By Sabine Wilke
„Where are you going?“ My friend’s face turns into a question mark when I tell him about my planned work travel for CARE. “To Chad”, I repeat. Silence. Then: „And what is going on there?“
Good question: What is going on there?
But let’s start from the beginning: Chad is a country in Central Africa and home to roughly 12 million people. Its Northern territories are part of the Sahara, this mighty desert that spans the continent from West to East. In the middle, Chad is part of the Sahel belt, and the South is characterized by lush green forests and fertile lands. The capital is called N’Djamena. At the airport check-in, the guy at the ticket desk could not pronounce this name. He handed me my ticket saying “And this is your boarding pass from Istanbul to… ehem.“
Ehem. Why do we know so little about Chad? To be honest, it is no surprise. There are 54 nations on the African continent, some known as tourist destinations such as Kenya, Tanzania and Namibia. Other countries have gained sad prominence because of recurring crises and violence, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan or Nigeria. There is little news coming from Chad. But looking at a map, you realize that this country is an island of silence amidst many current hot spots. To the East, Chad borders on the Sudanese region of Darfur. To the North, there is Libya, a country in political turmoil. To the West, Chad borders on Niger. Some parts of this country suffer from upheavals, violence and drug trafficking. Then there is Nigeria, in some parts suffering from armed groups spreading violence and overtaking whole cities. And in the South, Chad borders on the Central African Republic. Now hold on a moment. Central African Republic? Does that ring a bell?
In early 2013, the government was ousted, which led to chaos and violence. Hundreds of thousands had to flee, roughly 236,000 of them to Cameroun, 95,000 found shelter in Chad. Where ever they flee to, people need to be provided with basic services. This is why CARE is delivering emergency assistance in Southern Chad. We provide water, build latrines, mobilize the communities in the fight against gender-based violence and take care of children who have fled on their own.
I will spend roughly two weeks in Chad and will get to see our emergency operations for refugees, returnees and the host communities who live next to them. I want to listen and learn, thus taking back the stories of the people I meet here. Because they deserve to be heard, even if hardly anyone can pronounce the name of the capital of their host country.
By the way, N’Djamena derives from an Arabic phrase meaning a “place of rest”. I am sure we won’t get a lot of rest over the next few days. We will be on the road, in small airplanes serving the humanitarian community, on dusty roads, far down to the South of Chad. I am looking forward to learning more about this unknown country and the work that is done by CARE to support those who need our help.
Read more about CARE's work in Chad.