‘Challenges do not stop at national borders’
How does GIZ work in a region like the Sahel, where drought, hunger and violent conflict overlap and shape the lives of so many people? Our colleague Abdrahamane Karimou Issa has answers.
Abdrahamane Karimou Issa helps strengthen communities in Chad to better cope with crises. GIZ, the World Food Programme and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) are working hand in hand to achieve this. In this interview, Mr Karimou Issa explains how the cooperation works and what changes it is bringing about locally.
Mr Karimou Issa, you are responsible for GIZ’s work as part of the Sahel Resilience Partnership in Chad. Can you tell us about it?
Many people in the Sahel live with recurring droughts, unreliable harvests and conflicts. These often arise between herders and farmers over land and water when herds cross national borders, or involve attacks by armed groups. When prices rise or violence flares up, families quickly find themselves in a vulnerable situation. We support communities in better coping with shocks like this and securing their income and livelihoods in the long term. The Sahel Resilience Partnership, short SRP, links several projects from different countries in the region. My work in Chad is part of this network: We test approaches locally, learn from experiences in neighbouring countries and develop solutions together that work across borders.
What distinguishes your approach from other projects?
We don't just work on one topic, but on several at the same time, and we do this together with the World Food Programme and UNICEF. Each organisation contributes its own strengths, but the focus remains on the same communities. This results in a package that addresses food security, basic social services and the strengthening of local structures.
Challenges do not stop at national borders. What counts for people is not who does what, but that everything fits together. And because we are taking similar action in several Sahel countries, we can transfer successful approaches across borders.
Sahel Resilience Strengthening (SARES) is a project of the Transitional Development Assistance which GIZ is implementing on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. The project is aimed at smallholder families who do not have a reliable food supply and live in regions affected by violent conflict, insecurity and displacement. With SARES GIZ supports communities in making better use of water and land. GIZ also strengthens local cohesion. At the same time, GIZ contributes to improving people’s food security. A particular focus is on women and young adults.
SARES is GIZ’s contribution to the Sahel Resilience Partnership (SRP). Financed by BMZ, the partnership is being implemented jointly by GIZ, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP). The aim is to make households and communities in the Sahel more resilient through a holistic approach so that they are better able to cope with crises.
What does this look like in practice at the community level?
The Challah-Kadelanga community in northern Chad is a particularly good example. There, the World Food Programme has restored soil fertility. People receive food if they help with the work in the fields and at wells. A vegetable field was planted on the rehabilitated land. GIZ is providing training to farmers on climate-adapted agricultural practices. Part of the harvest goes to the cafeteria of a school built by UNICEF. There, children receive regular meals and can concentrate better. We have also built a ‘House of Peace’ together with the community: a place for discussion, meetings and teaching. The activities reinforce each other: The community benefits from better nutrition, education, spaces for dialogue and conflict prevention as well as sanitation facilities.
What is working well in the cooperation and where are there difficulties?
The consistent exchange between the partners works particularly well. We visit the communities together, plan together and because of this, can react in a more flexible manner. It is also important to involve local authorities and community councils from the start, as they will continue to drive the changes forward. The challenge is that every organisation has its own processes and requirements. Joint planning takes time, and in some regions the security situation severely restricts our freedom of movement.
Why is the situation in the Sahel relevant for Europe and Germany?
Crises in the Sahel do not remain local. When people no longer have any prospects, this leads to migration, tensions and instability in entire regions. That’s why it is important for communities to be resilient, for basic services to work properly and for people to have fair access to water, land and income. This is not only a question of humanity, but is also in Europe’s interest.
Finally: What motivates you personally in your work?
I get motivated when I see people making their own plans and taking responsibility after a crisis. When a community says: ‘We now know how we can move forward,’ which shows me that our support is working. For me, the motivation comes from knowing that I can contribute to this in Chad and in cooperation with neighboring countries.
- The Sahel Resilience Partnership supported 3.6 million people in overcoming malnutrition, including 2 million children.
- Thanks to the partnership 1 million smallholder farmers have more secure livelihoods.
- The partnership assisted 300,000 people in peacebuilding efforts.