Life Skills and Peer Education for Chadian Youth

«I'm a pupil in Djougoulié, and I joined the CVC club in 2022. In the meantime, I had difficulty expressing myself in public and speaking at class events. But after a while, the club enabled me to improve my collaboration with friends, I became a volunteer in the education pair and I'm happy to have helped my uncle give up alcohol thanks to the advice and training of the CBT!»

This testimony powerfully shows the strong impact of the Life Skills and Peer Education training in Chad. It highlights the importance of being a positive role model and inspiring others to make healthier choices. This affects not only peers but also the boarder community, including the family context, as this powerful story demonstrates.

In this case, a young person’s commitment to abstaining from alcohol had a profound effect on their uncle, a family member struggling with alcohol. Witnessing the young person's resolve and healthy choices, the uncle was motivated to reflect on his own habits and ultimately chose to give up drinking. This story exemplifies how the peer education training empowers participants to lead by example, creating a supportive environment that encourages others to follow a similar path of positive change.

The Peer Education training is making a significant impact in Chad! The efforts of the peer educators in the various after-school clubs have successfully enabled young pupils and students adopt responsible behaviour, enhance their communication skills, develop self-control and confidence, and embrace the values of others, regardeless of ethnic and cultural differences.

This is truly remarable, and we want to express our gratitude to our Blue Cross chad team for the outstanding work they are doing!

Every May, the Chadian Blue Cross celebrates World No Tobacco Day with various activities. This year, the initiative continued its focus on combating tobacco consumption. One of the key events was a conference centred on the theme: “Protecting children from the interference of the tobacco industry”. 

The World No Tobacco Day conference aims to raise awareness about the severe negative effects of tobacco consumption. By providing information about the risks and harms of smoking, the event seeks to protect both children and adults from the tobacco industry’s marketing manipulation.

Tobacco is a significant public health crisis, leading to numerous serious diseases such as cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. Beyond its harmful health effects, tobacco also has devastating economic and social consequences. In fact, families often face high healthcare costs for treating smoking-related illnesses. Awareness and prevention campaigns aim to discourage people from starting to smoke and encourage current smokers to quit. These campaigns have a major impact, especially as they provide recommendations for more effective measures against tobacco consumption in order to protect young people early on.  

Campaigns were also held in high schools and on university campuses. The Ardep-Djoumal University Campus Club kicked off the awareness campaign with a lecture and discussion on the dangers of tobacco use at the university. The presentation covered various  topics related to tobacco consumption, urging young students to recognize these dangers and to spread awareness among their peers. 

It is crucial to involve students and motivated young people in these awareness campaigns. Their participation is vital because they are agents of change, capable of influencing their peers and communities. Involving youth helps cultivate a new generation of advocates who can continue the fight against tobacco use!

Thanks to your donation, the Chadian Blue Cross can continue their work with young people. Thank you very much for supporting these inititatives and transforming countless lives in Chad!