The National Union of Diocesan Relief and Development Associations (UNAD – Caritas Chad) is an instrument of the social ministry of the Church of the Family of God in Chad. Established on 27 October 1986, it consists of eight member associations that are active throughout the country: AURA – Caritas Mongo, BELACD Caritas in Doba, BELACD in Goré, BELACD in Laï, BELACD in Moundou, BELACD in Pala, BELACD in Sarh and SECADEV in the Archdiocese of N’Djamena.
UNAD – Caritas Chad’s vision is that of the Catholic Church in Chad, namely “striving for a society of justice and peace with men and women who are confident about their possibilities and strengths, and who engage in concrete and fruitful activities to ensure their self-reliance”.
It is also the vision of a world in which the goods of God’s creation belong to everyone. The men, women and children of Chad have the right to live with dignity and love. UNAD – Caritas Chad’s fundamental values are: faith, charity and loving one’s neighbour.
UNAD – Caritas Chad’s strategic priorities are:
- Basic social services (food security, healthcare, hygiene and sanitation)
- Local governance (civic and citizenship education, conflict prevention and management, rational and collective management of natural resources)
- Emergencies and humanitarian actions
- Capacity building (partnerships, visibility and development of human resources)
Projects and activities coordinated by UNAD – Caritas Chad in 2017 include:
- Healthcare (Priority 1): support for 36 health centres, 3 hospitals and 6 diocesan patient support centres; supply of equipment and medicines, and capacity building for health centre staff. The healthcare programme is funded by Misereor.
- Self-Reliance Capacity Building Project (PRECA) for Sudanese refugees in the Milé and Kounoungou camps and surrounding villages (Priority 3): this is the continuation of EA projects implemented since the arrival of Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad. PRECA covers these areas: food security, WASH and capacity building. It is funded by Caritas Denmark and implemented by SECADEV – Caritas N’Djamena.
- Project to integrate Sudanese refugees into local communities (Priorities 1, 2 and 4), implemented by SECADEV and funded by Caritas Denmark for a period of twelve months.
- EA 21/2016 (Priority 3): project to support victims of the Niger crisis in the Lake Chad region, implemented by SECADEV. The areas covered are food security, WASH and livelihoods.
- Socio-economic reintegration project for returnees from the Central African Republic to southern Chad, at the Djako site in the diocese of Moundou. Lasting for eight months, it primarily concerns livelihood activities. It is implemented by Caritas Moundou with funding from Secours Catholique (Caritas France).
- Personalised local support programme (A2P, Priority 4) for institutional development and organisational capacity building. The current phase lasts for 3 years, from 2016 to 2018, and affects the entire Caritas Chad network. It is funded by Secours Catholique (Caritas France).
UNAD – Caritas Chad’s main partners are: the Government of Chad via its various ministries, Caritas Internationalis, Caritas Africa, Misereor, Caritas Switzerland, Caritas Denmark, Secours Catholique (Caritas France), Catholic Relief Services, Caritas Spain, Caritas Korea, Caritas Japan, the European Union and the French Development Agency (AFD)