CARE 2005 Chad External Evaluation Community-Based Support for Darfur Refugees in Chad

This project was implemented by CARE Chad in four refugee camps. Using a decentralised model of zonal community posts, the project emphasized refugee participation in the planning, organising and delivery of education, health and social services to the camp populations. CARE Chad was able to foster a sense of community and social life in the camps by training refugees to provide the services and manage aspects of the project.

Principal lessons learned include:

1. The evaluation team found that more investment was needed in non-formal education for young adults. It is suggested that a standard life skills curriculum be developed, based on a set of core seminar/discussion topics which can be consistently implemented across project sites.
2. More attention might be given to enhancing the capacity of the refugee community assistants by strengthening their training in psychosocial support, particularly in ‘psychological first aid'.
3. While emergency situations make it difficult to implement sophisticated tracking and monitoring mechanisms, CARE should ensure that even simple tools are put into place, such as spreadsheets and periodic narrative reports. This data will greatly help with post-project evaluations.