Enabling poor rural people
to overcome poverty
Chad: Projet de sécurité alimentaire au Nord-Guéra – Phase II (PSANG II)
In the mountainous region of Northern Guéra, water sources are scarce, rainfall is unreliable and soil erosion has become a widespread problem. The area is home to settled farmers, agro-pastoralists and itinerant herders, all of whom suffer from acute food shortages. The goal of the IFAD-supported project was to improve living conditions, livelihoods and food security in the target area by raising agricultural productivity, building value chains for gum arabic, sesame and other crops, introducing cereal storage schemes at village level and strengthening grass-roots organizations and empowering women’s groups.
The BFFS grant specifically supported activities to improve health care, hygiene and sanitation in the area, improve access to safe drinking water and address women’s health and nutritional needs. The grant covered literacy training for adults, especially women, training in health and nutrition, and provided infrastructure such as schools, health centres, latrines, wells and water pumps. BFFS resources were also used to fund a monitoring and evaluation system for the whole project.
The project has had a particularly beneficial impact on women in the area, thanks to the 67 boreholes and 17 wells built for the communities. There has been a substantial improvement in post-maternal hygiene practices, and in nutritional intake. In addition, 3,344 women newly literate women are now able to participate in local development programmes. At project start 35 per cent of children and about 18 per cent of mothers of young children were suffering from chronic malnutrition. These rates have significantly diminished as a result of project activities.