Chad: Projet de sécurité alimentaire au Nord-Guéra – Phase II (PSANG II)

The BFFS grant was intended to support:

• Improvements in household nutrition
• Literacy and education
• Building wells
• Constructing schools      

The project was slow to begin implementation. Operations only fully commenced after two years from project start, because of the time taken to recruit qualified staff and because of their “community driven” nature. Emphasis was placed initially on ensuring a participatory approach that also identified vulnerable groups. Each village development committee drew up plans for a literacy centre and nutrition awareness groups.

Illiteracy was pervasive in target areas at project start; with illiteracy rates of more than 90 per cent for women and nearly 80 per cent for men. The project provided functional literacy classes, aiming to improve literacy in areas relevant to community members, such as agriculture and basic medicine.  Women were particularly involved in, and responsive to, the literacy training.

The project’s overall focus on improving food security, health and access to water, contributed, together with other project components to overall improvements in health, income and living conditions. As a result, communities became more open to adopting new technologies to improve productivity. Interviews carried out suggest that social cohesion also improved as a result of an overall improvement in conditions. Women were particularly responsive and vocal in expressing their satisfaction with the general improvement in conditions.

Poor harvests in 2009 affected food security in the area, however the training received and the greater availability of water prevented the situation from becoming far more severe than it would have done without any project interventions.

Health and nutrition

At project start severe malnutrition among children under five was widespread. The project hired 96 instructors to train 3,516 villagers, (of whom 3,344 were women) in 314 villages, in nutrition and health care, especially for mother and child. The number of women breastfeeding rose significantly as a result. In 2007, 798 children suffering from severe malnutrition were restored to health, thanks to the training received.

The project constructed 22 village latrines, with an immediate impact on local sanitation conditions, human health and hygiene.

An independent survey carried out at project close noted that the nutritional status and health of children had improved significantly, thanks to the functional literacy training and the training offered to local women in health and nutrition. The project completion report also noted that the nutrition groups and centres of basic literacy established by the project showed signs of becoming autonomous, while the population, especially the mothers, have understood the importance of good nutrition for the wellbeing of their children. The sustainability of these services will also depend on follow-up and support from the regional health services.

Water

The project constructed 17 village wells. The project completion report states that the greater availability of water in the project area has saved women labour and time, and has reduced waterborne diseases. Despite the pressing need for more water sources, the project was not able to construct the full target of 50 wells.

Education

By project close, schools were better equipped and overall conditions in schools had improved. Eleven villages had newly-constructed schools with a total of 22 latrines. Six hundred latrines were initially budgeted for, but were not built because the population did not consider them a priority. This fact underlines the importance of raising awareness of sanitation and hygiene issues among local populations, but also of participatory prioritisation exercises for local ownership and sustainability of interventions.