Quarterly Performance Report: Building Resilience in Eastern Chad (BREC)

The project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) with grant number AID-OFDA-G-14-00081. The project's goal is to increase the ability of rural populations to support themselves in a sustainable manner. To achieve this, WCDO has implemented various activities in the sectors of agriculture and food security, economic recovery and market systems, and microfinance. The project's target beneficiaries are IDPs and host communities in Sila Region. In the sector of agriculture and food security, WCDO has continued to distribute rainy season seeds to 500 households in 22 villages. However, the distribution was challenged by heavy rains that washed away roads and overflowed wadis, making it impossible to transport seeds to some villages. As a result, 68.82 metric tons of seeds remain unsold and will be sold at current rates to recover some costs. The value of the sale will be reinvested into the target communities. WCDO has also conducted training for farmer group members on topics such as fighting against plant diseases and running a farmer group. However, the training was affected by the intense activities taking place in the villages during this period, and only 126 people were able to participate. The project's System of Crop Intensification (SCI) pilot was also affected by travel authorization issues, and field staff proceeded without training. As a result, mistakes were made in the step-by-step process required of SCI, including the planting of local millet instead of finger millet. In the sector of economic recovery and market systems, WCDO has identified 90 women's groups in BREC's target villages and provided them with training on ROSCA principles. The total attendance was 126 members out of 160 targets this quarter. The women ROSCA members received a kit comprised of savings metal boxes and security locks. WCDO has also made progress in the sector of microfinance, with 126 people, including 126 women, newly receiving financial services or continuing to receive financial services due to OFDA support. However, the project still faces challenges, including the timing of grant launch and agricultural seasons, which has affected the SCI pilot and seed distributions. Despite these challenges, the project remains on track for implementation. WCDO continues to be an active member of humanitarian coordination meetings at the regional level and is present during cluster meetings. The project team will continue conducting training for farmers' groups and women ROSCA members in the upcoming quarter and will document the harvest result of the SCI pilot.