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Supporting access to basic services & social inclusion WHO WE ARE: The Lake Chad Inclusive Economic and Social Recovery Project (RESILAC) is a regional project aimed at strengthening people's resilience through economic recovery, social cohesion and sustainable land management in the countries around the Lake Chad Basin. After a first phase running from 2018 to 2022 in the 4 countries around the lake, and on the strength of its encouraging results, all the project's stakeholders renewed their commitment to the project in this region through a second phase, designed on the basis of the acquired knowledge. Co-financed by the European Union and the Agence Française de Développement to the tune of €38.5 million, this second phase is being implemented by a consortium of NGOs Action Against Hunger (lead partner), CARE International and Groupe URD, in partnership with CCFD-Terre Solidaire as well as national and local organisations. Renewed for a period of 5 years (2024-2028), the project covers 12 territories in 3 countries around Lake Chad (Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad) and aims to reach more than 118,000 people. 118 000 bEnEficiaRIES 51% are women 12 TERRITORIES 3 COUNTRIES TESTIMONIES Get a picture of our beneficiaries' daily lives COUNTRIES Discover the context in our intervention countries. KEY FIGURES Get an overview of the project's past and future achievements. RESOURCES Find our publications and expertise.

RESOURCES > The RESILAC project website provides a variety of resources (learning documents, evaluation reports, and research reports) for you to view online or download. Learning tools Evaluation Research

Les dernières publications du projet. VIDEOS Mental health at the heart of professional reintegration In the Far North of Cameroon The Far North Region of Cameroon has been confronted for several years with attacks by armed groups which lead to population movements and contribute to amplifying the pre-existing problems of chronic malnutrition and food insecurity. Since September 2017, this situation has caused several thousand internal displacement in the country and caused inflation of 30 to 60% on certain foodstuffs [1] . The four municipalities in the RESILAC project intervention zone, Dargala, Koza, Mindif and Mora, concentrate 56% of the population of this region living below the poverty line [2] . The most affected are young people and women. The economic difficulties that the latter encounter in the region (precarious labor market, limited natural resources for production, insufficient income) frequently lead to a state of psychological distress. This is often coupled with trauma related to the resurgence of insecurity, intra-family conflicts and gender-based violence. Thus, young people have great difficulty in drawing from within themselves the resources necessary for their economic reintegration [3] . The RESILAC project deploys new strategies on a daily basis to enable young people and women in Cameroon to draw from themselves the resources necessary to reintegrate themselves into the job market on a long-term basis. Regain confidence in the future The psychological problems considerably affect the capacity and the will of the people affected to cooperate, to live together, to project themselves into the future in a confident and solid way. Post-traumatic stress disorder is considered "the main factor behind the persistence of mental disorders after conflict situations"[1]. Mental health programs are therefore necessary to enable individuals and populations to recover, to be more resilient and to embark on a project for the future with greater self-confidence. This is why RESILAC integrates psychosocial care into economic recovery activities, allowing young people who integrate the training-reintegration system to benefit from the Problem Management + (PM+) protocol. This is a protocol originally developed by the World Health Organization, which, through weekly individual sessions, of approximately 90 minutes, for five to seven weeks, supports individuals in the management of their psychological and subsistence problems, their family conflicts and traumas. Training of health workers from on-site medical centers also enables them to develop their skills in psychosocial care, in a region lacking mental health care. The individual results are very encouraging in the municipalities where this monitoring has been implemented. This is particularly the case for Maimouna, 29, mother of 2 children, resident of the village of Djamboutou (commune of Dargala). " I suffered from insomnia, lack of appetite, general fatigue and difficulty concentrating." Proven symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety were observed during his clinical evaluation. Maimouna was accompanied by the PM+ for 7 weeks, during which she learned “ several strategies for stress management and gradual resumption of activity” . In the middle of the course, she was able to identify an IGA selling food in a market. RESILAC assisted her in building her business plan and getting her business started. Since then, she says, “ I finally got back to sleep, and the anxiety of being alone all day long disappeared ”. Fatou, 20 years old, mother of 2 children and resident of the village of Gaboua (municipality of Koza), also testifies: “ I was working in a local NGO as a 'peer educator' but my income was neither sufficient nor stable to take care of my family. For several years, I had tried to integrate the public service, without success. I also separated from the father of my children, I didn't have a stable job, I had a real sense of failure. " Fatou found herself plunged into a state of intense psychological distress associated with psychosomatic pain. She then joined a community interest project (TICOM) of RESILAC and participated in the psychosocial care PM +. During the sessions, Fatou developed an action plan: register for an information group on public service competitions, get information from resource people, start a commercial activity, promote dialogue with the father of their children. Thanks to the savings resulting from the TICOM works and managed with her VSLA, she bought sheep whose resale will bring her an economic profit. The improvement in her condition also allowed her to renew social ties. “ Some physical pain is still present, but I have regained sleep and appetite, and I feel a real improvement in my general well-being ”. Save to stabilize Young people and women are also monitored and supervised, thanks to an efficient education-training-economic integration system, which allows them to choose a promising micro-project and to strengthen their technical and management capacity in order to invest in complete safety. their savings. Thus, during the months of June and July 2020, in the town of Mindif, the beneficiaries of a worksite were trained on new techniques for fattening and rearing small and large ruminants (oxen, sheep and goats), and simplified accounting themes - including the management of accounting tools (cash registers and inventory management), support for carrying out purchases in accordance with the standards of the Dziguilao market, the creation of purchasing commissions [1] , etc. Marthe, mother of two, recounts the creation of an AGR for the production of peanut oil in the village of Maoudine (Mindif): “We formed a group within our community, and we learned how to grow, spread, dry and crush fresh peanuts to turn them into oil and kibble. From now on, we sell these products and put the profits in the common fund of our VSLA [2] . At the moment we use pots and plates to press the oil, but our goal is to purchase specific pressing equipment. In the meantime, every Sunday, we organize meetings to see the progress of our contributions ”. In addition, the project increases women's awareness of the leadership that has led to the occupation of decision-making positions within VSLAs [3] . This is the case of mixed VSLAs in the town of Mindif, whose offices are, for the moment, 46% women. In any case, the psychosocial care carried out by the RESILAC project does not claim to definitively solve the beneficiaries' problems. On the other hand, it allows a psychological mobilization which makes individuals autonomous and puts them at the center of their own change by means of a reflection on the different ways of managing their emotional problems and daily life. Find this article on the websites of our partners: Action Against Hunger: https://www.actioncontrelafaim.org/a-la-une/la-sante-mentale-au-coeur-de-la-reinsertion-professionnelle/ [1] World Bank 2020 data [2] Initial baseline, June 2019 - Groupe URD / RESILAC and https://www.banquemondiale.org/fr/country/cameroon/overview [3] Capitalization report, PM + for the benefit of economic recovery, May 2020 [4] Inception report of the SMPS RESILAC study - Groupe URD - November 2020 [5] Training report of the TICOM2 worksite in Domayo (municipality of Mindif) - June 22 to July 10, 2020 [6] Association Villageoise d'Epargne et de Crédit [7] Village Savings and Credit Associations

TESTIMONIALS > Faces of the Lake

PUBLICATIONS > ARTICLES Innovative agricul ture to fight global warming in the Lake Province of Chad Mental healt h at the heart of professional reintegration Promoting dialogue to restaure the land in Niger Taking action for mental health is a matter for everyone RESILAC: youth employment and local development at the heart of a multi country workshop Socioeconomic development of Lake C had: gender mainstream within RESILAC Warrantage: A promising start to farmer resilience in the Lake Chad Basin . Support the economic integration of youth through entrepreneurship Feedback Days : RESILAC is listening ! PRESS RELEA SE Socio-Economical forum in Cameroon FODEREN 1 restitution and advocacy workshop RESILAC in VIDEOS RESILAC in Niger - New RESILAC in Camero o n - New RESILAC in Niger ia - New RESILAC in Chad - New RESILAC in its global aspects - New VIDEOS Innovative agriculture to fight global warming In the Lake Province of Chad Innovative agriculture A region suffering from lack of crop irrigation The security crisis that has been raging in the Lake Chad region for the past 10 years has profoundly altered the distribution of the population and precipitated changes that were already underway in the Sahelian zone [1] . Thus, population movements from the island zone of the lake, which is prey to attacks by Non-State Armed Groups (NSAGs), to less humid and less fertile areas, have resulted in a high level of exploitation of natural resources by the host and displaced populations in search of means of subsistence. This also leads to unexpected developments, such as the climatic modification of wetlands, where anthropogenic pressure [2] has dropped considerably. These areas are also being taken over by armed groups: they are taxing access to natural resources. Victims of these disasters, the populations are the first to be affected and access to water remains a major concern, both for agroforestry production and for human consumption. In fact, in the area, waterborne diseases are among the leading causes of mortality in children under 5 years of age. Problems of access to water also lead to high food insecurity, due to low agricultural production (high dependence on rainfall) and low household incomes in the area, which are essentially derived from the sale of agricultural surpluses. Despite this, the RESILAC project has conducted several studies, tests and trainings on the potential for introducing innovative agricultural practices adapted to climate change in Chad, in the Nguélea 1 and 2, Bol and Ngarangou cantons of the Lac Province [3] . In this region, which is mainly inhabited by agricultural and agro-pastoral households, agricultural production activities are faced with constraints such as : Poor access to good quality agricultural inputs; Poor access to agricultural innovations; Lack of technical support to better control the effects of pests, weeds and diseases on production; The absence of regulations governing the roaming of animals in agricultural production areas; The continuous silting up of polders[4], due to excessive wind and the lack of biological protection of the polders. In order to better respond to the needs of the populations benefiting from the activities to improve their production, a study on innovative endogenous[5] and exogenous practices was conducted by RESILAC. The results of the study have allowed us to better understand the existing practices, as well as their limitations, and to propose appropriate solutions. It is in this sense that experimental sites, to test and disseminate innovations, as well as Farmer Field Schools[6], to reinforce knowledge and cultural practices, have been implemented. In the polder area: an efficient solar irrigation system Boreholes with solar pumps are intended to allow efficient irrigation of irrigated crops by exploiting free potential energy: solar energy! This type of borehole consists of special equipment allowing the production and distribution of water for the irrigation of market garden crops [7] . It is innovative because it provides a source of energy for the pumping equipment (this is solar energy produced using the panels), as well as several water distribution pipes that go directly to the irrigation plots. The advantages of this system are a low operating cost, ease of maintenance when communities are formed in it, a clean and autonomous source of energy, and saving irrigation water through the reduction of loss of water by infiltration, through the water distribution pipes. On this subject, Mahamat, a 49-year-old farmer who lives in the commune of N'Garangou, in Chad, participated in a process of learning new agricultural techniques, provided in the form of a Farmer Field School. “Before the RESILAC project, I was a Community Master. I was doing market gardening but in a traditional way without a lot of techniques. The RESILAC project then arrived in my region, and developed a market gardening site in Ngarangou. I decided to enroll in workshops at a Farmer Field School, during which we were taught new agricultural techniques. In the past, it was impossible for us to do market gardening in large areas. But since then, thanks to the installation of the solar irrigation system which spurts out water at all times, we have managed to do market gardening on more than 4 hectares! » [1] Brochure "Contrasting impacts of the security crisis on land situations in the Lake Chad region" October 2020 [2] Anthropogenic: is said of a landscape, a soil, a relief whose formation results essentially from the intervention of man. [3] Report of the study on the potential for introducing innovative agricultural practices adapted to climate change in the NGuéléa 1 and 2 cantons, Bol and NGarangou cantons in the Lake Chad province, April 2020 [4] The polder is a vast dyked and drained expanse, reclaimed from the sea, coastal marshes or lakes, located at a coast below the maximum level of the body of water [5] https://www.resilac.net/recherches : Review on the "Contrasting impacts of the security crisis on land situations in the Chad region" to download [6] This is a group of 20-25 people who meet once a week to cultivate a training plot throughout a growing season and learn together how to solve production problems], growers and producers of the region. [7] Technical sheet: Borehole with solar pumps for market gardening, in Chad, April 2020 Mental health at the heart of professional reintegration In the Far North of Cameroon Mental health at he heart of pro reintegrtion The Far North Region of Cameroon has been confronted for several years with attacks by armed groups which lead to population movements and contribute to amplifying the pre-existing problems of chronic malnutrition and food insecurity. Since September 2017, this situation has caused several thousand internal displacement in the country and caused inflation of 30 to 60% on certain foodstuffs [1] . The four municipalities in the RESILAC project intervention zone, Dargala, Koza, Mindif and Mora, concentrate 56% of the population of this region living below the poverty line [2] . The most affected are young people and women. The economic difficulties that the latter encounter in the region (precarious labor market, limited natural resources for production, insufficient income) frequently lead to a state of psychological distress. This is often coupled with trauma related to the resurgence of insecurity, intra-family conflicts and gender-based violence. Thus, young people have great difficulty in drawing from within themselves the resources necessary for their economic reintegration [3] . The RESILAC project deploys new strategies on a daily basis to enable young people and women in Cameroon to draw from themselves the resources necessary to reintegrate themselves into the job market on a long-term basis. Regain confidence in the future The psychological problems considerably affect the capacity and the will of the people affected to cooperate, to live together, to project themselves into the future in a confident and solid way. Post-traumatic stress disorder is considered "the main factor behind the persistence of mental disorders after conflict situations"[1]. Mental health programs are therefore necessary to enable individuals and populations to recover, to be more resilient and to embark on a project for the future with greater self-confidence. This is why RESILAC integrates psychosocial care into economic recovery activities, allowing young people who integrate the training-reintegration system to benefit from the Problem Management + (PM+) protocol. This is a protocol originally developed by the World Health Organization, which, through weekly individual sessions, of approximately 90 minutes, for five to seven weeks, supports individuals in the management of their psychological and subsistence problems, their family conflicts and traumas. Training of health workers from on-site medical centers also enables them to develop their skills in psychosocial care, in a region lacking mental health care. The individual results are very encouraging in the municipalities where this monitoring has been implemented. This is particularly the case for Maimouna, 29, mother of 2 children, resident of the village of Djamboutou (commune of Dargala). " I suffered from insomnia, lack of appetite, general fatigue and difficulty concentrating." Proven symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety were observed during his clinical evaluation. Maimouna was accompanied by the PM+ for 7 weeks, during which she learned “ several strategies for stress management and gradual resumption of activity” . In the middle of the course, she was able to identify an IGA selling food in a market. RESILAC assisted her in building her business plan and getting her business started. Since then, she says, “ I finally got back to sleep, and the anxiety of being alone all day long disappeared ”. Fatou, 20 years old, mother of 2 children and resident of the village of Gaboua (municipality of Koza), also testifies: “ I was working in a local NGO as a 'peer educator' but my income was neither sufficient nor stable to take care of my family. For several years, I had tried to integrate the public service, without success. I also separated from the father of my children, I didn't have a stable job, I had a real sense of failure. " Fatou found herself plunged into a state of intense psychological distress associated with psychosomatic pain. She then joined a community interest project (TICOM) of RESILAC and participated in the psychosocial care PM +. During the sessions, Fatou developed an action