12 April 2012
Many families in Kanem in Western Chad rely on herding for their livelihoods. The ongoing crisis has pushed many families over the edge, leading to a dramatic increase in child malnutrition. Photo: ACF-Chad
Issa Ouadjonne is one of Action Against Hunger/ACF International's Food Security and Livelihoods Experts in Chad. He is based in hunger-stricken Kanem District, where he is implementing a DFID-funded programme aimed at supporting livestock herders and enabling them to weather the hunger season. His Eyewitness report explains the problems the region is facing and how UK aid is helping.
"Here in Kanem, an isolated region in Western Chad, vegetation is scrubby at the best of times, but this year, pastures have been depleted as far as my eyes can see. I've spent over ten years studying the Sahelian zones of Chad and know that life here is a fine balance of ensuring that every community works in harmony to make the most of this unforgiving environment.
"As early as last September, aid agencies began to raise alarm bells about a looming food crisis in the Sahel region of West Africa, threatening 12 million people. Now, even earlier and more severely than expected, Kanem has entered an emergency situation following erratic rains that have resulted in a shortage of pasture, poor food harvests and a lack of water. Already many families are struggling to feed their children, and their animals are noticeably weakening.
"To date, Action Against Hunger remains one of the only aid agencies working in Kanem, providing a range of life-supporting services whilst building the resilience of local communities to cope with crises.
"One of our key priorities is to prevent nomadic herders from losing the animals on which they depend for both income and food. We therefore distribute animal feed to help herders to keep their animals fed until the next rains and prevent them from having to sell them at meagre prices in exchange for food.
Our animals are our lives
"Many families here rely on herding to survive, moving animals to traditional grazing areas at different times of the year in search of water and pasture. When climatic shocks such as drought affect the region, the fragile livelihoods of herders, who are already struggling to feed their children through the yearly hunger season, are threatened. 'Our animals are our lives,' one herder tells me as I visit his small village. But from 20 cows he couldn't even collect a litre of milk.
"As more pasture and boreholes dry up, animals grow weaker and less milk is available for families, depriving children of the critical nourishment they need for their health. And, as the situation worsens, eliminating water access points and grazing areas, more animals are catching diseases.
Malnutrition on the rise
"Another herder, Mahamat, tells me, 'There's no water in our village, so we have to go to the next village, which is far away. Locusts have destroyed my harvests and my animals are suffering from disease. My children are hungry. We're in the midst of a crisis. We really need help.' The sad thing is that, even in better years, a herder will lose 15-20% of his herd, so when times are difficult, animals often die in large numbers. For those that survive, they are often in such a poor condition that it affects the price of cattle, depriving families of the income they rely on.
"The conflict in neighbouring Libya has also taken its toll. A large number of camels are usually sold in Libya, but trade has slowed due to the conflict. Similarly, cows and goats are often sold with Nigerian traders, but the border with Nigeria is currently closed and Chadian herders struggle to sell their remaining cattle. The impact of all these factors is a dramatic rise in child malnutrition.
UK aid - protecting livestock and livelihoods
"But there is hope. Thanks to support from UK aid from the Department for International Development, Action Against Hunger's teams have launched livelihoods programmes aimed at providing more than 600 metric tonnes of animal fodder to 3,500 livestock herders to prevent them from losing their animals, and help them through the lean season.
"However, much more still remains to be done. The silent crisis in Kanem might not make international media headlines, but with more than 2,000 malnourished children admitted to our feeding centres in Kanem in February alone, there is no time to lose."
The UK is working closely with a number of humanitarian agencies, including Action Against Hunger and UNICEF, in Chad to ensure thousands of men, women and children get the help they urgently need this year.
Read more about how UK aid is helping those acutely affected across the Sahel region of West Africa.