Chad is hosting almost one million refugees who have fled the brutal conflict in neighbouring Sudan. Most have arrived traumatised, injured, malnourished and in urgent need of support.
NRC in Chad
From bases near the main crossing points from West and North Darfur, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is providing protection and assistance in refugee camps and host communities across eastern Chad.
What’s happening in Chad?
Since the outbreak of conflict in Sudan in April 2023, over 959,000 refugees and 393,000 returnees have crossed into eastern Chad. People continue to arrive, most of them women and children who have endured violence and difficult journeys before reaching safety.
Chad is one of the countries most affected by the Sudanese crisis. Within Chad, the regions of Ouaddaï and Wadi Fira host the largest number of people affected by displacement. The number of people forced to flee Sudan has placed enormous strain on already vulnerable host communities in Chad, leaving many families struggling to survive. Social services are overstretched, livelihoods are under pressure and tensions are rising over limited resources such as water and agricultural land.
Despite the efforts of Chad’s authorities and humanitarian partners, the response lacks global attention and remains critically underfunded, weakened even further by cuts in donor funding. As the conflict in Sudan shows no sign of ending and the scale and complexity of needs grow, the number of people seeking refuge and needing support in Chad is expected to rise even further.
Our response
We’re working with our partners in the following areas:
- Water, sanitation and hygiene – building latrines, showers, and handwashing stations, and ensuring access to safe drinking water in camps and schools.
- Shelter and settlements – constructing emergency shelters and schools, as well as durable community infrastructure, using local materials.
- Livelihoods and food security – providing vocational training for women and young people across a range of value chains, supporting small business initiatives and launching pilot projects to create jobs for displaced populations and host communities.
- Education – training teachers and providing learning materials to improve access to inclusive primary education with psychosocial support in safe environments.
- Information, counselling and legal assistance – supporting communities with dispute resolution and helping people obtain legal identity documents to access basic services and reduce the risk of exploitation.
- Advocacy – highlighting unmet needs, engaging with community leaders and authorities, and supporting coordination among humanitarian actors.
Our operations
NRC office established: 2023
Areas of operation: Adré, Iriba, N’Djamena (coordination office)
Country Director: Dermot Hegarty
Contact: dermot.hegarty@nrc.no
Our impact
In 2025, we assisted 81,067 people through our programmes in Chad:
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29,590Education
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1,194Livelihoods and food security
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20,344Shelter and settlements
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30,575Information, counselling and legal assistance
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35,348Water, sanitation and hygiene
Note: some people received more than one type of assistance.
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