plan: register for an information group on public service competitions, get information from resource people, start a commercial activity, promote dialogue with the father of their children. Thanks to the savings resulting from the TICOM works and managed with her VSLA, she bought sheep whose resale will bring her an economic profit. The improvement in her condition also allowed her to renew social ties. “ Some physical pain is still present, but I have regained sleep and appetite, and I feel a real improvement in my general well-being ”. Save to stabilize Young people and women are also monitored and supervised, thanks to an efficient education-training-economic integration system, which allows them to choose a promising micro-project and to strengthen their technical and management capacity in order to invest in complete safety. their savings. Thus, during the months of June and July 2020, in the town of Mindif, the beneficiaries of a worksite were trained on new techniques for fattening and rearing small and large ruminants (oxen, sheep and goats), and simplified accounting themes - including the management of accounting tools (cash registers and inventory management), support for carrying out purchases in accordance with the standards of the Dziguilao market, the creation of purchasing commissions [1] , etc. Marthe, mother of two, recounts the creation of an AGR for the production of peanut oil in the village of Maoudine (Mindif): “We formed a group within our community, and we learned how to grow, spread, dry and crush fresh peanuts to turn them into oil and kibble. From now on, we sell these products and put the profits in the common fund of our VSLA [2] . At the moment we use pots and plates to press the oil, but our goal is to purchase specific pressing equipment. In the meantime, every Sunday, we organize meetings to see the progress of our contributions ”. In addition, the project increases women's awareness of the leadership that has led to the occupation of decision-making positions within VSLAs [3] . This is the case of mixed VSLAs in the town of Mindif, whose offices are, for the moment, 46% women. In any case, the psychosocial care carried out by the RESILAC project does not claim to definitively solve the beneficiaries' problems. On the other hand, it allows a psychological mobilization which makes individuals autonomous and puts them at the center of their own change by means of a reflection on the different ways of managing their emotional problems and daily life. Find this article on the websites of our partners: Action Against Hunger: https://www.actioncontrelafaim.org/a-la-une/la-sante-mentale-au-coeur-de-la-reinsertion-professionnelle/ [1] World Bank 2020 data [2] Initial baseline, June 2019 - Groupe URD / RESILAC and https://www.banquemondiale.org/fr/country/cameroon/overview [3] Capitalization report, PM + for the benefit of economic recovery, May 2020 [4] Inception report of the SMPS RESILAC study - Groupe URD - November 2020 [5] Training report of the TICOM2 worksite in Domayo (municipality of Mindif) - June 22 to July 10, 2020 [6] Association Villageoise d'Epargne et de Crédit [7] Village Savings and Credit Associations Promoting dialogue to restore the land Diffa's district, Niger Promoting dialogue to rstore th land “Before carrying out an activity, the team always asks us if it meets our needs and our way of life. RESILAC's community approach converges with our local specificities. ". This observation, drawn up by the president of a local CSO in the municipality of Diffa [1] , highlights the approach carried by the RESILAC project, which operates in a complex security and climatic context. For more than a decade, the Diffa region has suffered from a crisis with multiple causes. The structural weaknesses linked to a natural environment impacted by climate change, and the limited capacities of state services, lead to a lack of infrastructure and access to basic services. Added to this are the ongoing abuses and violence that armed groups bring to bear on the populations. This multifaceted and growing insecurity has several consequences: a drastic reduction in the use of fertile areas of Lake Chad, internal displacement of populations and the arrival of refugees from neighboring countries, demographic pressure on the scarce resources available in certain areas. already highly precarious and the exacerbation of community conflicts related to the sharing of natural resources [2] . In addition, in the region, States and their decentralized technical services intervene to a very limited extent in land management at the local level. The Nigerien land law contains provisions on land appropriation and conflict resolution in rural areas, but these are used very little, because the procedures are often restrictive and very expensive [3] . While land management remains globally in the hands of traditional chiefdoms, their powers are diminishing and the lack of dialogue sometimes freezes everyone's positions. Moreover, the effects of climate change are an additional source of concern and tension by reducing their availability due to silting up, frequent droughts and the decline in the fertility of soils used for agriculture and livestock [4] . Faced with this situation, the RESILAC project set up targeted programs to restore land and help communities to self-manage natural resources. These programs are innovative because they promote multi-stakeholder debates at the local level, and formalize the rules for access to natural resources through local agreements for developed sites. These partnership agreements are signed between community leaders and elected officials responsible for regional administrative entities, or decentralized technical services specifically involved in an agricultural activity, always respecting the laws in force in the country. RESILAC's programs also aim to produce new techniques to define the fate of abandoned lands: to establish diagnostics to optimize the use of these lands, while being creative in order to guarantee environmentally friendly exploitation. A new approach to dialogue In the Diffa region, RESILAC strengthens dialogue mechanisms between territorial entities (municipalities, cantons, chiefdoms) and provides them with data to enable them to make the link between the needs of the populations and the development issues of their localities [5] . Thus, RESILAC has supported the municipalities of Maine Soroa, Chétimari and Goudoumaria, in collaboration with the decentralized state technical services, to initiate the process of updating the municipal plan to draw an overall vision of the challenges to be met over the next five years. In these communes, the departmental authorities helped the project to create 22 community land commissions. These commissions are administrative entities whose mission is to lead development operations. In addition, the project has set up 7 consultation frameworks around high-intensity labor-intensive worksites (HIMO), which serve to improve mediation on recurring conflicts related to access to natural resources. This regularly takes the form of the signing of framework agreements to distribute the roles of all the players on the developed agricultural sites. All these devices make it possible to strengthen community engagement, and to solicit a joint effort to reinvest abandoned land. In addition, labor-based work sites provide work for young people, women and vulnerable populations who, through this, participate in the economic recovery of the community, can save money and meet the needs of their families. This stabilizes the populations in the region, promotes social cohesion and resilience. An inclusive program adapted to each village 95km from Diffa and 20km from the main town of Mainé Soroa, Adebour is a village which concentrates rain-fed agriculture, market gardening, livestock farming and petty trade [6] . The village has dune lands, for rain-fed agricultural production and extensive livestock farming in community grazing areas. It also has fertile valleys, suitable for market gardening and rainfed production. RESILAC teams carried out diagnostics there, with a view to identifying the natural resources that are subject to more demographic and climatic pressure [7] . Following these diagnoses, the groups of farmers mobilized to restore the land. These well-targeted works have resulted in particular in the construction of wire fences, permanent water points in the valleys, the fixing of dunes as well as the sowing with herbaceous plants and the planting of Prosopis plants (derived from Acacias) which slow down the advance of the desert. Soumaila Malam AWARI, member of the site management committee, explains: "This site is important for us, because it will not only save our valley from silting up, but also allow our animals to find food just outside the village". In addition, the project promotes equitable access to land on restored sites. Thus, on one of the village's community market gardening sites, among the 48 heads of households designated for land management, 12 are women. A real novelty, according to Gaptia Mai WANDARA, a young farmer and mother of three children: “I now benefit from a 200 m² plot, where I cultivate potatoes, tomatoes, moringa and lettuce. Previously, it was my husband, alone, who looked after the household by volunteering as labor and selling charcoal. Now, the consumption of these market garden products has improved the nutritional security of my family. And above all, as a woman, having access to land is a source of pride and a chance ” . The practice of innovative techniques adapted to climate challenges In the region, soils are becoming less fertile due to continued land degradation, linked to poor farming practices, erosion and silting up. To remedy this, RESILAC has set up “pilot activities” to test innovative practices. In Yambal (a village in the commune of N'Guigmi), in partnership with the University of Diffa, 20 leading producers, 50% of whom are women, participated in experimental studies. Ibrahim Hamidou OUMAROU, technical referent of the project, specifies: “ A total of seven techniques and practices were tested alongside university students, focusing on the growth parameters and yield of corn, the effects of plant spacing on growth, productivity and efficiency. of a moringa hedge, the effects of compost on the growth and yield of corn and millet, the effectiveness of neem juice against insect pests of cowpea and the effects of the presence of basil on insect pests of cabbage ”. When the results are conclusive, these new techniques will then be taught to the villagers, through Farmer Field Schools [8] . This is part of the process of transmitting / perpetuating innovative techniques on essential issues for the inhabitants: the consequences of the upwelling on land, the problem of the growing use of pesticides, and the future of abandoned land facing to drought. In addition to the practical training of rural producers, the staff of the local state technical services are also mobilized. Thus, a training course on Intelligent Agriculture facing the Climate (AIC) was organized in March 2020, and renewed in June in Zinder with the Regional Directorate of Agriculture and the agents of the RESILAC project, in collaboration with the Institute. International Research on Crops of Semi-Arid Tropical Zones (ICRISAT). While land governance has since improved, the region nevertheless remains the scene of unpredictable developments. The persistent fragility of the land, the movements of populations and the frequent takeovers of non-state armed groups, which in particular tax access to natural resources [9] , make it necessary to redouble our ingenuity to think, together, the conditions of fair and sustainable sharing of resources. Find this article on our partners' websites: AFD: https://www.afd.fr/fr/actualites/niger-dialogue-restauration-terres [1] Iterative evaluation report with mini-seminar (EIMS) N ° 3 conducted in Niger, December 2020 [2] Report, Pillar 1 Referent Visit - Diffa Region, October 2020 - the visits date from August 18 to 26, 2020 [3] INSUCO regional research study, Contrasting impacts of the security crisis on land tenure situations in the Lake Chad region, 2020 [4] PASAM & AFD report, Food security for rural Sahelian households in Niger, in the departments of Gouré and Maine Soroa. [5] Progress Report of August 31, 2019 - RESILAC Global Steering Committee [6] Mission report of the regional technical advisor - visit from August 13 to 25, 2020 - villages of Mamari Forage and Adebour [7] RESILAC interim execution report n ° 3 produced in Niger - December 2020 [8] Farmer field school: a group of 20 to 25 people meeting once a week to cultivate a training plot throughout a growing season and to learn together to solve production problems [9] INSUCO regional research study, Contrasting impacts of the security crisis on land tenure situations in the Lake Chad region, 2020 Taking acionfor mental health Taking action for mental health is a matter for everyone Dedicated to raising awareness and educating everyone about mental health issues, World Mental Health Day took place, as it has every year since 1992, on October 10 around the world. The theme of this year's event, which draws attention to an often neglected human dimension and aims to combat the stigmatization and discrimination of people with mental disorders, was "Making Mental Health Care for All a Reality". Mental health and Sahel countries Psychological care for people with mental disorders remains a little explored issue on the African continent where it is very weak or non-existent in some regions. According to the World Federation for Mental Health, between 75% and 95% of people suffering from mental illness in low-income countries have no access to mental health services. The countries of the Sahel, particularly those bordering the Lake Chad Basin, are experiencing an increase in mental health needs among their residents, exacerbated by the multiple security, socio-economic and climatic crises that have impacted the region over the last five years. While the need for care continues to increase, mental health is not yet a priority for most humanitarian or institutional actors. The RESILAC approach In order to contribute to the response to these needs, the RESILAC project "Inclusiv Economic and social Recovery of the Lake Chad" has integrated a mental health and psychosocial support component and psychosocial support component aimed at improving well-being and resilience and social cohesion of the populations. Implemented by an international consortium (Action Contre la Faim, CARE and Groupe URD) in partnership with the CCFD - Terre Solidaire network, Search For Common Ground and national organizations, the project works on economic development through different pillars in the four countries around the Lake Basin: Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad. Since 2019, through the establishment of psychosocial support groups, individual accompaniment and community-based education on the psychological symptoms of common mental health disorders, the mental health and psychosocial support component of the project is working to improve the subjective sense of well-being [1] of populations affected by the crises in the Lake Chad Basin. Between 2019 and 2021, RESILAC has treated 7,685 individuals in the region, trained 1,500 local actors in psychological first aid and 49 health workers in the integration of a psychosocial care protocol in primary health care structures. Lack of human and material resources Although the direct response to beneficiaries is important, the magnitude of the needs is far greater than the capacity of a single project to respond. Indeed, the lack of training for qualified personnel and the inadequacy of health centers do not allow us to cover all the needs. In the Lake Province of Chad, no psychosocial care center is available, and the ratio of health personnel per capita is edifying: one active psychiatrist for seventeen million inhabitants. In Niger, only two specialized psychiatric centers are efficient for the entire country, hundreds of kilometers from the Diffa region. In response to these observations, the RESILAC project, as part of a sustainable approach, has initiated the training of health workers in order to integrate psychosocial care within health structures. Similarly, advocacy with local authorities and the international community is a central axis for the sustainability of our intervention. [ i] Advocacy for psychosocial care for all! Allowing everyone to have access to psychosocial support is thus a parameter to be taken into account within health and development programs, which will have the major result of strengthening the resilience of populations. However, this will only be possible if the importance of treating mental disorders is highlighted, as well as the impact of these disorders in their social and economic dimensions. The RESILAC project has already begun to act to make this a reality by actively participating in this day through radio broadcasts, press releases and meetings with health authorities in all project countries, in order to raise awareness and initiate advocacy on the issues of mental health care. Group psychological care World Mental Health Day radio show [1] Subjective well-being: the perception that each idividual has of his/her own state of well-being RESILAC: Youth employment and local development at the heart of a multi-country workshop The multi-country workshop on "youth employment and local development" which brought together experts in the field and stakeholders of the RESILAC project from Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad was held from November 9 to 12 via videoconference. At the initiative of one of the consortium members, CARE Cameroon, the workshop brought together 44 participants including representatives of the communes concerned by the project, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), beneficiaries as well as local and national experts. In the Lake Chad Basin, a significant proportion of young people have no access to employment and training. Two main problems stand in their way. The first is the lack of material and financial means which does not allow them to start a professional activity. The second is the lack of available training courses, which are too few in number and/or unsuited to the needs of the market and the professional prospects of the applicants. In an economically and socially unstable region, the lack of structures and investment in vocational training combined with a low rate of employability of young people (50 to 60% of young graduates are unemployed[1] ) would thus encourage some of them to leave their initial areas of residence or to join the ranks of non-state armed groups (GANE) in order to be able to meet their primary needs and those of their families, thus maintaining the vicious circle of violence and vulnerability in spite of themselves. The RESILAC (Redressement Economique et Social Inclusif du Lac Tchad) project contributes to the economic recovery and the strengthening of the resilience and social cohesion of the territories of the Lake Chad Basin most impacted by the security crisis and climate change. Through its Pillar 3 "capacity building and institutional support", the project aims to strengthen the capacities and prerogatives of public authorities, local authorities and CSOs to help them play a central role in the implementation of development projects. It is therefore with the objective of increasing the involvement of local actors in the professional and socio-economic integration of young people through community-oriented governance that the multi-country workshop