by Isabelle Blanc

05 April 2009

N’Djamena, Chad: What do UNV volunteers do on a Sunday afternoon? Well, they actually volunteer… and so interact with local communities. Each of us is no longer just a transport or CITS technician, an engineer or a claim assistant but also a volunteer with high motivation and commitment.

I joined the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) as a UNV volunteer Claims Assistant in February 2009. This was my first 'out of hours' volunteer experience in Chad since the time. I am sincerely touched by the passion and enthusiasm of UNV volunteers, colleagues from MINURCAT and the Italian Consul who were actively engaged in helping Chadian children amidst intense summer heat (50° Celsius) and dust.
 
On 5 April, a group of UNV volunteers assisted the Italian Consul Ermanna Favaretto in distributing donations given by a small organization based in Italy. A doll travelled with the boxes in order to symbolise the link between Italy and Chad.

Ms. Favaretto has been living in Chad for 24 years, and her two children was born here. She moved from the Red Cross to the UN passing through NGOs, but finally settled at the Italian Consulate 10 years ago. She is very committed and looks for new challenges every day.

We were introduced to her thanks to Pierpaolo and Filippo, 'our MINURCAT Italians', and she is full of stories (if you meet her, don’t forget to ask about her first meeting with the President…).

It was our first involvement with the Italian Consulate and so all UNV volunteers gave their support in this new project. Our involvement began at 14:00hrs. A convoy of seven UN vehicles left the Italian Consulate and reached the orphanage, where we met Bolngar Domtinet, the headmaster of the orphanage.

The UNV volunteers carried all the boxes guided by the children and we all entered into the orphanage’s yard. Mr. Domtinet welcomed us and explained to us with all his faith and heart who these children were and the orphanage’s organisation and their future projects. He himself was a volunteer in his early years, working with UNDP Chad, and he was very pleased to see UNV volunteers coming to support him.

The Fondation d’amour pour la Formation d’enfants en Détresse (FAFED) is an orphanage and a primary school. It welcomes 95 children who are either orphans, or were abandoned, beaten, taken from the streets, or in conflict with the law. Some of them have HIV. Mr. Domtinet also helps youth who get arrested and helps them avoid spending nights in jail.

The orphanage has three dormitories: two small ones for the girls and one with 20 beds to welcome 45 boys. Due to the lack of room, some children who still have a family member spend the night in their houses. They only have three mosquito nets for all the children.

The school has three classrooms. The teachers have to be organized to make effective use of available space and time, therefore two shifts are arranged during the day: one in the morning and other in the afternoon. The centre also has a library, with books, tables and a black board for the children to study.
 
After the visit, we proceeded with the opening of the boxes. As soon as they were opened, we could hear laughter and see smiles on every face. There is still much to be done, but their beautiful smiles were a worthwhile reward for a busy Sunday afternoon.

Ms Favaretto gave clothes to young boys while Tatiana and Adama gave notebooks and pencils to a group of young girls.  We interacted with the children, took photos and shared with them the photos of the volunteers in Italy who helped in collecting all those donations.

It was our first encounter with this project but not the last. We all agreed to continue our interaction with the Italian Consul and try to help vulnerable groups not only in N’Djamena but in other regions of Chad too.