Kaka Abakar Issa, internally displaced in Chad, is now receiving support from Oxfam through food assistance. However, many of her needs remain unmet

When you are lucky enough to get one and you see a neighbour without, you feel obliged to share. But in the end, this still leaves us in hardship.

— Kaka Abacar Issa, mother of five, Chad

4 mins read time
Published: 25th August 2025
Blog by Samantha Andrades

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How Families in Chad Are Rebuilding Their Lives

In the Lake Chad province, communities affected by conflict and climate shocks are finding relief through food, water and solidarity

In Chad, life has been turned upside down for hundreds of thousands of families. Attacks by armed groups, combined with frequent flooding and irregular climate events, have forced people to flee their homes with little more than what they could carry. For many, displacement has meant starting again with no shelter, no food and no access to safe drinking water.

Kaka Abacar Issa is one of those people. A mother of five, she comes from the village of Kaïga-Kindjiria, an area deeply affected by insecurity and climate-related shocks. Like many families in the Lake Chad province, Kaka and her children were forced to leave their home in search of safety.

When we arrived at this site, we had nothing,” she explains. “No food, no water, no protection from the rain

— Kaka Abacar Issa, mother of five, Chad

Meeting urgent needs

From the moment displaced families arrived, Oxfam and its partners stepped in to provide life-saving support through the Integrated response to the basic needs of people affected by crises project. This initiative responds to overlapping crises, climate, security and health, with a focus on food security, water, and basic shelter.

For Kaka, the support made an immediate difference. Oxfam helped install a water borehole and provided food assistance to families on the site.

In Koudoubol, Chad, Oxfam organized a food distribution to provide nutritional supplements to families with infants and young children.

Meeting urgent needs

For Kaka, the support made an immediate difference. Oxfam helped install a water borehole and provided food assistance to families on the site.

Thanks to them, we can eat two to three times a day and have access to drinking water,” she says. “That changes everything when you have children to care for.

— Kaka Abacar Issa, mother of five, Chad

Safe water doesn’t just mean fewer hours spent searching for it — it also means better health and dignity for families who have already lost so much.

Protection from the elements

Flooding remains a constant threat in the region. Heavy rains can destroy makeshift shelters in minutes, leaving families exposed. To help, Oxfam distributed tarpaulins so people could cover the roofs of their homes and protect themselves from the rain.

“These tarpaulins help us sleep without fear when it rains,” Kaka explains.

But the needs still outweigh the resources available.

“Some of our brothers and sisters still haven’t received any, and that makes us deeply sad,” she adds. “When you are lucky enough to get one and you see a neighbour without, you feel obliged to share. But in the end, this still leaves us in hardship.”

Her words speak to both the scale of the crisis and the solidarity that exists within displaced communities, even when everyone is struggling.

Looking beyond survival

While emergency aid is essential, families are also thinking about the future. Kaka is clear about what would help them move beyond day-to-day survival.

“We are asking for the strengthening of cash transfers and food assistance, and also the distribution of small livestock to help us overcome our difficulties,” she says.

Cash support gives families flexibility and dignity, allowing them to prioritise what they need most. Small ruminants, meanwhile, can provide a pathway to longer-term food security and income.

“Oxfam saved us from famine,” Kaka says simply. “For that, we thank them.”

Kaka Madourom is a 30 year old mother in Koudobol, Chad. Through Oxfam's food distribution, she received all the necessary ingredients to cook enriched porridge for her children.

Standing with communities in Chad

Through this project, Oxfam and its partners have reached 11,543 people in the Lake Chad province, helping improve access to food, safe water and basic protection. These interventions are not just about relief, they are about restoring dignity and hope in the midst of crisis.

Kaka’s story is one of many. It is a reminder that behind the statistics are families, neighbours and communities doing everything they can to survive, and to support one another, as they rebuild their lives.