was designed. The participants, who met for four days in the form of working groups, addressed the cross-cutting themes of decentralisation, governance and cross-border cooperation in order to achieve several objectives: Identify the relevant mechanisms and tools for the socio-economic integration of young people made available to local elected officials within the framework of decentralisation; Identify and clarify the roles and responsibilities of the main state and non-state actors involved in promoting youth employment; Identify the potentialities and opportunities for sustainable integration of young people around Lake Chad; Develop and produce partial logical frameworks to support the improvement of youth employment and professional integration by and between countries; Develop advocacy plans for the mobilization of resources to strengthen the employment and professional integration strategies of the youth of Lake Chad. Building on previous and ongoing processes in the Lake Chad Basin region, such as the African Union Regional Strategy for Stabilization, Recovery and Resilience of the Lake Chad Basin Areas Affected by the GANE Crisis and the Regional Stabilization Strategy developed by the Governors' Forum, the resolutions of this workshop will allow for the development of a proposal for a "regional youth employment programme". [1] Source : https://webapps.ifad.org/members/eb/131R/docs/french/EB-2020-131-R-R-16.pdf Multi-country worshop PressRelease FODEREN Press release - Forum on socio-economic development in the Far North region of Cameroon - May 25-27, 2021 On the occasion of the Forum, the actors at the regional level met in a framework of reflection and consultation on the overall strategy of socio-economic development of the Region to : Discuss more broadly the public policies implemented in the Far North region for the socio-economic development of the region; Highlight the links between BIP achievements (often with a social input) and local economic development; Relay the recommendations from the BIP survey, debate them and formulate new ones (in the form of advocacy for the communes) to local elected officials so that they can bring the voice of the communities to members of parliament and to national and international decision-making bodies. This forum constitutes an act of advocacy in favor of development that meets the real needs of the population of the Far North. FODEREN 1 restitution and advocacy workshop: presentation of the "Socio-Economic Development Strategy Paper for the Far North Region FODEREN Restitution What is FODEREN 1? Following an internal study on the Public Investment Budget (PIB) of the Far North Region of Cameroon, which highlighted the low rate of involvement of communities in the implementation of projects from which they are direct beneficiaries, and at the initiative of the Diocesan Development Committee (DDC), partner of the project alongside Action Contre la Faim and CARE Cameroon,the RESILAC (Redressement Economique et Social du Lac Tchad) project organized the Forum on the Socioeconomic Development of the Far North Region of Cameroon (FODEREN) in May 2021. The objective of this meeting, which was part of a strategic approach, was to bring together beneficiaries, actors and experts in the field and in the region with a view to drawing up a new development strategy for the Far North of Cameroon. For six days, three hundred and twenty-five participants from the six departments of the region met to discuss more broadly the public policies implemented in the Far North of Cameroon for the socio-economic development of the region as well as to highlight the links between the implementation of the Public Investment Budget (PIB) and local economic development. The objective is to develop a strategy to strengthen the resilience of the population and consolidate decentralization and development at the local level. Elaboration of the Socio-Economic Development Strategy Paper for the Far North Region The FODEREN restitution and advocacy workshop, preceded by a two-day presentation of the roadmap of the new local development plan to the ministers and authorities concerned, was held on 21 and 22 October in Yaoundé, Cameroon. One hundred and forty people participated in the workshop whose objectives were to: Present FODEREN to donors, embassies and technical and financial partners; Decline the socio-economic development strategy of the Far North region of Cameroon; Present the expectations of the Far North Regional Council to technical and financial partners. The Socio-Economic Development Strategy Paper for the Far North Region of Cameroon, drawn up following the FODEREN1 , aims to consolidate and sustain RESILAC's actions by supporting the region's economic growth and improving the living conditions of the population through four main areas of intervention: Human capital development to facilitate access to health, education, water and basic social services; Economic development through the development of local product processing industries and the modernization of the agricultural sector; Modernization of infrastructure to facilitate development; Consolidation of good governance and environmental preservation practices in order to improve the resilience of communities in the face of climatic challenges that threaten food security in the Far North of Cameroon. This strategy will be validated by the regional councillors of the Far North of Cameroon during the December 2021 session. In order to enrich the strategy document, the Chairman of the Regional Council and his team have embarked on a tour, which will take place from 15 to 25 November 2021, with the active and sectoral forces of the six departments in order to gather their observations. The final adoption of the Socio-Economic Development Strategy Paper of the Far North Region will take place during the December 2021 session. What are the issues? For RESILAC, the workshop was also an opportunity to highlight the success of the project's inclusive methodological approach based on local actors (beneficiaries), active forces (community leaders, CSOs, local elected officials), public authorities and religious authorities, and to contribute to the implementation of a development plan defined for the Far North region of Cameroon, It also contributed to the establishment of a development plan for the Far North region of Cameroon, a pioneer among the ten regions of Cameroon, as well as to perfect the process of community diagnosis with the certainty that the real needs of the beneficiary communities of the various projects will henceforth be taken into account in the BIPs and other development projects concerning them. The implementation of this strategy will particularly enable the real needs of the communities of the Far North of Cameroon to be better taken into account in the development projects of the region by involving them in the elaboration of budgets aiming at the development of communal projects through their representatives and regional advisors. Through the new "Socio-Economic Development Strategy for the Far North Region", RESILAC in Cameroon is no longer only responding to four communes in the Far North of Cameroon, but to the entire region. Socio-economic development of Lake Chad: gender mainstreaming within RESILAC In 2020 in Chad, 80% of reported cases of GBV concerned assaults suffered by women. [2] If it is necessary and even sometimes vital to take care of survivors of GBV, it is also essential to involve all community actors in the fight against this violence. This is why in Niger, 16 village gender committees whose role is to ensure the protection of women and children and to identify cases of gender-based violence have been set up. Composed of a village chief, a religious leader and three women elected by the community, the committees work with the latter to improve the consideration and involvement of women within them. Through the organization of awareness-raising sessions organized in collaboration with the regional directorate for the advancement of women and child protection and widely supported by religious and local leaders, men and women are encouraged to allow everyone to speak out during community consultations within common spaces for dialogue and to respect everyone's rights. . Raising public awareness is certainly the first step in order to encourage behavioral change, but it is not enough to induce social change. Thus, with the aim of punishing the perpetrators of violence and dissuading any further action, the committees identify cases of GBV in the community in order to notify the competent municipal, departmental and regional services. “Since the establishment of village gender committees, women are more recognized in the communities. For example, one of the village chiefs granted a group of women supported by the project two hectares with a deed of donation so that they could grow and sell onions”. In Chad, women victims can confide in women paralegals in listening centers and find the most appropriate solutions to the physical and moral abuse they suffer. All from the communities in which they operate, the women paralegals trained by the project in basic notions of law, listen to and advise women, bring them goodwill and help to find a solution with the community (religious leaders and village chiefs ) or justice depending on the seriousness of the facts reported. While GBV is often associated with physical violence, village committees and listening centers thus make it possible to identify verbal violence in the same way as physical violence. However, although most GBV occurs within the home or community, it is also in the media that verbal abuse tends to be prevalent. Indeed, a cultural anchoring force, stereotypes, demeaning and misogynistic remarks are trivialized in everyday life and contribute to the perpetuation of gender-related inequalities. In Chad as in Niger, the radio, television and written media, highly appreciated by the populations, have a power of influence which gives them the ability to induce a change in social norms. This is why RESILAC, through the FCDO fund, trained 35 journalists in the gender approach, inclusive writing and the positive inclusion of women in current affairs and social issues. This is with the aim of bringing better visibility to women in current affairs and encouraging readers and listeners to reconsider their place in their household and society. In order to overcome this discrimination, which is also a source of inter-community conflicts, agreements for the Management of Natural Resources (NRM) are proposed to the communities. These conventions, established in consultation with local authorities and communities on the basis of customary and state laws, provide specific responses accepted by all to conflicts in terms of distribution and access to natural resources. While at the beginning of the component on “empowerment of women and young people”, 21% of women had access to productive resources, they are now 34% to exploit these lands hitherto reserved for men. Whether in terms of social cohesion, access to land, socio-economic reintegration or even psychosocial follow-up, women and young people, although often relayed in the background, are a living and essential force for economic recovery. and social aspects of the Lake Chad Basin. Beneficiaries and staff working on the project are a clear example of this, such as Prisca, a community animator in Cameroon who is committed to the empowerment and resilience of women. In her testimony available HERE, she shares the resilience of these women at the heart of an economic, climatic and societal environment hostile to their autonomy. [1] This component was created thanks to additional funding from FCDO covering Chad and Niger over a period of 12 months. [2] Source: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/TCD_UNHCR_Dashboard%20VBG_2020.pdf [3] Regional study on the contrasting impacts of the security crisis on land situations in the Lake Chad region – INSUCO July 2020 Mother and child space on a HIMO construction site in Cameroon Raising community awareness, allowing women to express themselves and setting up systems for reporting complaints and recording cases of violence is a first step towards the empowerment and resilience of women in the Lake Chad Basin. Giving them access to the means of production is one more step in their recognition and independence. In rural areas, many women work in the fields, but are rarely tenants and even fewer owners. According to a study carried out [3] as part of the project on access to land, women have more difficulty accessing agricultural plots than men and have smaller areas than men: 50% of women's plots have an area of one hectare or less. As most women of working age are mothers, childcare is essential to enable them to work. However, as this childcare is intrinsically their responsibility and recourse to nanny services being financially feasible, an additional obstacle is imposed on their financial autonomy. In order to overcome this obstacle, "mother and child" spaces have been set up on the High Labor Intensity (HIMO) sites set up by RESILAC in Cameroon. Within these spaces, mothers can have their children looked after free of charge by nannies in a secure place during their working time on these community asset rehabilitation sites. Mothers can free themselves at any time to breastfeed or spend some time with their children. gender The weight of social, cultural and religious norms weighs heavily on the shoulders of women in the Sahel. In the Lake Chad Basin, landlocked between Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad, the multiple crises they face reinforce their vulnerability and their dependence in the patriarchal context in which they evolve. In particular, through the component dedicated to the "empowerment of women and young people" [1] , RESILAC strengthens the empowerment, socio-economic integration and protection of women within the communities of the Lake Chad basin aimed at protection and financial independence of these women, pillars of the Region's development. Market gardeners in a farmer school field in Chad Beneficiaries of RESILAC in Niger Warrantage strengthens farmers'resilience in the lake Chad basin In Chad, 200 household representatives, 67% of whom are women, benefit from this activity. Warrantage Plentiful harvests but little financial return The lake areas of Lake Chad are suitable for growing cereals and pulses such as millet, maize, rice and cowpeas[2] . The crops are sown before the rainy season, which lasts from June to September, and are harvested from October to January. During the harvest period, market stalls are well stocked and prices of products remain accessible to the population; on average, one should expect to pay XAF 20,000 (€30) for a 100kg bag of millet. While these harvests allow farmers to meet part of their family's food needs, the surplus that cannot be stored is sold to the highest bidder on the market. As supply exceeds demand during the peak harvest period, selling prices fall. Farmers' incomes are then insufficient to ensure their economic development. Corn harvest, farmer field school, Chad This effect keeps households in a vulnerable situation. Having sold their surplus a few months earlier, mainly due to a lack of storage facilities and a rapid need for money to meet their non-food needs, they will have to buy back these same commodities at high prices during the lean season in order to survive[3] ; a 100 kg bag of millet will now cost around XAF 40,000 (€60). Most households in the Sahelian strip, already subject to food insecurity, are then unable to cover their food needs (in quantity and quality) during the lean season and endanger the health of the most vulnerable who are likely to fall into malnutrition. Lack of storage space and need for money: the main causes of speculation There are two main reasons for farmers to sell their crops quickly: Firstly, household storage space is very often insufficient and inappropriate. While some families have living quarters with enough space to store produce, this is rarely the case. The low incomes of farmers and the high cost of rent and building materials do not allow most families to find accommodation and additional storage space in optimal conditions. Thus, once food needs have been met, and stocks for the next few months have been built up, these households urgently need money to meet secondary needs that are exacerbated in the rainy season (destruction of housing, diseases such as malaria, isolation due to flooding, etc.). In fact, the rapid sale of crops encourages speculation and leads to household insecurity. Crops sold off at the height of the harvest do not allow farmers to obtain a decent wage for the work done and the quantity of produce harvested, especially as these same crops will be resold a few months later during the lean season at up to twice their initial price. Once the stock has been sold, household food reserves are empty when the lean season arrives, when the price of foodstuffs, now scarce on the markets, rises considerably. " I deposited 4 bags of maize in the warrantage shop to get a credit of 80,000 CFA francs. This allowed me to open a shop selling condiments for 7 months. Today, I have a turnover of 150,000 CFA francs. That is 70,000FCFA in profit. Thanks to this fund, I contribute in part to the food needs and access to health care of my household " . ACHTA MAHAMAT, farmeur near bol and warrantage beneficiary, maried with 5 children Achta Mahamat, warrantage beneficiary in her store, Chad Cereal bank, Chad By mutual agreement, the members determine the pledging period, which averages six months (the time between the harvest and the beginning of the lean season), as well as the prices of the foodstuffs, which are set according to the market prices in the beneficiary area through price collection by the members of the management committees and the MFI agents The foodstuffs are then stored in warehouses that meet the necessary conservation conditions to protect the products from meteorological factors (high temperatures, rain, dust) and pests, thus reducing losses due to poor conservation conditions. A double lock system with (different) keys held by each party ensures the security of the stores for both parties (groups and MFIs). Once the credit is granted, the producers who are members of the groups (borrowers) now have the capacity to set up an income-generating activity that provides them with an income throughout the year. Once the loan is repaid (with an interest rate of 2%), the agricultural products pledged as collateral, which have increased in value as the lean season approaches, can be recovered by their owners, who are free to dispose of them as they wish according to their household needs. However, in the event that beneficiaries are unable to collect, through their income-generating activities, the amount necessary to repay their credit, the pledged stocks will be sold by the management committee and the proceeds from the sale will be used to repay the credit; the surplus will be shared among the beneficiaries in proportion to the pledged stock. grain stock, Chad [1] Institute of Research for Development, JL. GM. The development of Lake Chad, current situation and possible futures [2] Period covering the months of June to September during which household food stocks are at their lowest. [3]Period covering the months of June to September during which household food stocks are at their lowest. Support the economic integration of youth through entrepreneurship Support the economc integrtion of youth through entreprenership The Lake Chad Basin has been facing for several decades the effects of climate