WFP steps up emergency response to flood-affected communities in Chad
NDJAMENA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is stepping up its emergency response to heavy rains and flooding in Chad, with emergency operations targeting 300,000 flood-hit women, men and children over the next three months. According to Chad’s Ministry of Health and Solidarity, 622,000 people have been affected by floods since late August 2022, with hundreds of houses destroyed and massive damage to crops and livelihoods.
Additional information for journalists:
- Under the government’s coordination, the humanitarian response in flood-affected areas is ongoing, but heavy downpours continue in the country.
- WFP responded rapidly in the days that followed the devastating floods - distributing High Energy Biscuits and cash assistance to 30,400 affected people in the capital and other parts of the country.
- WFP urgently requires US$ 14.3 million to provide emergency cash assistance to 300,000 flood-hit people across the country over the next 3 months – to meet food and nutrition needs and help families get back on their feet. They will benefit from XAF 7,000 (US$ 12) per person per month.
- The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), led by WFP, continues to airlift emergency assistance to flood-affected areas and has already transported 13.6 mt of cargo (Non-Food Items and High Energy Biscuits).
- This climate disaster strikes at a time when the country is facing an unprecedented food crisis with limited capacities to respond. In June 2022, the Government declared a food and nutrition emergency and called for international support following an exponential growth in humanitarian needs amidst climate shocks and drops in agricultural production, conflict, inter-communal tensions linked to dwindling natural resources, the fallout from COVID-19, and spiraling prices of food, fuel and fertilizer.
- The country is struggling to cope after three consecutive poor harvests, and 2022 has been marked by the worst lean season in 10 years, with 2.1 million people acutely hungry.
- Chad is also home to the largest number of refugees in West Africa, with more than 569,000 refugees from Sudan, Nigeria, CAR, and Cameroon, while another 381,000 people remain internally displaced inside Chad due to violence in the Lake province, alongside another 102,000 returnees, putting additional pressure on already scarce resources.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
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