US embassy cable - 05NDJAMENA1708

UNCLAS  NDJAMENA 001708 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE FOR AF/C, AF/EPS, EB AND PRM 
USAID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA, FFP, CMM AND OTI 
 
ACCRA FOR USAID/WARP 
NAIROBI FOR OFDA AND RFFPO 
DAKAR FOR RFFPO 
LIBREVILLE FOR REO, M. CASSETTA 
ROME FOR FODAG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, SOCI, PREF, PREL, CD, Humanitarian Operations, USAID 
SUBJECT: USAID/OFDA PROGRAMMING IN EASTERN CHAD 
 
REF: A) NDJAMENA 0020, B) STATE 05201 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  A USG team found that six aid organizations 
implementing OFDA-funded projects in eastern Chad have 
gotten off to a good start with funding provided late in 
the fiscal year.  Their work is welcomed by local 
authorities and individual Chadians, will help ease 
conditions in an arid and undeveloped area, and reduce 
tension between refugees and Chadians. 
 
2.  A USG team consisting of USAID/OFDA Nairobi-based 
Principal Regional Advisor Jack Myer and Embassy 
Ndjamena Assistance Officer Leslie McBride traveled by 
road in areas of eastern Chad affected by the presence 
of Sudanese refugees November 17-25.  The two objectives 
of the trip were to assess relations between the 
refugees and the local Chadian population and to monitor 
USAID/OFDA-funded projects in the area.  This cable 
reports on OFDA-funded projects. The general state of 
relations between and amongst the refugees, local 
population, local, regional and national authorities, 
NGOs and U.N. agencies; coordination; security; and 
other issues are addressed in septel.  End summary. 
 
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BACKGROUND 
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3.  Myer and McBride traveled by U.N. plane to Bahai 
November 17 and then drove to Abeche over the next week 
in a vehicle provided by the United Nations High 
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) via Iriba and Guereda, 
ending the trip by flying to Goz Beida and then back to 
Ndjamena on November 25.  Security was good throughout. 
 
4.  USAID/OFDA provided $3,393,724 million in funding in 
fiscal year (FY) 2005 for six projects to benefit 
Chadian populations negatively affected by the presence 
of 200,000 Sudanese refugees and several consecutive 
years of drought. 
 
5.  Funding was provided to the non-governmental 
organization (NGO) ACTED ($50,000) for food security and 
environmental activities near Bahai; the International 
Rescue Committee (IRC - $410,000) for water/sanitation 
and health near Bahai; International Relief and 
Development (IRD - $1,243,386) for nutrition, water, 
animal health and agriculture near Iriba; International 
Medical Corps (IMC - $530,541) for health near Guereda; 
Catholic Relief Services (CRS - $408,049) for food 
security near the Farchana and Kounoungo camps; and the 
U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO - $537,042) 
for seed and tool distribution in Ouaddai and Wadi Firah 
regions. 
 
6.  Although developed in April 2005, the OFDA program 
was funded late in the FY.  Therefore, most activities 
are just getting started.  Nevertheless, the team was 
able to get a good sense of partner progress thus far. 
 
7.  The program focuses on the key sectors of food 
security, animal health, human health, nutrition, water 
and sanitation.  Chadians in the area practice agro- 
pastoralism, relying mostly on animals in the north and 
agriculture in the south to earn a living.  Agriculture 
is mostly rain-fed, with some small-scale irrigation 
near scarce permanent water sources.  Most villages have 
no health facility or latrines, and water is obtained 
from the surface during rains and wells and boreholes, 
often at considerable distance, during the dry season. 
 
8.  With the exception of FAO and IRD, OFDA-funded 
 
partners also provide services to refugees with UNHCR 
and other funding. 
 
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ACTED 
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9.  ACTED is implementing a small project funded with 
$50,000 provided through the Ambassador's disaster 
authority (Ref B) to promote vegetable gardening and 
tree planting for refugees and Chadians on the shores of 
Lake Cariari near the Bahai refugee camp.  Using water 
from the lake (created by a dam built 15 years ago by 
the GOC and holding water year-round; also t