change which affects the productive resources of farmers and herders (crop lands, water points, grazing areas); this has adverse consequences on the food security of the populations as well as on their income from production. As a result, the Lake Chad Basin, which used to be an area of attraction for rural youth seeking employment in agricultural activities, is being deserted by young people in search of better opportunities. This situation has been exacerbated for more than a decade by a conflict between non-state armed groups and the armed forces of the four countries that share the Lake Chad Basin. This conflict is dealing a severe blow to the livelihoods of the population through the theft of livestock, the denial of access to fishing areas, and the abuse of civilians, which is forcing them to move away from their original areas of residence and exacerbating their vulnerability. While emergency responses (food distribution, relocation, etc.), which remain necessary, can limit the devastating effects of this multifactorial crisis, it is through the development of activities with long-term effects that the populations will have the keys to their own change and resilience. In order to promote youth entrepreneurship in promising sectors in their areas, the RESILAC project has developed an "education-training-integration" economic integration pathway, adapted to the needs of young people so that they can become sustainably integrated into the promising economic sectors of their choice. This economic integration pathway places young people at the center of decision-making by supporting them in the development of micro-projects, value chain support and networking with private sector economic actors. For five years, the RESILAC project has been involved in this process in order to support the resilience and autonomy of populations, particularly youth, around the Lake Chad Basin: Diffa Region in Niger, Borno State in Nigeria, Lake Province in Chad, and the Far North region of Cameroon. An economic integration process adapted to the needs of the markets and the capacities of the young beneficiaries The economic integration process developed by RESILAC integrates a set of complementary and essential steps for the success of a microenterprise, in a participatory and inclusive approach where the beneficiary is an active actor able to make decisions and build his or her project supported by technical experts. In order to ensure the active participation and involvement of young people in the insertion activities, the project has selected women and men aged between 18 and 40 years old, who are volunteers in the project's intervention zone and who are able to carry out Hih Level Intensity activities (HLI) aimed at revitalizing the assets of their community. Participation in High Level Intensity activities (HLI) is the first step towards the integration of young people who, in return for their involvement in HLI work sites, receive a remuneration, 20% of which is set aside as savings for future investments and the establishment of income-generating activities. Young people able to take their destiny into their own hands in a business-friendly environment If the lack of vocational training is a major obstacle to the development of young people in the Lake Chad Basin, the lack of spaces dedicated to the sale of their products and to exchanges between economic actors limits their capacity to effectively develop their activity. In order to stimulate economic transactions, the young entrepreneurs supported in agro-sylvo-pastoral activities are invited to participate in exhibition fairs organized by the communes or by RESILAC. These fairs allow value chain* entrepreneurs to meet their peers, buyers and resellers; the objective being to create links between actors of the same value chain. In Niger, for example, 358 young people trained and equipped to fatten sheep were able to sell their sheep at a fair organized for the Tabaski holiday. As part of the process of bringing value chain actors into contact with private actors, meetings called "business cocktails" are also organized in order to foster partnerships that meet specific needs related to the development of value chains. Around a fruit juice, a coffee or a tea, the actors of the same value chain can exchange and establish commercial links in order to make their businesses grow. In Niger, for example, 358 young people trained and equipped to fatten sheep were able to sell their sheep at a fair organized on the occasion of the Tabaski holiday *The project's value chain support is characterized by capacity building and provision of equipment to groups and individuals at different levels of product manufacturing. 4 000 people were supported in their production/processing activities More than 11 800 people received vocational training or skills enhancement 20 value chains were supported More than 1 500 professional projects have been monitored and/or advised The objective of this process is to improve the income of young people in order to meet their food and non-food needs, to build up savings, but also to provide them with the necessary advisory support to face the socio-economic development of their communities with more serenity through the establishment of microenterprises. HLI work beneficiary in his store built with his savings , Cameroun Beneficiary fattening, , Niger As part of the process of bringing value chain actors into contact with private actors, meetings called "business cocktails" are also organized in order to foster partnerships that meet specific needs related to the development of value chains. Around a fruit juice, a coffee or a tea, the actors of the same value chain can exchange and establish commercial links in order to make their businesses grow. Sesame processing by a group of women, Niger "Feedback Days" : RESILAC is listening! « Today, 88% of the population in Chad believe that their opinions are not taken into account in humanitarian decisions. Moreover, 71% consider that NGOs and international partners are not listening to them.» [1] Given the limitations of "classic" methods and mechanisms for placing populations at the heart of the intervention, the RESILAC project has developed an agile evaluation process to provide an adapted and appropriate response: the Feedback Day. Since its launch in 2020, this method has allowed an average of 200 people (stakeholders) to contribute to improving the project and thus introduce more than 50 adjustments to the implementation. A process of listening to the people The low level of influence of communities in interventions that affect them is one of the main obstacles to the relevance and quality of solidarity actions in the region. This is because project managers have little feedback from beneficiaries and stakeholders, and do not have the time or means to draw operational lessons to improve implementation during the project. The RESILAC project therefore places these communities "at the heart of the action" and the decisions that concern them. Through the Feedback Day, they can express their experiences and opinions on the intervention, prioritize their needs and propose solutions. « Since the beginning of the project, we have been asked to do so. And today, with the Feedback Day, we see that effective measures are taken to listen to us » , testifies a community leader. The objective of the Feedback Days is to provide a framework for exchange and participation for the people the project supports, based on their perception of the intervention in progress. In this way, RESILAC evaluates the quality of its intervention, learns in real time, and improves its practices during the project. A mechanism appreciated by Issakou Koundy, the National Coordinator of the project in Chad: "Now I feel more comfortable and confident during field visits, because not only do we meet the communities, but we also report back to them on what is being done. Within the team, the M&E Manager "is no longer seen as a 'policeman' but as a 'mediator' to whom teams can turn." The "Feedback Day" initiative is thus conducted every three months by internal M&E managers in the field. Six basic questions[2] inspired by the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS)[3] are proposed as a guideline for the exchanges: What do you like most about RESILAC? In your opinion, have we provided what you were entitled to? Do you receive enough information about RESILAC? Have you encountered a difficulty/problem with any of our interventions? What could we do to improve the quality of our interventions? What has changed in you that you have noticed with the support of the RESILAC project? These questions can be adapted according to the context. As one of the project managers explains, "Every time I go to the field, I update the interview guide. These are open-ended questions and most are adapted based on the initial responses. This broadens the spectrum of possible questions depending on the interviewee." Encouraging results In all of the project's countries of intervention, most of the feedback has focused on recurring issues related to international solidarity actions. This agile four-step process is part of a continuous learning process that complements the traditional mechanisms for managing community feedback, complaints and evaluation. Feedback Day it is : Optimization of resources . The Feedback Day requires few resources (time, budget, human) while ensuring the representation of stakeholders. In real time . The agile and iterative nature of the survey allows the planning to be adjusted to the program's issues. Taking feedback into account . The open, two-way dialogue reinforces the building of trust between the project teams and the communities. Collective learning and emulation . The survey process encourages the "desacralization" of errors and promotes a collective learning and continuous improvement posture. For example, communication between the project team and stakeholders has improved through regular exchanges on programming in Cameroon, or the organization of awareness-raising missions on the project's objectives in Nigeria. Adjustments to sustainability include the establishment of village committees to ensure the maintenance of the land under development in Niger. In Chad, the definition of inclusive criteria has made it possible to ensure better representation of the various communities. The Feedback Day is welcomed not only by the project stakeholders, but also by the teams, who discover a "new" way of working together with the beneficiary populations to achieve collective results. [1] Enquête sur la redevabilité humanitaire au Tchad (Ground Truth Solution, Juin 2019). [2] Fiche capitalisation : Pilier 4 : Gestion des connaissances et Apprentissage Feedback Day, 22 Juillet 2020 [3] Norme Fondamentale Humanitaire : https://corehumanitarianstandard.org/files/files/CHS_French.pdf Les feedback Days RESILAC in videos From 2018 to 2022, the first phase of the RESILAC project implemented actions aimed at strengthening human capital, supporting social cohesion, fostering economic recovery and supporting the institutional capacities of the populations of Since 2018, the RESILAC project has been implementing activities to support the strengthening of human capital and social cohesion, economic recovery and resilience, and institutional capacity building for the populations and thirteen territories of Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad. The Lake Chad Basin region is facing major social, environmental and political challenges, as well as a security crisis that has been raging for over 10 years, jeopardising the economic and social development of this historically dynamic region: silvo-agro-pastoral production weakened by the crisis and climate change, very limited access to basic services, insecurity exacerbating the area's structural weaknesses, and community balances upset by the crisis. The RESILAC project has been designed to help provide an agile and sustainable response to this multiple crisis. Its 1st phase was structured around four interconnected intervention pillars and was implemented by more than 20 partners from civil society, in order to reach all social strata of the population. Over the 5 years of implementation of this 1st phase of the project, more than 159,000 people have been reached, 48% of them women and 74% young people, in 13 territories and 254 villages using a so-called territorial approach. After a two-year start-up phase aimed at testing and piloting the relevance of activities and innovative approaches to the needs of the people supported, the activities were adapted to different contexts during the subsequent three-year roll-out period. To mark the end of the 1st phase of the project, in 2022 RESILAC is offering 5 videos to help you discover the project and understand how it works in Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria, as well as at regional level. In this first video, discover RESILAC's intervention in Niger, which helped more than 40,000 people from 2018-2022 in 22 villages through activities such as concerted natural resource management, psychosocial support for populations, adaptation of crops to climate change, and collaboration with decentralized services in order to make the project's actions sustainable. English version is available below the French one. RESILAC in Niger Watch the french version of the video Video Niger Watch the english version of the video RESILAC in Cameroon In this video, discover RESILAC's intervention in Cameroon, which helped more than 33,000* people from 2018-2022 in 124 villages through activities promoting social cohesion, mental health support, psychosocial support for populations, socio-economic integration (rapid community employment, support for the establishment of economic activities, strengthening of Village Savings and Loan Associations) and institutional capacity building. English version is available below the French one. *Data stabilized at the end of September 2022 Watch the French version of the video VideoCAMEROUN Watch the English version of the video RESILAC in Nigeria In this video, discover RESILAC's intervention in the North-East (Borno) of Nigeria where more than 52,000 people have been reached by the project from 2018-2022. The instability of the security context and the displacement of populations in this area of Nigeria require a permanent adaptation of the action. In order to respond to the needs of the populations and territories, RESILAC in Nigeria has implemented numerous social cohesion and conflict prevention activities, developed market gardening and fish farming activities adapted to the urban and peri-urban context, strengthened Village Savings and Loan Associations, supported the elaboration of a development plan for the locality of Jere. The English version of the video is available below the French one . *Data stabilized at the end of September 2022 Video NIGERIA Watch the French version of the video Watch the english version of the video RESILAC in Chad TCHAD In this video, discover RESILAC's intervention in Chad, which enabled us to support more than 30,700 people in 5 cantons, notably through the rehabilitation of community assets giving access to cultivable land, and psychological and psychosocial support for victims of trauma and support for groups, notably women's groups, notably through access to savings and credit to encourage the development of income-generating activities. The English version of the video is available below the French one. Watch the French version of the video Watch the English version of the video RESILAC in its regional aspects In this video, discover the regional approach of the RESILAC project in all four countries around the Lake Chad Basin during its first phase (2018-2022). You will get an overview of the context in which it operates, its programmatic and operational strategy to enable an agile intervention that meets the needs of the populations. The English version of the video is available below the French one. Regionale Watch the French version of the video Watch the English version of the video

Témoignages écrits et vidéo de nos bénéficiaires et des membres de l'équipe RESILAC. A remarkable journey within RESILAC Amadou Mamane Issakou: " Doing better with each phase" My name is Amadou Mamane Issakou. I am a 38-year-old agricultural engineer with 12 years' experience in the humanitarian sector. I joined the RESILAC project from its inception in August 2018 in Niger, where I served as Programme Manager for Labour-Intensive Works (HIMO) and agricultural production with ACF Spain in Diffa. Since July 2024, I have been the National Coordinator for RESILAC*2 in Chad. During my work on the RESILAC project, I have had some memorable experiences that have taught me a lot about myself. These experiences have considerably enriched my management skills. I discovered the importance of resilience and adaptability, I applied these lessons to improve coordination and team efficiency between 2020 and 2022, and once again, since I took up my new post. This period has been instrumental in my professional and personal development. As an anecdote, in June 2021, the Diffa Governorate invited me to a meeting presenting major projects in the region. During my presentation, I mentioned that our project did not have the same resources as those presented by the World Bank, which have a budget of tens of billions of euros. At the end of my presentation, the Secretary General of the Governorate took the floor and said: “RESILAC may not have the budget of other projects presented here, but I have had the opportunity to witness its achievements, which are so important for the communities, and to hear the many positive testimonials about it. You can be proud of your work." For me, this is what sets the RESILAC project apart. It is implemented through a multi-country, multisectoral approach (Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad, and Niger), addressing various sectors such as economic recovery, social cohesion, and sustainable land management. In its first phase, the project reached more than 30,000 people in Chad alone. It has integrated the humanitarian, development and peace dimensions in its implementation, enabling a more holistic and sustainable response to the region's complex challenges. The project has also placed particular emphasis on young people and women, providing them with employment opportunities and building their resilience in the face of climate change. This has helped to reduce unemployment and migration rate in the project area. The main difference I see between RESILAC*1 and RESILAC*2 lies in the will to improve by applying the lessons learned from the first phase: enhancing inclusion of the most vulnerable groups, reinforcing local governance through capacity-building, improving access to basic services, and strengthening community preparedness for climate shocks. This includes new initiatives to promote cross-border exchanges and foster climate-resilient production systems. What I particularly appreciate about RESILAC is the constant self-reflection and the drive to innovate. We are always striving to do better than before. We are always looking to do better than last time. The flexibility of the project allows us to adapt our actions to the changing needs of the communities. Seeing the positive effects and impacts on the smiling faces of programme participants is a source of great satisfaction and motivation. My only regret is that, given the limited budget allocated to the project, we are unable to do more in terms of developing market gardening spaces, building schools, and establishing health centers, which are sorely lacking in the project area.

