Water in the Desert: ACF in the Central African Republic

Landlocked in the center of sub-Saharan Africa, the Central African Republic (CAR) has suffered from ongoing conflict and instability over the past two decades. With 73% of the population struggling to survive on less than one dollar a day, it remains one of the poorest countries in the world. It’s also one of the least healthy: HIV infects more than 10% of the population, and poor hygiene contributes to CAR’s high infant mortality rate, with malaria, measles and diarrhea ranking as the top three causes of childhood death.

The country’s northwest border is the area most affected by ongoing conflict. Civilian populations are subjected to ongoing skirmishes between rebels, government forces, and armed incursions from neighboring Chad. Driven from their homes and land, some 100,000 people from CAR have taken refuge in Chad, Sudan, and Cameroon; another 200,000 have fled into the bush or migrated to urban slums.

Action Against Hunger has worked with communities in CAR since 2006, implementing water, sanitation, and hygiene programs in a number of sub-prefectures where displaced peoples are in need of assistance.