For children who have lost parental care or are at risk of losing it, the situation in eastern Chad remains extremely precarious. Many have been separated from their families during the flight from Sudan or arrived unaccompanied. Others are living with host families or distant relatives who themselves struggle to meet basic needs. In overcrowded camps with limited access to food, water, and education, children face heightened risks of malnutrition, illness, early marriage and exploitation.
“Children here are not only displaced — they are anxious and cut off from everything that once gave them safety,” says Alain Routoumbaye, Project Coordinator of the SOS Children’s Villages Chad team in Ouaddaï. “Our role is to help them feel like children again.”
A crisis stretching beyond capacity
The humanitarian emergency in eastern Chad is one of the fastest-growing and least-funded in the world. According to UN data, nearly two million people in the region require urgent assistance, and around 850,000 children are out of school. Malnutrition rates in some camps exceed 30%. Yet, as of mid-2025, only 10% of the national humanitarian response plan was funded.
The consequences of this funding gap are devastating. Several international organizations have been forced to scale back or suspend their programmes, leaving huge gaps in child protection and education services.
Despite the challenges, SOS Children’s Villages in Chad continues to provide life-saving support. Since 2022, the organization has reached more than 43,000 people, including over 39,000 children, through emergency programmes in Ouaddaï and the Lake Chad region.
Rebuilding trust through child-friendly spaces
In Ouaddai province, SOS Children’s Villages currently operates nine child-friendly spaces — safe, welcoming places where children can play, learn and begin to heal from trauma. Here, children take part in informal education, games, music and theatre, including movement-based TeamUp sessions that help them process stress and rebuild confidence. Trained staff provide psychosocial support and monitor protection risks.
For Abdoulaye, a 13-year-old boy with a physical disability who fled Darfur with his parents, the child-friendly space in Arkoum camp has been life-changing. When he first arrived, Abdoulaye was withdrawn and malnourished, unable to move around on his own. Today, he spends his days surrounded by new friends, playing games and taking part in creative activities.
“When I arrive at the child-friendly space, I feel surrounded by friends and brothers. It makes me feel safe and happy,” he says.
Through family tracing and reunification efforts, SOS Children’s Villages has assisted more than 1,000 unaccompanied or separated children, reuniting several with relatives and ensuring comprehensive support like food assistance and non-food items to them and their foster families. Parents and caregivers also receive training in positive parenting, helping strengthen family bonds and prevent further separations.
Healing from trauma and violence
Many children and women arriving from Sudan have endured horrific violence. Sexual and gender-based violence is widespread, especially in camps lacking lighting, water and sanitation facilities. In response, SOS Children’s Villages provides psychosocial care and referral services for survivors and raises community awareness on preventing abuse and early marriage.
Batoul, a young mother living in Gaga camp, sought help from an SOS Children’s Villages psychosocial worker after surviving domestic violence.
“A neighbour told me about the listening sessions run by SOS Children's Villages. I went to confide in the psychosocial worker. She helped me a lot through her advice and the support she gave me,” she says.
“I used to think it was my fault, but this time I know I’m not to blame. That’s why I share my story — to say loud and clear that SOS (Children’s Villages) services are very important for all the women in the camp,” she says.
Her story is one of many showing how access to compassionate counselling and practical support can transform lives — not only easing trauma but also breaking cycles of abuse.
Strengthening communities of care
Beyond direct assistance, SOS Children’s Villages Chad works to strengthen community protection mechanisms. Local child protection committees, youth clubs and women’s groups identify children at risk, provide peer support and advocate for safety measures within camps. More than 400 community child protection workers have been trained to respond to cases of neglect, exploitation and violence.
In a region where funding cuts have forced many actors to withdraw, these community networks are vital lifelines. They ensure that children without parental care are not left invisible and that families under extreme pressure receive support before relationships collapse.
A call for solidarity
With needs growing and resources dwindling, the situation in eastern Chad remains precarious. Every day without adequate funding means more children go hungry, miss school, or face violence and exploitation.
SOS Children’s Villages is also advocating with the Government of Chad to ensure that refugee children can access safe, quality education and other essential services.
“Safe spaces are not a luxury,” says Cyrille Roassoum, Humanitarian Coordinator at SOS Children’s Villages Chad. “For children who have lost everything, they are a bridge back to routines and hope.”