Témoignages écrits et vidéo de nos bénéficiaires et des membres de l'équipe RESILAC. Imani*, shopkeeper and active member of a village association AGRICULTURAL TRAINING PROCESS IMPLEMENTED BY THE RESILAC PROGRAM: ADEBOUR VILLAGE, MAINE SOROA COMMUNE, DIFFA, NIGER In October 2020, the ACF SMPS-GP team receives Imani as part of the management of psychotrauma in the locality of Mazi. Aged 33, Imani is a married woman with 6 children. She lives with her family in Mazi village. Before the arrival of this difficult situation which is the insecurity caused by the organized armed groups (GAO), she lived easily with her family, because they were well off in material goods. Her spouse was going to Nigeria in search of laborer activities. She, in her turn, was busy with rural activities and animal husbandry, accompanied and supported by her children. At that time, the harvests were abundant because the planting was also important: everything was wonderful, she says. Today, it's just the opposite because life has become more and more difficult. “Before, plots of arable land were cheaper and it was easy to find a field to rent. With a sum of 3000 FCFA, you could have 1 quarter of a hectare to cultivate and reassuring productivity. In 2009, I had to cultivate 1 quarter and I harvested eight bags of red millet. But currently, finding a field becomes problematic, because the demography has increased given the number of displaced people and moreover, the harvest is not at all satisfactory. Our lands are fully exploited. With 1 cultivated quarter, you only obtain a bag and a half of millet for example; it's not galvanizing at all. » In addition, her husband no longer has access to his work areas due to insecurity. Faced with this situation of economic precariousness, the harmony once present within the couple has disappeared; conflicts reign all the time. Imani also points out that the fact that they go to sleep in the mountains every night to get to safety exposes her and her whole family to various diseases, such as malaria and coughs because they sleep in the open air._cc781905- 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ Imani therefore feels enormous discouragement, no longer has the taste for anything and does not feel the psychic strength to undertake initiatives to try to get out of the precarious economic situation in which she finds herself. She can no longer send her children to school as before, and even medical care is difficult to resolve, hence her anxiety. The SMPS-GP team offers Imani a group follow-up to help him regain confidence in his potential and his ability to implement viable projects. Work around his self-esteem was therefore implemented throughout the follow-up sessions. Also she was able to make the link between her past, her present and her future, which allowed her to manage to develop again as before, ideas of Income Generating Activity (IGA) that she could carry out. Today, thanks to the AGR that she has set up, which consists of making "bayam-sellam", that is to say "buying goods wholesale and reselling them in detail" such as: corn, peanuts, cowpea, millet, poultry every day from the roadside market, she already plans to pay her children's school fees. Her husband encourages her and is already following the good example, she says, by looking for an IGA that he too can set up. Currently a member of the Association Villageoise d'Epargne et de Crédit (AVEC) set up within her monitoring group, she produces savings, which she wishes to invest very soon to diversify her income: “I can make a profit of 5 to 6 thousand francs when the market is good”. His marital relationship has improved, and the arguments are much less regular. She admits to having resented her husband when their finances deteriorated, but thanks to the support, she understood that nothing was her husband's fault, and that instead of waiting for it to be necessarily him the provider of funds, that she too could be a strong link in dealing with her family's difficulties. Words of thanks continue to be addressed to the SMPS team and the RESILAC project in these terms: “Thanks to your support, I got back on the right path. Now, with the little that I bring back, my family has become united again, we eat our fill and I manage to save a little. The balance I had lost returned to normal. It is now that I understand this adage which often says: "Man is nothing without his fellow man, you taught me how to catch fish, even in your absence, I will know what to use it for, to meet my needs. Thanks to the SMPS team”. If ever, everything goes ahead, she plans to open a small restaurant at the crossroads of Mazi in a few months. *Name has been changed.

Les dernières publications du projet. PUBLICATIONS > ARTICLES Innovative agricul ture to fight global warming in the Lake Province of Chad Mental healt h at the heart of professional reintegration Promoting dialogue to restaure the land in Niger Taking action for mental health is a matter for everyone RESILAC: youth employment and local development at the heart of a multi country workshop Socioeconomic development of Lake C had: gender mainstream within RESILAC Warrantage: A promising start to farmer resilience in the Lake Chad Basin . Support the economic integration of youth through entrepreneurship Feedback Days : RESILAC is listening ! PRESS RELEA SE Socio-Economical forum in Cameroon FODEREN 1 restitution and advocacy workshop RESILAC in VIDEOS RESILAC in Niger - New RESILAC in Camero o n - New RESILAC in Niger ia - New RESILAC in Chad - New RESILAC in its global aspects - New VIDEOS Innovative agriculture to fight global warming In the Lake Province of Chad Innovative agriculture A region suffering from lack of crop irrigation The security crisis that has been raging in the Lake Chad region for the past 10 years has profoundly altered the distribution of the population and precipitated changes that were already underway in the Sahelian zone [1] . Thus, population movements from the island zone of the lake, which is prey to attacks by Non-State Armed Groups (NSAGs), to less humid and less fertile areas, have resulted in a high level of exploitation of natural resources by the host and displaced populations in search of means of subsistence. This also leads to unexpected developments, such as the climatic modification of wetlands, where anthropogenic pressure [2] has dropped considerably. These areas are also being taken over by armed groups: they are taxing access to natural resources. Victims of these disasters, the populations are the first to be affected and access to water remains a major concern, both for agroforestry production and for human consumption. In fact, in the area, waterborne diseases are among the leading causes of mortality in children under 5 years of age. Problems of access to water also lead to high food insecurity, due to low agricultural production (high dependence on rainfall) and low household incomes in the area, which are essentially derived from the sale of agricultural surpluses. Despite this, the RESILAC project has conducted several studies, tests and trainings on the potential for introducing innovative agricultural practices adapted to climate change in Chad, in the Nguélea 1 and 2, Bol and Ngarangou cantons of the Lac Province [3] . In this region, which is mainly inhabited by agricultural and agro-pastoral households, agricultural production activities are faced with constraints such as : Poor access to good quality agricultural inputs; Poor access to agricultural innovations; Lack of technical support to better control the effects of pests, weeds and diseases on production; The absence of regulations governing the roaming of animals in agricultural production areas; The continuous silting up of polders[4], due to excessive wind and the lack of biological protection of the polders. In order to better respond to the needs of the populations benefiting from the activities to improve their production, a study on innovative endogenous[5] and exogenous practices was conducted by RESILAC. The results of the study have allowed us to better understand the existing practices, as well as their limitations, and to propose appropriate solutions. It is in this sense that experimental sites, to test and disseminate innovations, as well as Farmer Field Schools[6], to reinforce knowledge and cultural practices, have been implemented. In the polder area: an efficient solar irrigation system Boreholes with solar pumps are intended to allow efficient irrigation of irrigated crops by exploiting free potential energy: solar energy! This type of borehole consists of special equipment allowing the production and distribution of water for the irrigation of market garden crops [7] . It is innovative because it provides a source of energy for the pumping equipment (this is solar energy produced using the panels), as well as several water distribution pipes that go directly to the irrigation plots. The advantages of this system are a low operating cost, ease of maintenance when communities are formed in it, a clean and autonomous source of energy, and saving irrigation water through the reduction of loss of water by infiltration, through the water distribution pipes. On this subject, Mahamat, a 49-year-old farmer who lives in the commune of N'Garangou, in Chad, participated in a process of learning new agricultural techniques, provided in the form of a Farmer Field School. “Before the RESILAC project, I was a Community Master. I was doing market gardening but in a traditional way without a lot of techniques. The RESILAC project then arrived in my region, and developed a market gardening site in Ngarangou. I decided to enroll in workshops at a Farmer Field School, during which we were taught new agricultural techniques. In the past, it was impossible for us to do market gardening in large areas. But since then, thanks to the installation of the solar irrigation system which spurts out water at all times, we have managed to do market gardening on more than 4 hectares! » [1] Brochure "Contrasting impacts of the security crisis on land situations in the Lake Chad region" October 2020 [2] Anthropogenic: is said of a landscape, a soil, a relief whose formation results essentially from the intervention of man. [3] Report of the study on the potential for introducing innovative agricultural practices adapted to climate change in the NGuéléa 1 and 2 cantons, Bol and NGarangou cantons in the Lake Chad province, April 2020 [4] The polder is a vast dyked and drained expanse, reclaimed from the sea, coastal marshes or lakes, located at a coast below the maximum level of the body of water [5] https://www.resilac.net/recherches : Review on the "Contrasting impacts of the security crisis on land situations in the Chad region" to download [6] This is a group of 20-25 people who meet once a week to cultivate a training plot throughout a growing season and learn together how to solve production problems], growers and producers of the region. [7] Technical sheet: Borehole with solar pumps for market gardening, in Chad, April 2020 Mental health at the heart of professional reintegration In the Far North of Cameroon Mental health at he heart of pro reintegrtion The Far North Region of Cameroon has been confronted for several years with attacks by armed groups which lead to population movements and contribute to amplifying the pre-existing problems of chronic malnutrition and food insecurity. Since September 2017, this situation has caused several thousand internal displacement in the country and caused inflation of 30 to 60% on certain foodstuffs [1] . The four municipalities in the RESILAC project intervention zone, Dargala, Koza, Mindif and Mora, concentrate 56% of the population of this region living below the poverty line [2] . The most affected are young people and women. The economic difficulties that the latter encounter in the region (precarious labor market, limited natural resources for production, insufficient income) frequently lead to a state of psychological distress. This is often coupled with trauma related to the resurgence of insecurity, intra-family conflicts and gender-based violence. Thus, young people have great difficulty in drawing from within themselves the resources necessary for their economic reintegration [3] . The RESILAC project deploys new strategies on a daily basis to enable young people and women in Cameroon to draw from themselves the resources necessary to reintegrate themselves into the job market on a long-term basis. Regain confidence in the future The psychological problems considerably affect the capacity and the will of the people affected to cooperate, to live together, to project themselves into the future in a confident and solid way. Post-traumatic stress disorder is considered "the main factor behind the persistence of mental disorders after conflict situations"[1]. Mental health programs are therefore necessary to enable individuals and populations to recover, to be more resilient and to embark on a project for the future with greater self-confidence. This is why RESILAC integrates psychosocial care into economic recovery activities, allowing young people who integrate the training-reintegration system to benefit from the Problem Management + (PM+) protocol. This is a protocol originally developed by the World Health Organization, which, through weekly individual sessions, of approximately 90 minutes, for five to seven weeks, supports individuals in the management of their psychological and subsistence problems, their family conflicts and traumas. Training of health workers from on-site medical centers also enables them to develop their skills in psychosocial care, in a region lacking mental health care. The individual results are very encouraging in the municipalities where this monitoring has been implemented. This is particularly the case for Maimouna, 29, mother of 2 children, resident of the village of Djamboutou (commune of Dargala). " I suffered from insomnia, lack of appetite, general fatigue and difficulty concentrating." Proven symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety were observed during his clinical evaluation. Maimouna was accompanied by the PM+ for 7 weeks, during which she learned “ several strategies for stress management and gradual resumption of activity” . In the middle of the course, she was able to identify an IGA selling food in a market. RESILAC assisted her in building her business plan and getting her business started. Since then, she says, “ I finally got back to sleep, and the anxiety of being alone all day long disappeared ”. Fatou, 20 years old, mother of 2 children and resident of the village of Gaboua (municipality of Koza), also testifies: “ I was working in a local NGO as a 'peer educator' but my income was neither sufficient nor stable to take care of my family. For several years, I had tried to integrate the public service, without success. I also separated from the father of my children, I didn't have a stable job, I had a real sense of failure. " Fatou found herself plunged into a state of intense psychological distress associated with psychosomatic pain. She then joined a community interest project (TICOM) of RESILAC and participated in the psychosocial care PM +. During the sessions, Fatou developed an action plan: register for an information group on public service competitions, get information from resource people, start a commercial activity, promote dialogue with the father of their children. Thanks to the savings resulting from the TICOM works and managed with her VSLA, she bought sheep whose resale will bring her an economic profit. The improvement in her condition also allowed her to renew social ties. “ Some physical pain is still present, but I have regained sleep and appetite, and I feel a real improvement in my general well-being ”. Save to stabilize Young people and women are also monitored and supervised, thanks to an efficient education-training-economic integration system, which allows them to choose a promising micro-project and to strengthen their technical and management capacity in order to invest in complete safety. their savings. Thus, during the months of June and July 2020, in the town of Mindif, the beneficiaries of a worksite were trained on new techniques for fattening and rearing small and large ruminants (oxen, sheep and goats), and simplified accounting themes - including the management of accounting tools (cash registers and inventory management), support for carrying out purchases in accordance with the standards of the Dziguilao market, the creation of purchasing commissions [1] , etc. Marthe, mother of two, recounts the creation of an AGR for the production of peanut oil in the village of Maoudine (Mindif): “We formed a group within our community, and we learned how to grow, spread, dry and crush fresh peanuts to turn them into oil and kibble. From now on, we sell these products and put the profits in the common fund of our VSLA [2] . At the moment we use pots and plates to press the oil, but our goal is to purchase specific pressing equipment. In the meantime, every Sunday, we organize meetings to see the progress of our contributions ”. In addition, the project increases women's awareness of the leadership that has led to the occupation of decision-making positions within VSLAs [3] . This is the case of mixed VSLAs in the town of Mindif, whose offices are, for the moment, 46% women. In any case, the psychosocial care carried out by the RESILAC project does not claim to definitively solve the beneficiaries' problems. On the other hand, it allows a psychological mobilization which makes individuals autonomous and puts them at the center of their own change by means of a reflection on the different ways of managing their emotional problems and daily life. Find this article on the websites of our partners: Action Against Hunger: https://www.actioncontrelafaim.org/a-la-une/la-sante-mentale-au-coeur-de-la-reinsertion-professionnelle/ [1] World Bank 2020 data [2] Initial baseline, June 2019 - Groupe URD / RESILAC and https://www.banquemondiale.org/fr/country/cameroon/overview [3] Capitalization report, PM + for the benefit of economic recovery, May 2020 [4] Inception report of the SMPS RESILAC study - Groupe URD - November 2020 [5] Training report of the TICOM2 worksite in Domayo (municipality of Mindif) - June 22 to July 10, 2020 [6] Association Villageoise d'Epargne et de Crédit [7] Village Savings and Credit Associations Promoting dialogue to restore the land Diffa's district, Niger Promoting dialogue to rstore th land “Before carrying out an activity, the team always asks us if it meets our needs and our way of life. RESILAC's community approach converges with our local specificities. ". This observation, drawn up by the president of a local CSO in the municipality of Diffa [1] , highlights the approach carried by the RESILAC project, which operates in a complex security and climatic context. For more than a decade, the Diffa region has suffered from a crisis with multiple causes. The structural weaknesses linked to a natural environment impacted by climate change, and the limited capacities of state services, lead to a lack of infrastructure and access to basic services. Added to this are the ongoing abuses and violence that armed groups bring to bear on the populations. This multifaceted and growing insecurity has several consequences: a drastic reduction in the use of fertile areas of Lake Chad, internal displacement of populations and the arrival of refugees from neighboring countries, demographic pressure on the scarce resources available in certain areas. already highly precarious and the exacerbation