families.

 

At the end of October 2007, SOS Children’s Villages started to operate Family Strengthening Programmes, which enable children who are at risk of losing the care of their family to grow within a caring family environment. To achieve this, SOS Children’s Villages works directly with families and communities to empower them to effectively protect and care for their children, in cooperation with local authorities and other service providers.

 

At present, there is one SOS Children's Village in Chad, one SOS Kindergarten, one SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, one SOS Medical Centre and one SOS Social Centre.

Contact:
Villages d’Enfants SOS du Tchad
Quartier N’Djari
B.P. 113
N’Djamena
Chad
tel. +235-517773