Across the vast plains of Chad, where drought shapes daily life, a profound change is underway. In a region where finding and carrying water once required hours of effort each day, a quiet but decisive transformation has begun.
The launch of the Semi-Urban and Rural Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Programme (PAEPA-SUMR), financed with $141.43 million from the African Development Fund, has reshaped the daily lives of more than 500,000 people. Communities are now experiencing a new reality -- reliable access to drinking water, improved sanitation services, and emerging economic opportunities.
In the provinces of Logone Occidental and Logone Oriental, the Programme's impact is unmistakable. Forty-four small-scale water distribution networks are now operational, giving more than 117,000 people access to a drinking water point within 300 metres of their home. Long treks in search of water are becoming a thing of the past. A total of 135 public and school latrines, five final disposal sites, and a refurbished water analysis laboratory in Laï have strengthened sanitation and hygiene. The risk of waterborne infections in health centres, markets and bus stations has fallen significantly. Information and education campaigns, carried out with water user associations, are promoting good practices and helping to ensure the sustainability of these gains.
"The training and equipment we have received mean that we can finally clean up our neighbourhoods and, above all, we can raise awareness among families. When everyone understands that they have a role to play, keeping our town clean becomes everyone's business," says Serge Mbaindigsem, a coordinator of the Doba ville propre (Doba Clean City) association.
The impact in schools has been significant, with improved access to water and adequate facilities transforming the learning environment. Pupils fall ill less often: waterborne diseases have dropped by 68 percent, leading to higher classroom attendance. Success rates are rising, particularly for the lower-secondary school completion certificate (brevet d'études fondamentales), which has increased from 51 percent to 89.63 percent. Girls--previously the most affected by poor sanitation--now attend school more regularly; in the village of Donangkassa, they represent 75 percent of the student body. Each child also gains an average of one hour and 20 minutes per day previously spent walking to fetch water. Net enrolment rates have risen from 72 percent to 81 percent in primary schools, and from 54 percent to 60 percent in secondary schools in the Programme area, underscoring the direct link between water access and education.
A project that creates jobs
As well as creating water infrastructure, the Programme is powering human development. More than 2,300 young people have been trained in environment-related or labour-intensive jobs, such as sanitation, cleaning of drainage channels and management of waste. As many as 20 women's groups have been equipped to manage public latrines and recycle solid and plastic waste, creating local micro-enterprises and new sources of income.
In Doba, Fada and Faya, multifunctional youth promotion centres now serve as venues for literacy, training, agri-food processing and marketing. For many women, these spaces have become springboards to independence.
Catherine Djimet, president of the action platform in Looshigemadji district, exemplifies how the Programme has been transformative for ordinary people.
"Thanks to PAEPA, I received training in waste management in Burkina Faso. I came back as a trainer of trainers ... I trained women in waste management and composting. Thanks to this, many of them have been able to take on their own field and take charge of their own lives," she says with pride. Catherine cites the case of one beneficiary, Antoinette Dendjim, who has been able to acquire new land and ensure her independence thanks to compost production.
In Chad, the Semi-Urban and Rural Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Programme demonstrates how investment in water and sanitation sows the seeds of health, education, social peace and a strong local economy. This is sustainable transformation, driven by communities that are reclaiming control of their future.