of community conflicts related to the sharing of natural resources [2] . In addition, in the region, States and their decentralized technical services intervene to a very limited extent in land management at the local level. The Nigerien land law contains provisions on land appropriation and conflict resolution in rural areas, but these are used very little, because the procedures are often restrictive and very expensive [3] . While land management remains globally in the hands of traditional chiefdoms, their powers are diminishing and the lack of dialogue sometimes freezes everyone's positions. Moreover, the effects of climate change are an additional source of concern and tension by reducing their availability due to silting up, frequent droughts and the decline in the fertility of soils used for agriculture and livestock [4] . Faced with this situation, the RESILAC project set up targeted programs to restore land and help communities to self-manage natural resources. These programs are innovative because they promote multi-stakeholder debates at the local level, and formalize the rules for access to natural resources through local agreements for developed sites. These partnership agreements are signed between community leaders and elected officials responsible for regional administrative entities, or decentralized technical services specifically involved in an agricultural activity, always respecting the laws in force in the country. RESILAC's programs also aim to produce new techniques to define the fate of abandoned lands: to establish diagnostics to optimize the use of these lands, while being creative in order to guarantee environmentally friendly exploitation. A new approach to dialogue In the Diffa region, RESILAC strengthens dialogue mechanisms between territorial entities (municipalities, cantons, chiefdoms) and provides them with data to enable them to make the link between the needs of the populations and the development issues of their localities [5] . Thus, RESILAC has supported the municipalities of Maine Soroa, Chétimari and Goudoumaria, in collaboration with the decentralized state technical services, to initiate the process of updating the municipal plan to draw an overall vision of the challenges to be met over the next five years. In these communes, the departmental authorities helped the project to create 22 community land commissions. These commissions are administrative entities whose mission is to lead development operations. In addition, the project has set up 7 consultation frameworks around high-intensity labor-intensive worksites (HIMO), which serve to improve mediation on recurring conflicts related to access to natural resources. This regularly takes the form of the signing of framework agreements to distribute the roles of all the players on the developed agricultural sites. All these devices make it possible to strengthen community engagement, and to solicit a joint effort to reinvest abandoned land. In addition, labor-based work sites provide work for young people, women and vulnerable populations who, through this, participate in the economic recovery of the community, can save money and meet the needs of their families. This stabilizes the populations in the region, promotes social cohesion and resilience. An inclusive program adapted to each village 95km from Diffa and 20km from the main town of Mainé Soroa, Adebour is a village which concentrates rain-fed agriculture, market gardening, livestock farming and petty trade [6] . The village has dune lands, for rain-fed agricultural production and extensive livestock farming in community grazing areas. It also has fertile valleys, suitable for market gardening and rainfed production. RESILAC teams carried out diagnostics there, with a view to identifying the natural resources that are subject to more demographic and climatic pressure [7] . Following these diagnoses, the groups of farmers mobilized to restore the land. These well-targeted works have resulted in particular in the construction of wire fences, permanent water points in the valleys, the fixing of dunes as well as the sowing with herbaceous plants and the planting of Prosopis plants (derived from Acacias) which slow down the advance of the desert. Soumaila Malam AWARI, member of the site management committee, explains: "This site is important for us, because it will not only save our valley from silting up, but also allow our animals to find food just outside the village". In addition, the project promotes equitable access to land on restored sites. Thus, on one of the village's community market gardening sites, among the 48 heads of households designated for land management, 12 are women. A real novelty, according to Gaptia Mai WANDARA, a young farmer and mother of three children: “I now benefit from a 200 m² plot, where I cultivate potatoes, tomatoes, moringa and lettuce. Previously, it was my husband, alone, who looked after the household by volunteering as labor and selling charcoal. Now, the consumption of these market garden products has improved the nutritional security of my family. And above all, as a woman, having access to land is a source of pride and a chance ” . The practice of innovative techniques adapted to climate challenges In the region, soils are becoming less fertile due to continued land degradation, linked to poor farming practices, erosion and silting up. To remedy this, RESILAC has set up “pilot activities” to test innovative practices. In Yambal (a village in the commune of N'Guigmi), in partnership with the University of Diffa, 20 leading producers, 50% of whom are women, participated in experimental studies. Ibrahim Hamidou OUMAROU, technical referent of the project, specifies: “ A total of seven techniques and practices were tested alongside university students, focusing on the growth parameters and yield of corn, the effects of plant spacing on growth, productivity and efficiency. of a moringa hedge, the effects of compost on the growth and yield of corn and millet, the effectiveness of neem juice against insect pests of cowpea and the effects of the presence of basil on insect pests of cabbage ”. When the results are conclusive, these new techniques will then be taught to the villagers, through Farmer Field Schools [8] . This is part of the process of transmitting / perpetuating innovative techniques on essential issues for the inhabitants: the consequences of the upwelling on land, the problem of the growing use of pesticides, and the future of abandoned land facing to drought. In addition to the practical training of rural producers, the staff of the local state technical services are also mobilized. Thus, a training course on Intelligent Agriculture facing the Climate (AIC) was organized in March 2020, and renewed in June in Zinder with the Regional Directorate of Agriculture and the agents of the RESILAC project, in collaboration with the Institute. International Research on Crops of Semi-Arid Tropical Zones (ICRISAT). While land governance has since improved, the region nevertheless remains the scene of unpredictable developments. The persistent fragility of the land, the movements of populations and the frequent takeovers of non-state armed groups, which in particular tax access to natural resources [9] , make it necessary to redouble our ingenuity to think, together, the conditions of fair and sustainable sharing of resources. Find this article on our partners' websites: AFD: https://www.afd.fr/fr/actualites/niger-dialogue-restauration-terres [1] Iterative evaluation report with mini-seminar (EIMS) N ° 3 conducted in Niger, December 2020 [2] Report, Pillar 1 Referent Visit - Diffa Region, October 2020 - the visits date from August 18 to 26, 2020 [3] INSUCO regional research study, Contrasting impacts of the security crisis on land tenure situations in the Lake Chad region, 2020 [4] PASAM & AFD report, Food security for rural Sahelian households in Niger, in the departments of Gouré and Maine Soroa. [5] Progress Report of August 31, 2019 - RESILAC Global Steering Committee [6] Mission report of the regional technical advisor - visit from August 13 to 25, 2020 - villages of Mamari Forage and Adebour [7] RESILAC interim execution report n ° 3 produced in Niger - December 2020 [8] Farmer field school: a group of 20 to 25 people meeting once a week to cultivate a training plot throughout a growing season and to learn together to solve production problems [9] INSUCO regional research study, Contrasting impacts of the security crisis on land tenure situations in the Lake Chad region, 2020 Taking acionfor mental health Taking action for mental health is a matter for everyone Dedicated to raising awareness and educating everyone about mental health issues, World Mental Health Day took place, as it has every year since 1992, on October 10 around the world. The theme of this year's event, which draws attention to an often neglected human dimension and aims to combat the stigmatization and discrimination of people with mental disorders, was "Making Mental Health Care for All a Reality". Mental health and Sahel countries Psychological care for people with mental disorders remains a little explored issue on the African continent where it is very weak or non-existent in some regions. According to the World Federation for Mental Health, between 75% and 95% of people suffering from mental illness in low-income countries have no access to mental health services. The countries of the Sahel, particularly those bordering the Lake Chad Basin, are experiencing an increase in mental health needs among their residents, exacerbated by the multiple security, socio-economic and climatic crises that have impacted the region over the last five years. While the need for care continues to increase, mental health is not yet a priority for most humanitarian or institutional actors. The RESILAC approach In order to contribute to the response to these needs, the RESILAC project "Inclusiv Economic and social Recovery of the Lake Chad" has integrated a mental health and psychosocial support component and psychosocial support component aimed at improving well-being and resilience and social cohesion of the populations. Implemented by an international consortium (Action Contre la Faim, CARE and Groupe URD) in partnership with the CCFD - Terre Solidaire network, Search For Common Ground and national organizations, the project works on economic development through different pillars in the four countries around the Lake Basin: Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad. Since 2019, through the establishment of psychosocial support groups, individual accompaniment and community-based education on the psychological symptoms of common mental health disorders, the mental health and psychosocial support component of the project is working to improve the subjective sense of well-being [1] of populations affected by the crises in the Lake Chad Basin. Between 2019 and 2021, RESILAC has treated 7,685 individuals in the region, trained 1,500 local actors in psychological first aid and 49 health workers in the integration of a psychosocial care protocol in primary health care structures. Lack of human and material resources Although the direct response to beneficiaries is important, the magnitude of the needs is far greater than the capacity of a single project to respond. Indeed, the lack of training for qualified personnel and the inadequacy of health centers do not allow us to cover all the needs. In the Lake Province of Chad, no psychosocial care center is available, and the ratio of health personnel per capita is edifying: one active psychiatrist for seventeen million inhabitants. In Niger, only two specialized psychiatric centers are efficient for the entire country, hundreds of kilometers from the Diffa region. In response to these observations, the RESILAC project, as part of a sustainable approach, has initiated the training of health workers in order to integrate psychosocial care within health structures. Similarly, advocacy with local authorities and the international community is a central axis for the sustainability of our intervention. [ i] Advocacy for psychosocial care for all! Allowing everyone to have access to psychosocial support is thus a parameter to be taken into account within health and development programs, which will have the major result of strengthening the resilience of populations. However, this will only be possible if the importance of treating mental disorders is highlighted, as well as the impact of these disorders in their social and economic dimensions. The RESILAC project has already begun to act to make this a reality by actively participating in this day through radio broadcasts, press releases and meetings with health authorities in all project countries, in order to raise awareness and initiate advocacy on the issues of mental health care. Group psychological care World Mental Health Day radio show [1] Subjective well-being: the perception that each idividual has of his/her own state of well-being RESILAC: Youth employment and local development at the heart of a multi-country workshop The multi-country workshop on "youth employment and local development" which brought together experts in the field and stakeholders of the RESILAC project from Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad was held from November 9 to 12 via videoconference. At the initiative of one of the consortium members, CARE Cameroon, the workshop brought together 44 participants including representatives of the communes concerned by the project, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), beneficiaries as well as local and national experts. In the Lake Chad Basin, a significant proportion of young people have no access to employment and training. Two main problems stand in their way. The first is the lack of material and financial means which does not allow them to start a professional activity. The second is the lack of available training courses, which are too few in number and/or unsuited to the needs of the market and the professional prospects of the applicants. In an economically and socially unstable region, the lack of structures and investment in vocational training combined with a low rate of employability of young people (50 to 60% of young graduates are unemployed[1] ) would thus encourage some of them to leave their initial areas of residence or to join the ranks of non-state armed groups (GANE) in order to be able to meet their primary needs and those of their families, thus maintaining the vicious circle of violence and vulnerability in spite of themselves. The RESILAC (Redressement Economique et Social Inclusif du Lac Tchad) project contributes to the economic recovery and the strengthening of the resilience and social cohesion of the territories of the Lake Chad Basin most impacted by the security crisis and climate change. Through its Pillar 3 "capacity building and institutional support", the project aims to strengthen the capacities and prerogatives of public authorities, local authorities and CSOs to help them play a central role in the implementation of development projects. It is therefore with the objective of increasing the involvement of local actors in the professional and socio-economic integration of young people through community-oriented governance that the multi-country workshop was designed. The participants, who met for four days in the form of working groups, addressed the cross-cutting themes of decentralisation, governance and cross-border cooperation in order to achieve several objectives: Identify the relevant mechanisms and tools for the socio-economic integration of young people made available to local elected officials within the framework of decentralisation; Identify and clarify the roles and responsibilities of the main state and non-state actors involved in promoting youth employment; Identify the potentialities and opportunities for sustainable integration of young people around Lake Chad; Develop and produce partial logical frameworks to support the improvement of youth employment and professional integration by and between countries; Develop advocacy plans for the mobilization of resources to strengthen the employment and professional integration strategies of the youth of Lake Chad. Building on previous and ongoing processes in the Lake Chad Basin region, such as the African Union Regional Strategy for Stabilization, Recovery and Resilience of the Lake Chad Basin Areas Affected by the GANE Crisis and the Regional Stabilization Strategy developed by the Governors' Forum, the resolutions of this workshop will allow for the development of a proposal for a "regional youth employment programme". [1] Source : https://webapps.ifad.org/members/eb/131R/docs/french/EB-2020-131-R-R-16.pdf Multi-country worshop PressRelease FODEREN Press release - Forum on socio-economic development in the Far North region of Cameroon - May 25-27, 2021 On the occasion of the Forum, the actors at the regional level met in a framework of reflection and consultation on the overall strategy of socio-economic development of the Region to : Discuss more broadly the public policies implemented in the Far North region for the socio-economic development of the region; Highlight the links between BIP achievements (often with a social input) and local economic development; Relay the recommendations from the BIP survey, debate them and formulate new ones (in the form of advocacy for the communes) to local elected officials so that they can bring the voice of the communities to members of parliament and to national and international decision-making bodies. This forum constitutes an act of advocacy in favor of development that meets the real needs of the population of the Far North. FODEREN 1 restitution and advocacy workshop: presentation of the "Socio-Economic Development Strategy Paper for the Far North Region FODEREN Restitution What is FODEREN 1? Following an internal study on the Public Investment Budget (PIB) of the Far North Region of Cameroon, which highlighted the low rate of involvement of communities in the implementation of projects from which they are direct beneficiaries, and at the initiative of the Diocesan Development Committee (DDC), partner of the project alongside Action Contre la Faim and CARE Cameroon,the RESILAC (Redressement Economique et Social du Lac Tchad) project organized the Forum on the Socioeconomic Development of the Far North Region of Cameroon (FODEREN) in May 2021. The objective of this meeting, which was part of a strategic approach, was to bring together beneficiaries, actors and experts in the field and in the region with a view to drawing up a new development strategy for the Far North of Cameroon. For six days, three hundred and twenty-five participants from the six departments of the region met to discuss more broadly the public policies implemented in the Far North of Cameroon for the socio-economic development of the region as well as to highlight the links between the implementation of the Public Investment Budget (PIB) and local economic development. The objective is to develop a strategy to strengthen the resilience of the population and consolidate decentralization and development at the local level. Elaboration of the Socio-Economic Development Strategy Paper for the Far North Region The FODEREN restitution and advocacy workshop, preceded by a two-day presentation of the roadmap of the new local development plan to the ministers and authorities concerned, was held on 21 and 22 October in Yaoundé, Cameroon. One hundred and forty people participated in the workshop whose objectives were to: Present FODEREN to donors, embassies