All 23 provinces of Chad have been severely impacted by widespread flooding caused by heavy rainfall, leading to the deaths of over 550 people and the destruction of 210,000 homes. The flooding, which is expected to last through the rainy season until October, has also devastated 432,000 hectares of land and killed 72,000 livestock.
This disaster comes after Chad declared a food security and nutrition emergency in February. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), of the approximately 1.9 million people affected, an estimated 85,000 are pregnant women. Many families are now seeking shelter in makeshift camps and schools, where they lack access to healthcare, clean water, sanitation, and hygiene services, raising concerns about the spread of diseases such as diarrhea, malaria, and respiratory infections.
UNFPA is working with Chad’s Ministry of Public Health and Prevention to provide reproductive health and protection services, along with hygiene supplies. They have deployed 248 humanitarian midwives to deliver maternal healthcare. Additionally, women and girls in temporary shelters face increased protection risks due to limited privacy and heightened vulnerability when searching for food and firewood in unfamiliar areas.
The floods have also caused a humanitarian crisis affecting nearly two million people across the broader West and Central African region, with devastating consequences.