Photo Credit: Refugees International/ Michelle Brown
03/14/2005

In 2003, the conflict in Darfur, which shares a long border with Chad, brought a human rights and humanitarian crisis to the entire region. Most of the displaced are living in huge camps in Sudan, but some 200,000 are living as refugees in Chad.

Women living in refugee camps in Chad face many difficulties. The absence of men in the refugee camps is striking—many men were either killed in Darfur or are in Sudan fighting or working. Women are often living on their own in the camps and providing for their families. Women also perform a majority of the work, such as firewood and water collection and food preparation.

Refugees International is working to increase awareness on the part of NGOs about the specific threats to women.