Chad faces a complex humanitarian crisis, hosting over 2.1 million forcibly displaced persons, 89 per cent of whom are Sudanese refugees. These arrivals, concentrated in the eastern provinces, place immense strain on essential services, particularly for women and girls, who constitute 56 per cent of the refugee population. Concurrently, a cholera epidemic, disproportionately affecting women, has impacted four eastern provinces since July 2025, though case numbers are now declining. This health crisis unfolds against a backdrop of a weakened reproductive healthcare system due to funding shortages, further endangering vulnerable women and newborns.
UNFPA Chad's response is focused on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and gender-based violence (GBV). On the SRH front, 143 deployed midwives delivered essential services to nearly 50,000 individuals, facilitating 6,400 clean deliveries, managing 1,000 obstetric complications, and providing thousands of women with antenatal care and family planning. In response to the cholera outbreak, UNFPA Chad donated tents and SRH kits to support health delegations and partners. To address GBV, 400 dignity kits were distributed, serving as a critical entry point to services. Nearly 700 women and girls accessed psychosocial support in safe spaces, and a specialist was deployed to strengthen programming. Reported GBV cases were primarily psychological abuse and denial of resources. UNFPA and partners also expanded protection outreach, training community volunteers and reaching over 35,000 individuals with awareness and educational campaigns.
Coordination efforts continue across both sectors. For GBV, five case management meetings were held, and the service provider mapping was updated with four new partners to expand psychosocial and mental health services. Field missions highlighted strong team engagement but identified significant gaps, including the absence of mental health and psychosocial support professionals and insufficiently effective coordination mechanisms. In SRH, UNFPA's cholera response involved deploying Inter-Agency Reproductive Health (IARH) kits to its working group members to ensure the continuity of essential services.
Despite these critical interventions, UNFPA's operation is severely underfunded. The agency requires US$27 million for its 2025 appeal, which includes funding for the Humanitarian and Regional Refugee Response Plans. However, as of November 2025, only US$3 million has been received, leaving a staggering US$24 million gap. Without an urgent increase in support, UNFPA Chad will be unable to provide essential services, including clinical care (mobile clinics, obstetric complication management), protection and support (one-stop centres), and maternal mortality prevention.
