Chadian Catholic aid agency manages camps amid trying conditions

Published: 2004-09-10

ABECHE, Chad (CNS) -- When Sudanese refugees first began pouring into Chad in 2003, the only people available to help them were workers from the Chadian Catholic aid agency. There was no network of nongovernmental organizations available to assist the refugees other than Caritas, known in Chad by its French acronym, Secadev. "In the beginning, it was very difficult for us to serve them; we had no food, no tents were available, and the refugees were coming from all across the border," said Anastasie Dewa, spokeswoman for Secadev. The largest nongovernmental organization operating in Chad, Secadev works primarily on small-scale development projects and was overwhelmed by the scope of the refugee crisis. By September 2003, more than 65,000 black Africans from Sudan had fled west to Chad to escape violence in Sudan's Darfur region, and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees had launched a $23 million initiative to help those most in need.

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