By Taylor Castle, Peter Pellegrini, Greg Axelrod, Ben Aalvik, and Mary Zeolla Chad

Virtual Tour of Chad Demographics- Chad is a land locked country located in North Africa. Population is about ten and a half million. Poverty- Poverty is very prevalent throughout Chad and is considered one of Chad’s many social problems. Economy- Chad has a very poor economy due to the fact that it’s a new country and they have a lack of political power and a lack of national government. Chad has potential to fix their economic situation. The country is said to have potential for oil productions, cattle herding and even commercial farming.

Virtual Tour of Chad History- Chad became its own country when it gained its independence from France in During the 1970’s and 1980’s Chad under went several civil wars due to different views on the role of the state as well as state policy and authoritarianism. Politics- After Chad gained its independence from France in 1960 there was a series of violence that went on for thirty years. During 1990 Idriss Deby declared himself President of Chad. President Deby tried his best to put into practice a multiparty democracy. The process began to take off in 1992 and by 1993 transitional legislature was started. During the year 1996 a presidential election was held for the first time and President Deby won the election with 69% of the vote. In 2001 he was elected again for another five year term.

Virtual Tour of Chad Famous Tourist Spots—The city of Gaoui is believed to be a spot where giants once lived, when visiting here you can see artifacts from the giant society. The Ouara, which is the ancient capital of the Ouaddai provides the tourist with ancient remanents of the people of this society who fought against the French many years ago. The Tibesti mountain engravings, located in northern Chad show the ancient engravings of hunters and animals from as far as prehistoric times.

Virtual Tour of Chad Music-There are different types of music in Chad pertaining to the demographics. Some of the instruments seen in the music of Chadian are different forms of the bow harp, the kakaki, which is a tin horn and the hu hu which is a type of stringed instruement. Music is seen as enteraintment to the Chadians. Food- One dish that is common throughout the country Chad is a set grain porridge, which is made up of millet flour. This porridge is then served with sauces that are made up of dried fish, meat, onions, spices and tomatoes. The north and south have different eating habits and people who reside in the south of Chad have no fish in their diets and also drink less milk products. Some common foods throughout the country are rice, sesame, beans, potatoes and maize.

Virtual Tour of Chad Religion- Christianity and Islam are the two main religions in Chad. Around half of the population of Chad follows Islam and about 30% percent of the population practices Christianity. There are also some traditional religions that are practiced. All religions practiced in Chad believe in an afterlife of Heaven and Hell. There are also missionary groups from both the Islamic and Christian religion in Chad.

Virtual Tour of Chad Education- It is said that around 60% of the children in Chad attend primary school. The literacy rate of Chad is only 20%. Many children are educated by their families so they can help around the house and work. There is the University of Chad which was founded in 1971 as well as some other colleges, which are the Ecole Nationale de Télécommunication in Sarh and the Ecole Nationale d'Administration in N'Djamena.

Technology Dos and Don’ts Youth males ages have a literacy rate of 56% Youth women ages have a literacy rate of 23% In 2007 the number of phone users was 9% In 2007 the number of internet users was 1% Radio is the most common and most popular source of media because of the low literacy rate in the country. TV is not very popular in Chad due to the low income that many of the population receives as well as the high cost of TV’s and cable services. Teletschad is the one television broadcasting channel in Chad and it is owned by the government. The government telecommunications monoply owns and operates the one internet access provider in Chad. There is “public access to the internet” but due to the high costs most people in Chad cannot afford to access the internet.

Current Events Providing quality education for displaced children in Eastern Chad This article is about a young girl named Manayar who is trying to become a doctor. This article also talks about how the refugee children who are of primary school age are at a disadvantage because of the lack of school supplies and inadequate classrooms. Manayar said that she hopes she will be able to further her education in Sudan because of the lack of teachers in Chad as well as the poor funding.

Current Events Educating Fatna: For a refugee schoolgirl in Chad, a chance to learn This article focuses on the poor conditions of the schools of Chad and how they are beginning to accommodate the refugees of Sudan. The article discusses the importance of educating women and focuses on a fourteen year old girl named Fatna who was given a second chance at education after fleeing with her family from Darfur. Jane O’Brien the author of this article can be quoted saying, “Going to school offers children like Fatna a safe space to regain a sense of stability and normalcy. It also helps protect them from violence, abuse and exploitation.”

Current Events Chad and five other Central African countries pledge to end use of children in armed conflict This article discusses the conference between five Central African nations and Chad that pledged to ban children and the use of children in armed conflict. The conference took place at the Chadian capital from June 7 to June The delegates at the conference also discussed how to make child soldiers one with society again.

Current Events Amidst severe food crisis, health and nutrition centres support children in Chad This article discusses the impact of malnutrition on children throughout Chad as well as the nutritional health issues on the rise facing Chad. There is also something known as the “lean season” in Chad which occurs between May and August. In order to help fix this problem UNICEF set up 42 nutrition health centers

Current Events Chad: Fighting the River The rising waters in Chad are causing massive floods throughout the region and our displacing thousands of families. This comes at a bad time because of a recent cholera outbreak which is anticipated to spread due to the flooding and family displacements. Aid groups in Chad are setting up hygiene education campaigns. Flooding is said to have hit 19 out of 22 regions in Chad and the cholera outbreak has already hit 6 regions.