In Chad, one of the poorest countries in the world, the rate of illiteracy among youth is about 70 percent, which according to UNICEF (originally known as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), “which is about more than 2 million youth who do not know how to read or write.”
And the situation is even more alarming among girls and young women aged 15 to 24 where the illiteracy rate climbs to more than 77 percent, notes UNICEF.
In addition, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) reports that “Chad’s education sector faces many challenges…including a lack of qualified teachers, few technical and vocational training opportunities, disparities between rural and urban education opportunities in terms of access and quality, and a low literate population.”
In fact, UNESCO figures show that only 31 percent of Chadian men are literate and “the situation is even worse among women, of whom only 14 percent can read and write.”
At Bread and Water for Africa® we are working with our longtime partner Esther Ndichafah, director of Hope International Foundation (HIF), headquartered in Cameroon but also working in bordering Chad, to provide educational opportunities for children and youth – both boys and girls.
This past year, thanks to the supporters of Bread and Water for Africa®, we were able to provide funding to HIF to sponsor the education of 183 underprivileged children in Chad, 99 boys and 84 girls, the vast majority being orphans with no family members who could afford to send them to school and get an education – their only hope of escape from a life of unimaginable poverty.
For a cost of just $26.44 we can cover the entire school fees for a single student for an entire school year, well as the costs for general education examinations and provide them with mandatory school uniforms, school supplies, and other related expenses.
Esther notes that the two overarching goals of the educational support program are to provide continuous educational support for destitute children and ultimately promote self-reliance, “which is a long-term impact of this program.
“These two goals are directly and indirectly achieved through this grant support,” says Esther, adding, “This program is the only hope to hundreds of children in the communities of Lolo, Dobem, Souga, Bah, Koloum, Belaba, Taye and Moundou.
“Without this program, at least 180 children, young boys and girls would be at home with no means to go to school.”
Among these 183 children and youth is 8-year-old Gisele Nepitimbaye whose parents died three years ago.
From Esther:
“Losing both in a short space of time was a traumatic experience for her. She was demoralized and confused.
“She had so many relatives, but no one seemed to be willing to put her education first.
“She was supposed to go to school at five years old but missed out the first year because no one opted to pay her fees despite the low amount of less than $10.
“Her uncles and aunties are predominantly into peasant agriculture and farms mostly for household consumption. Her elder sisters and brothers were also married and focused on their own immediate families.
“The school program enlisted her, and she has been able to go to school over the last two years.
“She is one of the most brilliant students in her class according to her results during the last academic year.”
Gisele may just be 8-years-old, but she is certain about her ambition as she puts it that “My dream is to become a midwife and with the way Bread and Water for Africa® and HIF are helping me now, I believe my dream will come true.
“Thank you for giving me, my siblings and many other children hope again”.
Esther notes that this program is the only support system for her education and that she has benefitted from it for the last two years.
“Gisele places her entire hopes on it, and a halt in the program will simply mean a halt in her education, and this program has given so many young girls just like Gisele a hope for the future.
“As the years go by, we realize that more and more children depend on this program to trace a beautiful path to their future.
“The impact of this program is tremendous, and we will fully understand in a few years to come when these children are spread across the society living their dreams and hopefully, multiplying the impact.”