and technical and financial partners; Decline the socio-economic development strategy of the Far North region of Cameroon; Present the expectations of the Far North Regional Council to technical and financial partners. The Socio-Economic Development Strategy Paper for the Far North Region of Cameroon, drawn up following the FODEREN1 , aims to consolidate and sustain RESILAC's actions by supporting the region's economic growth and improving the living conditions of the population through four main areas of intervention: Human capital development to facilitate access to health, education, water and basic social services; Economic development through the development of local product processing industries and the modernization of the agricultural sector; Modernization of infrastructure to facilitate development; Consolidation of good governance and environmental preservation practices in order to improve the resilience of communities in the face of climatic challenges that threaten food security in the Far North of Cameroon. This strategy will be validated by the regional councillors of the Far North of Cameroon during the December 2021 session. In order to enrich the strategy document, the Chairman of the Regional Council and his team have embarked on a tour, which will take place from 15 to 25 November 2021, with the active and sectoral forces of the six departments in order to gather their observations. The final adoption of the Socio-Economic Development Strategy Paper of the Far North Region will take place during the December 2021 session. What are the issues? For RESILAC, the workshop was also an opportunity to highlight the success of the project's inclusive methodological approach based on local actors (beneficiaries), active forces (community leaders, CSOs, local elected officials), public authorities and religious authorities, and to contribute to the implementation of a development plan defined for the Far North region of Cameroon, It also contributed to the establishment of a development plan for the Far North region of Cameroon, a pioneer among the ten regions of Cameroon, as well as to perfect the process of community diagnosis with the certainty that the real needs of the beneficiary communities of the various projects will henceforth be taken into account in the BIPs and other development projects concerning them. The implementation of this strategy will particularly enable the real needs of the communities of the Far North of Cameroon to be better taken into account in the development projects of the region by involving them in the elaboration of budgets aiming at the development of communal projects through their representatives and regional advisors. Through the new "Socio-Economic Development Strategy for the Far North Region", RESILAC in Cameroon is no longer only responding to four communes in the Far North of Cameroon, but to the entire region. Socio-economic development of Lake Chad: gender mainstreaming within RESILAC In 2020 in Chad, 80% of reported cases of GBV concerned assaults suffered by women. [2] If it is necessary and even sometimes vital to take care of survivors of GBV, it is also essential to involve all community actors in the fight against this violence. This is why in Niger, 16 village gender committees whose role is to ensure the protection of women and children and to identify cases of gender-based violence have been set up. Composed of a village chief, a religious leader and three women elected by the community, the committees work with the latter to improve the consideration and involvement of women within them. Through the organization of awareness-raising sessions organized in collaboration with the regional directorate for the advancement of women and child protection and widely supported by religious and local leaders, men and women are encouraged to allow everyone to speak out during community consultations within common spaces for dialogue and to respect everyone's rights. . Raising public awareness is certainly the first step in order to encourage behavioral change, but it is not enough to induce social change. Thus, with the aim of punishing the perpetrators of violence and dissuading any further action, the committees identify cases of GBV in the community in order to notify the competent municipal, departmental and regional services. “Since the establishment of village gender committees, women are more recognized in the communities. For example, one of the village chiefs granted a group of women supported by the project two hectares with a deed of donation so that they could grow and sell onions”. In Chad, women victims can confide in women paralegals in listening centers and find the most appropriate solutions to the physical and moral abuse they suffer. All from the communities in which they operate, the women paralegals trained by the project in basic notions of law, listen to and advise women, bring them goodwill and help to find a solution with the community (religious leaders and village chiefs ) or justice depending on the seriousness of the facts reported. While GBV is often associated with physical violence, village committees and listening centers thus make it possible to identify verbal violence in the same way as physical violence. However, although most GBV occurs within the home or community, it is also in the media that verbal abuse tends to be prevalent. Indeed, a cultural anchoring force, stereotypes, demeaning and misogynistic remarks are trivialized in everyday life and contribute to the perpetuation of gender-related inequalities. In Chad as in Niger, the radio, television and written media, highly appreciated by the populations, have a power of influence which gives them the ability to induce a change in social norms. This is why RESILAC, through the FCDO fund, trained 35 journalists in the gender approach, inclusive writing and the positive inclusion of women in current affairs and social issues. This is with the aim of bringing better visibility to women in current affairs and encouraging readers and listeners to reconsider their place in their household and society. In order to overcome this discrimination, which is also a source of inter-community conflicts, agreements for the Management of Natural Resources (NRM) are proposed to the communities. These conventions, established in consultation with local authorities and communities on the basis of customary and state laws, provide specific responses accepted by all to conflicts in terms of distribution and access to natural resources. While at the beginning of the component on “empowerment of women and young people”, 21% of women had access to productive resources, they are now 34% to exploit these lands hitherto reserved for men. Whether in terms of social cohesion, access to land, socio-economic reintegration or even psychosocial follow-up, women and young people, although often relayed in the background, are a living and essential force for economic recovery. and social aspects of the Lake Chad Basin. Beneficiaries and staff working on the project are a clear example of this, such as Prisca, a community animator in Cameroon who is committed to the empowerment and resilience of women. In her testimony available HERE, she shares the resilience of these women at the heart of an economic, climatic and societal environment hostile to their autonomy. [1] This component was created thanks to additional funding from FCDO covering Chad and Niger over a period of 12 months. [2] Source: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/TCD_UNHCR_Dashboard%20VBG_2020.pdf [3] Regional study on the contrasting impacts of the security crisis on land situations in the Lake Chad region – INSUCO July 2020 Mother and child space on a HIMO construction site in Cameroon Raising community awareness, allowing women to express themselves and setting up systems for reporting complaints and recording cases of violence is a first step towards the empowerment and resilience of women in the Lake Chad Basin. Giving them access to the means of production is one more step in their recognition and independence. In rural areas, many women work in the fields, but are rarely tenants and even fewer owners. According to a study carried out [3] as part of the project on access to land, women have more difficulty accessing agricultural plots than men and have smaller areas than men: 50% of women's plots have an area of one hectare or less. As most women of working age are mothers, childcare is essential to enable them to work. However, as this childcare is intrinsically their responsibility and recourse to nanny services being financially feasible, an additional obstacle is imposed on their financial autonomy. In order to overcome this obstacle, "mother and child" spaces have been set up on the High Labor Intensity (HIMO) sites set up by RESILAC in Cameroon. Within these spaces, mothers can have their children looked after free of charge by nannies in a secure place during their working time on these community asset rehabilitation sites. Mothers can free themselves at any time to breastfeed or spend some time with their children. gender The weight of social, cultural and religious norms weighs heavily on the shoulders of women in the Sahel. In the Lake Chad Basin, landlocked between Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad, the multiple crises they face reinforce their vulnerability and their dependence in the patriarchal context in which they evolve. In particular, through the component dedicated to the "empowerment of women and young people" [1] , RESILAC strengthens the empowerment, socio-economic integration and protection of women within the communities of the Lake Chad basin aimed at protection and financial independence of these women, pillars of the Region's development. Market gardeners in a farmer school field in Chad Beneficiaries of RESILAC in Niger Warrantage strengthens farmers'resilience in the lake Chad basin In Chad, 200 household representatives, 67% of whom are women, benefit from this activity. Warrantage Plentiful harvests but little financial return The lake areas of Lake Chad are suitable for growing cereals and pulses such as millet, maize, rice and cowpeas[2] . The crops are sown before the rainy season, which lasts from June to September, and are harvested from October to January. During the harvest period, market stalls are well stocked and prices of products remain accessible to the population; on average, one should expect to pay XAF 20,000 (€30) for a 100kg bag of millet. While these harvests allow farmers to meet part of their family's food needs, the surplus that cannot be stored is sold to the highest bidder on the market. As supply exceeds demand during the peak harvest period, selling prices fall. Farmers' incomes are then insufficient to ensure their economic development. Corn harvest, farmer field school, Chad This effect keeps households in a vulnerable situation. Having sold their surplus a few months earlier, mainly due to a lack of storage facilities and a rapid need for money to meet their non-food needs, they will have to buy back these same commodities at high prices during the lean season in order to survive[3] ; a 100 kg bag of millet will now cost around XAF 40,000 (€60). Most households in the Sahelian strip, already subject to food insecurity, are then unable to cover their food needs (in quantity and quality) during the lean season and endanger the health of the most vulnerable who are likely to fall into malnutrition. Lack of storage space and need for money: the main causes of speculation There are two main reasons for farmers to sell their crops quickly: Firstly, household storage space is very often insufficient and inappropriate. While some families have living quarters with enough space to store produce, this is rarely the case. The low incomes of farmers and the high cost of rent and building materials do not allow most families to find accommodation and additional storage space in optimal conditions. Thus, once food needs have been met, and stocks for the next few months have been built up, these households urgently need money to meet secondary needs that are exacerbated in the rainy season (destruction of housing, diseases such as malaria, isolation due to flooding, etc.). In fact, the rapid sale of crops encourages speculation and leads to household insecurity. Crops sold off at the height of the harvest do not allow farmers to obtain a decent wage for the work done and the quantity of produce harvested, especially as these same crops will be resold a few months later during the lean season at up to twice their initial price. Once the stock has been sold, household food reserves are empty when the lean season arrives, when the price of foodstuffs, now scarce on the markets, rises considerably. " I deposited 4 bags of maize in the warrantage shop to get a credit of 80,000 CFA francs. This allowed me to open a shop selling condiments for 7 months. Today, I have a turnover of 150,000 CFA francs. That is 70,000FCFA in profit. Thanks to this fund, I contribute in part to the food needs and access to health care of my household " . ACHTA MAHAMAT, farmeur near bol and warrantage beneficiary, maried with 5 children Achta Mahamat, warrantage beneficiary in her store, Chad Cereal bank, Chad By mutual agreement, the members determine the pledging period, which averages six months (the time between the harvest and the beginning of the lean season), as well as the prices of the foodstuffs, which are set according to the market prices in the beneficiary area through price collection by the members of the management committees and the MFI agents The foodstuffs are then stored in warehouses that meet the necessary conservation conditions to protect the products from meteorological factors (high temperatures, rain, dust) and pests, thus reducing losses due to poor conservation conditions. A double lock system with (different) keys held by each party ensures the security of the stores for both parties (groups and MFIs). Once the credit is granted, the producers who are members of the groups (borrowers) now have the capacity to set up an income-generating activity that provides them with an income throughout the year. Once the loan is repaid (with an interest rate of 2%), the agricultural products pledged as collateral, which have increased in value as the lean season approaches, can be recovered by their owners, who are free to dispose of them as they wish according to their household needs. However, in the event that beneficiaries are unable to collect, through their income-generating activities, the amount necessary to repay their credit, the pledged stocks will be sold by the management committee and the proceeds from the sale will be used to repay the credit; the surplus will be shared among the beneficiaries in proportion to the pledged stock. grain stock, Chad [1] Institute of Research for Development, JL. GM. The development of Lake Chad, current situation and possible futures [2] Period covering the months of June to September during which household food stocks are at their lowest. [3]Period covering the months of June to September during which household food stocks are at their lowest. Support the economic integration of youth through entrepreneurship Support the economc integrtion of youth through entreprenership Video Niger The Lake Chad Basin has been facing for several decades the effects of climate change which affects the productive resources of farmers and herders (crop lands, water points, grazing areas); this has adverse consequences on the food security of the populations as well as on their income from production. As a result, the Lake Chad Basin, which used to be an area of attraction for rural youth seeking employment in agricultural activities, is being deserted by young people in search of better opportunities. This situation has been exacerbated for more than a decade by a conflict between non-state armed groups and the armed forces of the four countries that share the Lake Chad Basin. This conflict is dealing a severe blow to the livelihoods of the population through the theft of livestock, the denial of access to fishing areas, and the abuse of civilians, which is forcing them to move away from their original areas of residence and exacerbating their vulnerability. While emergency responses (food distribution, relocation, etc.), which remain necessary, can limit the devastating effects of this multifactorial crisis, it is through the development of activities with long-term effects that the populations will have the keys to their own change and resilience. In order to promote youth entrepreneurship in promising sectors in their areas, the RESILAC project has developed an "education-training-integration" economic integration pathway, adapted to the needs of young people so that they can become sustainably integrated into the promising economic sectors of their choice. This economic integration pathway places young people at the center of decision-making by supporting them in the development of micro-projects, value chain support and networking with private sector economic actors. For five years, the RESILAC project has been involved in this process in order to support the resilience and autonomy of populations, particularly youth, around the Lake Chad Basin: Diffa Region in Niger, Borno State in Nigeria, Lake Province in Chad, and the Far North region of Cameroon. An economic integration process adapted to the needs of the markets and the capacities of the young beneficiaries The economic integration process developed by RESILAC integrates a set of complementary and essential steps for the success of a microenterprise, in a participatory and inclusive approach where the beneficiary is an active actor able to make decisions and build his or her project supported by technical experts. In order to ensure the active participation and involvement of young people in the insertion activities, the project has selected women and men aged between 18 and 40 years old, who are volunteers in the project's intervention zone and who are able to carry out Hih Level Intensity activities (HLI) aimed at revitalizing the assets of their community. Participation in High Level Intensity activities (HLI) is the first step towards the integration of young people who, in return for their involvement in HLI work sites, receive a remuneration, 20% of which is set aside as savings for future investments and the establishment of income-generating activities. Young people able to take their destiny into their own hands in a business-friendly environment If the lack of vocational training is a major obstacle to the development of young people in the Lake Chad Basin, the lack of spaces dedicated to the sale of their products and to exchanges between economic actors limits their capacity to effectively develop their activity. In order to stimulate economic transactions, the young entrepreneurs supported in agro-sylvo-pastoral activities are invited to participate in exhibition fairs organized by the communes or by RESILAC. These fairs allow value chain* entrepreneurs to meet their peers, buyers and resellers; the objective being to create links between actors of the same value chain. In Niger, for example, 358 young people trained and equipped to fatten sheep were able to sell their sheep at a fair organized for the Tabaski holiday. As part of the process of bringing value chain actors into contact with private actors, meetings called "business cocktails" are also organized in order to foster partnerships that meet specific needs related to the development of value chains. Around a fruit juice, a coffee or a tea, the actors of the same value chain can exchange and establish commercial links in order to make their businesses grow. In Niger, for example, 358 young people trained and equipped to fatten sheep were able to sell their sheep at a fair organized on the occasion of the Tabaski holiday *The project's value chain support is characterized by capacity building and provision of equipment to groups and individuals at different levels of product manufacturing. 