Technology at the service of displaced people in the Lake Chad region
How the use of SCOPECARDs is changing the lives of thousands of people
Lake Chad is a region in continuous movement. Traditionally dedicated to livestock and fishing, many of the communities are nomadic, in constant search for pasture or fish. But it’s not only people that move; water also moves. The water level rises and falls depending on the time of the year, while the size of the lake itself is drastically decreasing because of climate change. Over the last few years, the emergence of Boko Haram has forced the displacement and return of around 137,000 people in the Chadian part of the lake.
In 2015, the violence by Boko Haram resulted in the arrival of some 2,000 people to Diamerom. Even today, this site suffers intermittent attacks from the armed group: an incident forced the World Food Programme (WFP) and its partner, CARE, to temporarily suspend distributions in July. As soon as the security situation improved, distributions resumed.
“I arrived to Dimerom two years ago. Boko Haram burned my village to ashes and I had to walk for several days, with my husband and children, to get here,” says Aka Mal Adoum. “My husband used to be a fisherman, but there is no water in this area. We have received food assistance since we arrived. Otherwise, we would have nothing to eat.”
In June, WFP introduced the use of SCOPECARDs in Diamerom, through a partnership with CARE which provided emergency food assistance during the months without harvest (June to September). The 536 most vulnerable households were registered first on SCOPE— WFP’s digital beneficiary information and transfer management platform — and then personalized SCOPECARDs were printed to authenticate and track cash-based transfers to the beneficiary households. This allowed CARE to conduct biometric verification of the recipients during the distributions to ensure that the assistance reaches the correct recipients. Each beneficiary received 15,000 XAF (USD 26) per month during the lean season.
The use of SCOPECARDs significantly reduced waiting time at distribution points. “In the past, I sometimes waited for hours to collect my entitlement. Since we started using cards, distributions are much quicker. Today I’ve waited for half an hour and I still have time to go the market and prepare food for my family.” says Aka Mal Adoum. “Nobody likes to wait, especially with children and under the sun.” WFP prioritizes women as recipients of assistance on behalf of their household.
WFP is already using SCOPE in nine sites for distributions to internally displaced people (IDPs) in the province of Lac. In 2019, WFP will seek to biometrically register all displaced people around Lake Chad on SCOPE.
WFP is able to deliver emergency food assistance to vulnerable communities, refugees from Nigeria and internally displaced people around Lake Chad thanks to the support of Canada, Germany, Japan, Norway, Sweden and the United States (USAID-Food for Peace).
