Boosting GBV Response in Eastern Chad

Awareness on GBV risks with 210 women and Adolescent girls in Farchana camp , strengthening knowledge on safety, protection and available services. @Adoum Gamane – Chadian Red Cross

Since conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023, Eastern Chad has become a lifeline for hundreds of thousands fleeing violence. Chad now hosts nearly a third of all Sudanese refugees—60% of them children. To strengthen the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) response, UNICEF deployed Rosaline Bawe through the Standby Partnership with the Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (MCF).

Initially sent to Abéché, Rosaline quickly moved to the UNICEF field office in Farchana to work alongside the Chad Red Cross, UNHCR, UNFPA and local NGOs. She immediately filled critical gaps in GBV prevention through community engagement efforts reaching over 124,000 individuals with tailored messaging on GBV risk, services, PSEA and protection mechanisms. While many local partners were active in GBV prevention, few had the capacity to do response activities—so Rosaline trained frontline actors in case management and survivor support. This helped over 180 actors improve competencies in GBV case management, thereby improving service delivery through the UNICEF-supported GBV One-Stop Centre in Adre, and advancing evidence-based programming. She worked with colleagues in all sectors eager to make use of her technical expertise:

“Everyone recognised that we had gaps in implementing the minimum standards for GBV prevention in programmes – I could feel the collaboration and awareness that GBV was crucial to every sector’s response, and everyone was willing to learn and adapt.”

Training of women from refugee and host community in Farchana on the manufacturing of fuel efficent stoves made out of clay to reduce GBV risk related to search of firewood. @Adoum Gamane – Chadian Red Cross

By the end of her deployment with UNICEF, participation in GBV coordination had a stronger partner engagement and local NGOs in taking leadership roles. She supported the development and validation of harmonised tools such as the Standard Operating Procedures and GBV Working Group Action Plan, enhancing access to services for survivors. This progress came despite a growing humanitarian funding crisis draining staff and resources.

Rosaline’s impact continues. Risk mitigation community initiatives she helped seed—like “Girls with a Future,” which empowers adolescent girls and boys to produce and sell fuel briquettes and the production of fuel-efficient stoves—continue to thrive. These efforts reduce unsafe six-hour firewood trips for girls and help them stay in school, while strengthening community resilience and support for GBV survivors.

Presentation of the fuel-efficient stove produced by women and girls to the UNICEF Deputy Representative Sophie Leonard, showcasing community-led innovations that contribute to the reduction of GBV risks. @UNICEF Chad