WASHINGTON, September 12, 2018 - The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved today a $60 million grant (CFAF 34 billion) to help Chad improve access to basic social services and livelihoods for refugees and host communities, and strengthen national refugee management systems through the Refugees and Host Communities Support Project (PARCA).
“For over a decade Chad has welcomed refugees from Sudan, the Central African Republic, and areas affected by Boko Haram’s deadly attacks. This grant complements the aid already provided to some 450,000 refugees by local communities, the Government of Chad, and international agencies. This project aims to create the conditions that will enable the gradual integration of refugees into the social and economic landscape of the country and strengthen the national refugee management system,” stated Soukeyna Kane, World Bank Country Director for Chad.
The PARCA will improve access to health and education services with investments to rehabilitate or build new public service infrastructure in refugee hosting areas. The project will also contribute to the expansion of Chad’s social protection system to include vulnerable households in Chadian and refugee communities through cash transfer programs or support for productive activities as well as support the National Commission for Refugee and Returnee Assistance [Commission Nationale d’Accueil, de Réinsertion des Réfugiés et Rapatriés CNARR] and national mechanisms for refugee protection, registration, and monitoring.
The project was developed by a technical inter-ministerial committee chaired by the Ministry of Economy and Development Planning in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP), European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), and other relevant agencies. “The UNHCR welcomes this World Bank financing for the Government of Chad, which is part of the new Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) and the humanitarian-development continuum. We stand ready to make a success of this new, inclusive partnership model and replicate it in other projects,” affirmed UNHCR Representative, Mbili Ambaoumba.
There are an estimated 1.1 million direct and indirect project beneficiaries, 30% to 50% of whom are refugees located in the refugee hosting areas of the East and South regions and around Lake Chad.