4 000 people were supported in their production/processing activities More than 11 800 people received vocational training or skills enhancement 20 value chains were supported More than 1 500 professional projects have been monitored and/or advised The objective of this process is to improve the income of young people in order to meet their food and non-food needs, to build up savings, but also to provide them with the necessary advisory support to face the socio-economic development of their communities with more serenity through the establishment of microenterprises. HLI work beneficiary in his store built with his savings , Cameroun Beneficiary fattening, , Niger As part of the process of bringing value chain actors into contact with private actors, meetings called "business cocktails" are also organized in order to foster partnerships that meet specific needs related to the development of value chains. Around a fruit juice, a coffee or a tea, the actors of the same value chain can exchange and establish commercial links in order to make their businesses grow. Sesame processing by a group of women, Niger "Feedback Days" : RESILAC is listening! « Today, 88% of the population in Chad believe that their opinions are not taken into account in humanitarian decisions. Moreover, 71% consider that NGOs and international partners are not listening to them.» [1] Given the limitations of "classic" methods and mechanisms for placing populations at the heart of the intervention, the RESILAC project has developed an agile evaluation process to provide an adapted and appropriate response: the Feedback Day. Since its launch in 2020, this method has allowed an average of 200 people (stakeholders) to contribute to improving the project and thus introduce more than 50 adjustments to the implementation. A process of listening to the people The low level of influence of communities in interventions that affect them is one of the main obstacles to the relevance and quality of solidarity actions in the region. This is because project managers have little feedback from beneficiaries and stakeholders, and do not have the time or means to draw operational lessons to improve implementation during the project. The RESILAC project therefore places these communities "at the heart of the action" and the decisions that concern them. Through the Feedback Day, they can express their experiences and opinions on the intervention, prioritize their needs and propose solutions. « Since the beginning of the project, we have been asked to do so. And today, with the Feedback Day, we see that effective measures are taken to listen to us » , testifies a community leader. The objective of the Feedback Days is to provide a framework for exchange and participation for the people the project supports, based on their perception of the intervention in progress. In this way, RESILAC evaluates the quality of its intervention, learns in real time, and improves its practices during the project. A mechanism appreciated by Issakou Koundy, the National Coordinator of the project in Chad: "Now I feel more comfortable and confident during field visits, because not only do we meet the communities, but we also report back to them on what is being done. Within the team, the M&E Manager "is no longer seen as a 'policeman' but as a 'mediator' to whom teams can turn." The "Feedback Day" initiative is thus conducted every three months by internal M&E managers in the field. Six basic questions[2] inspired by the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS)[3] are proposed as a guideline for the exchanges: What do you like most about RESILAC? In your opinion, have we provided what you were entitled to? Do you receive enough information about RESILAC? Have you encountered a difficulty/problem with any of our interventions? What could we do to improve the quality of our interventions? What has changed in you that you have noticed with the support of the RESILAC project? These questions can be adapted according to the context. As one of the project managers explains, "Every time I go to the field, I update the interview guide. These are open-ended questions and most are adapted based on the initial responses. This broadens the spectrum of possible questions depending on the interviewee." Encouraging results In all of the project's countries of intervention, most of the feedback has focused on recurring issues related to international solidarity actions. This agile four-step process is part of a continuous learning process that complements the traditional mechanisms for managing community feedback, complaints and evaluation. Feedback Day it is : Optimization of resources . The Feedback Day requires few resources (time, budget, human) while ensuring the representation of stakeholders. In real time . The agile and iterative nature of the survey allows the planning to be adjusted to the program's issues. Taking feedback into account . The open, two-way dialogue reinforces the building of trust between the project teams and the communities. Collective learning and emulation . The survey process encourages the "desacralization" of errors and promotes a collective learning and continuous improvement posture. For example, communication between the project team and stakeholders has improved through regular exchanges on programming in Cameroon, or the organization of awareness-raising missions on the project's objectives in Nigeria. Adjustments to sustainability include the establishment of village committees to ensure the maintenance of the land under development in Niger. In Chad, the definition of inclusive criteria has made it possible to ensure better representation of the various communities. The Feedback Day is welcomed not only by the project stakeholders, but also by the teams, who discover a "new" way of working together with the beneficiary populations to achieve collective results. [1] Enquête sur la redevabilité humanitaire au Tchad (Ground Truth Solution, Juin 2019). [2] Fiche capitalisation : Pilier 4 : Gestion des connaissances et Apprentissage Feedback Day, 22 Juillet 2020 [3] Norme Fondamentale Humanitaire : https://corehumanitarianstandard.org/files/files/CHS_French.pdf Les feedback Days Watch the french version of the video RESILAC in Niger RESILAC in videos Since 2018, RESILAC's project has been implementing activities to support human capital and social cohesion building, economic recovery and resilience, and institutional capacity building with the populations and thirteen territories in Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad. The Lake Chad Basin region is facing major social, environmental and political challenges and a security crisis that has been raging for more than 10 years, jeopardizing the economic and social development of this historically dynamic region: silvo-agro-pastoral production weakened by the crisis and climate change, very limited access to basic services, insecurity exacerbating the area's structural fragilities, and community balances disrupted by the crisis. The RESILAC project has been designed to contribute to an agile and sustainable response to this multiple crisis; the action is organized around four interconnected pillars of intervention and implemented by more than 20 partners from civil society, in order to reach all social strata of the population. Over the five years of the project's implementation, it has reached more than 159,000 people, 48% of whom are women and 74% of whom are young people, in 13 territories and 254 villages through a so-called territorial approach. Through a two-year start-up phase whose objective was to test and pilot the relevance of the activities and innovative approaches according to the needs of the people supported, the activities were adapted to the different contexts during the subsequent three-year deployment period. On the occasion of the project's closure, RESILAC proposes 5 videos to discover the project and understand its intervention logic in Niger, Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria and at the regional level. In this first video, discover RESILAC's intervention in Niger, which has helped more than 40,000 people in 22 villages through activities such as concerted natural resource management, psychosocial support for populations, adaptation of crops to climate change, and collaboration with decentralized services in order to make the project's actions sustainable. English version is available below the French one. Watch the english version of the video In this video, discover RESILAC's intervention in Cameroon, which has helped more than 33,000* people in 124 villages through activities promoting social cohesion, mental health support, psychosocial support for populations, socio-economic integration (rapid community employment, support for the establishment of economic activities, strengthening of Village Savings and Loan Associations) and institutional capacity building. English version is available below the French one. *Data stabilized at the end of September 2022 VideoCAMEROUN RESILAC in Cameroon Watch the French version of the video Watch the English version of the video RESILAC in Nigeria Video NIGERIA In this video, discover RESILAC's intervention in the North-East (Borno) of Nigeria where more than 52,000 people have been reached by the project. The instability of the security context and the displacement of populations in this area of Nigeria require a permanent adaptation of the action. In order to respond to the needs of the populations and territories, RESILAC in Nigeria has implemented numerous social cohesion and conflict prevention activities, developed market gardening and fish farming activities adapted to the urban and peri-urban context, strengthened Village Savings and Loan Associations, supported the elaboration of a development plan for the locality of Jere. The English version of the video is available below the French one . *Data stabilized at the end of September 2022 Watch the French version of the video Watch the english version of the video RESILAC in Chad TCHAD In this video, discover RESILAC's intervention in Chad, which has enabled us to support more than 30,700 people in 5 cantons, notably through the rehabilitation of community assets giving access to cultivable land, and psychological and psychosocial support for victims of trauma and support for groups, notably women's groups, notably through access to savings and credit to encourage the development of income-generating activities. The English version of the video is available below the French one. Watch the French version of the video Watch the English version of the video RESILAC in its regional aspects In this video, discover the regional approach of the RESILAC project in all four countries around the Lake Chad Basin. You will get an overview of the context in which it operates, its programmatic and operational strategy to enable an agile intervention that meets the needs of the populations. The English version of the video is available below the French one. Regionale Watch the French version of the video Watch the English version of the video

Prisca, Community Animator SOCIAL COHESION Prisca is a community animator for the "social cohesion" component of the RESILAC project. Through the project's partner in Cameroon, Diocesan Development Committee (contracted by CCFD), she is involved with women and young people in 8 cantons in the commune of Mora, in the far north region of Cameroon. She tells us about her investment, the role she plays with the people and the changes she has seen in the communities she supports. Prisca « I am proud because today I serve as an example for young girl in the villages » RESILAC " I am a community facilitator in the "Social Cohesion" component of the RESILAC project. I support women and young people in the structuring and development of associations whose aim is to strengthen social cohesion. I work in 24 villages with 33 associations, 18 of which is exclusively for women. On a daily basis, I set up training courses to teach members how to structure their association, I monitor these associations, I organise inter-community dialogues to encourage the different communities to understand each other better and live together, and I also help the associations to make their voices heard by the authorities as an intermediary. For example, with the women of a village, we have created a platform association called the "Association of Women United for the Development of Outogo*". This is a traditional dance association that brings together the other associations in the village by informing them, proposing community activities and carrying out actions that benefit the whole community. Even people who do not belong to a member association can join in the activities. The local authorities are also always present at our activities. This platform association is a real symbol of unity that carries out activities with everyone regardless of their ethnicity or religion. But my role does not end there. Most of the people I meet suffer a lot in their daily lives, so I help them and listen to them. I was born and raised in a village a few kilometres from Mora, so I know the problems that people face. Since I was very young, I wanted to contribute to the development of the region in which I grew up, especially for women. Here, very few girls can go to school, less than 15 girls in my village have been able to reach the bachelor's degree for example. As a child, I saw my aunts working very hard physically without being independent. I always told myself that I didn't want to be like them. I wanted to be independent and do a job I liked, so I studied social anthropology to work with the communities. I was lucky to be supported and encouraged by my parents. My mother worked for more than twenty years as a nurse so it was inconceivable to her that I would stay at home and be a housewife. I like the fact that I am involved in the development of the villages in my area. I like my job and I like to see the changes I bring to the communities, especially for the independence of women. I bring dynamism to the associations and women I support; I help them to realise that they have a lot of potential and to have confidence in themselves. In the beginning, women did not know that they could do things on their own without the help of a man, and men did not trust them either. Even within their own association, a man was appointed to make the choices for them. Over time, I have seen several changes in women's attitudes. By learning how to manage their associations, they have discovered that they can implement impactful projects. They have much more confidence, they actively participate in community dialogues, they take decisions for their associations, they take initiatives and bring big changes in their communities. For example, in one of the villages covered by the project, the men did not want to dig a well when there was none. The women had to walk miles to fetch water from the mountain. So they dug the well themselves, which is called "the women's well". Today, it is the husbands themselves who participate in the activities and come to me to get their wives involved in the associations. They see that they are doing good things for the community, that they are making things happen and that people are proud of them! I'm proud of that because I broke down the prejudices that men had about women. But it wasn't always easy. The first three months were difficult as a woman and as a young person, I am 26 years old. It is an environment where women are not really recognised in society. They can't often speak in front of men, go to school or work. Once, during a community workshop I was facilitating, one of the community leaders who participated said, referring to me, 'what can this little girl tell us? He didn't think I could teach him anything. But I imposed myself, I spoke, I made my introductions and he realised that I had taught him things and that what I was saying made sense; they were even impressed and came to talk to me at the end of the session. I grew up in the local area so I know how to adapt to people and situations. I think that helps me to be accepted and I have a lot of humour too, which breaks the ice and makes it easier to connect with people. I really had to assert myself and adapt to contexts to show that as a woman I was just as capable as a man of speaking in public and making things happen." What does 8 March mean to you? " It is not just a day to dress up, go out and party. It is a day for women to get involved, to think, to make decisions in the community to make a positive difference." *The name of the village has been changed RESILAC RESILAC

Conference international Mental health in the Lake Chad basin: challenges and synergies between local actors, the health system and the international community Wednesday, June 29 8h00-12h (UTC +1) N'Djamena - hotel La Residence Program 8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.: Arrival of participants 8:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.: Presentation of the study 10:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.: RESILAC activities and lessons learned 11.45 a.m. - 12 p.m.: Closing The armed conflicts raging in the Lake Chad basin destroy individual resistance and the well-being of populations, impacting their socio-economic development. Faced with these situations, families are forced to leave their living and production spaces, leaving behind their vital means of economic subsistence, to go to places where security remains relative. Psychiatry detects signs of mental disorders, psychoses, depression or even traumatic neuroses in these psychologically impacted people. In this context, the social function of therapists (traditional healers, psychologists, etc.) is more than ever valued by the place given to speech and the relief of suffering. However, psychiatric and psychosocial services are still very inaccessible in this region where psychiatry often rhymes with madness. The conference "Mental Health in the Lake Chad Basin: challenges and synergies between local actors, the health system and the international community", offers a framework for discussion around the response in mental health and psychosocial support of the RESILAC project, as well as findings the “psychosocial care in the Lake Chad basin” study carried out by Groupe URD, focusing on the availability of care and the endogenous mechanisms of psychosocial care in this region. Panelists Florence CHATOT - Study coordinator, public health research officer, research, evaluation and training officer, Groupe URD Pamela LONDONO - Regional referent Mental Health and psychosocial support, expert in SMPS project management in sub-Saharan Africa, RESILAC Henri MAHAMAT MBARKOUTOU - Researcher on the Cameroon/Chad aspects of the study, Teacher-researcher, doctor in political and strategic history, expert in conflict analysis in the Lake Chad basin Ibrahim YAMIEN - Researcher on the Niger section of the study, expert in community mental health, former research and supervision officer at the National Mental Health Program in Niger. Registration here (mail)

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