The Blue Community Network is proud to welcome its first partner in the African Republic of Chad.
AAJSD Agro Business (Association Aide Aux Jeune En Situation Difficile / Association for the Support of Young People in Difficult Circumstances) is based in N’Djamena, the capital and biggest city of Chad.
The charity supports young people in vulnerable situations through educational programmes in schools. Our main focus is on raising awareness of the challenges posed by climate change and promoting sustainable farming and livestock practices.
AAJSD operates in the Chadian Sahel, where access to water is the primary climate and humanitarian challenge.
In the past, AAJSD raised awareness of water management among 1,200 young people through its educational gardens in 15 schools and set up two community nurseries with rainwater harvesting systems. For the future, AAJSD plans to train 500 young people per year on the right to water and rural sanitation techniques (composting, protected wells) and to advocate for the inclusion of the right to water in school charters in Chad.
In partnership with Chad’s Ministry of the Environment for the Great Green Wall (public management of micro-basins), AAJSD provided technical support for agricultural cooperatives without privatising water points. AAJSD wants to develop a ‘Blue Community’ guide for rural communities in Chad, working with local public services to integrate AAJSD’s moisture sensors into shared agricultural infrastructure.
To combat plastic bottles, AAJSD provided awareness raising about reducing plastic use during the reforestation of 14 hectares (National Tree Week) and offered reusable water bottles in the training sessions. As Blue Community, AAJSD will promote tap water / water from public boreholes in the 15 partner schools (posters, workshops) and demonstrate that AAJSD’s ‘BIO du SAHEL’ compost reduces water pollution from chemical fertilisers, thereby reducing the need for bottled water.
Alhadj Ali Abdelkerim Medideur, President of AAJSD, states:
«Joining the Blue Community means for AAJSD to gain recognition for our ‘water-soil-innovation’ approach as a model for on-the-ground implementation, and to amplify our advocacy for water as a common good, with Chadian and international authorities.»
Souleymane Guindo, coordinator for the Blue Community in French-speaking Africa, welcomes AAJSD in the Blue Community Network:
«Dear AAJSD, you have come to the right place. A place where we work together towards the rational and sustainable management of water. On behalf of the Blue Community of Francophone Africa, I extend a warm welcome to you. Let us work together to provide Africa with clean, blue drinking water.»
