By AJECADIF, with IUCN's support through the BRIDGE programme.
In Chadian riparian communities, women ensure the daily water supply for households, contribute to agricultural activities, fishing and the preservation of ecosystems. However, their presence in decision-making forums relating to water governance remains limited. In order to promote more inclusive and sustainable governance, the Association of Young People for Active Citizenship, Integrated Development and Training (AJECADIF), with support from the BRIDGE Programme of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), implemented the project 'Strengthening women's leadership and community participation in the sustainable management of water resources in Chad'. From October 2025 to July 2026, the project built the capacity of women and young people to participate in local water resource governance mechanisms and initiatives to build resilience to climate change.
All images are courtesy of AJECADIF.
A participatory approach grounded in local realities
The project began with a participatory assessment carried out with local communities to identify the main barriers hindering women's participation in local governance bodies. The discussions highlighted several major challenges, including:
- The under-representation of women in decision-making forums.
- Sociocultural constraints limiting their ability to have their voices heard.
- Insufficient training on water resource governance.
- The lack of permanent forums for dialogue between the various stakeholders.
- The growing impact of climate change on water resources.
These findings formed the basis for the design of the project's activities.
Capacity building to promote inclusive governance
To address these challenges, AJECADIF organised:
- Two training sessions focusing on women’s leadership, water resource governance, advocacy, conflict prevention and climate resilience.
- Two community workshops bringing together local authorities, civil society organisations, water users’ associations, women leaders and young people.
- Two interactive radio programmes to raise public awareness.
- A community discussion in the Lake province to bring awareness-raising messages closer to the communities.
- Keen to strengthen opportunities for dialogue, AJECADIF also organiseda community ‘Open Mag’ – an innovative initiative that helped to broaden exchanges between citizens, local authorities and community organisations.
Tangible results for the communities
At the end of the project, the results achieved reflect the commitment of the communities and partners. Here are the project's major achievements:
- Carried out a participatory baseline assessment.
- Provided direct training to 100 beneficiaries, including 65 women and 35 young people.
- Carried out activities in five localities: N'Djamena, Moundou, Benoy, Guité and Bagasola.
- Developed four practical training guides designed to ensure the sustainability of the achievements.
- Mobilised eleven partner organisations around the governance of water resources.
- Raised awareness amongst more than 5,100 indirect beneficiaries through radio programmes, the community roadshow, social media and Open Mag.
Beyond the figures, the participants acquired new skills in leadership, local water governance, public participation and advocacy. The workshops also strengthened dialogue between communities and local institutions, helping to ensure that women's concerns were better considered in discussions on water resource management.
Partnership: a key factor for success
One of the main lessons learnt from the project is the importance of local partnerships.
Collaboration between AJECADIF, administrative authorities, technical services, civil society organisations, community media and water users' associations ensured the effective implementation of activities and greater ownership of the results by the communities. Community radio stations have also proved to be a particularly effective tool for disseminating awareness-raising messages and reaching a wide audience, particularly in areas where access to digital tools remains limited.
Achievements to be consolidated
The results obtained demonstrate that strengthening women's leadership is a key driver for improving water resource governance. The skills acquired by the beneficiaries, the practical guides developed, the partnerships established and the forums for consultation created offer encouraging prospects for continuing these initiatives beyond the project's duration. AJECADIF intends to build on this momentum by supporting the women leaders who have been trained, strengthening local frameworks for dialogue, and seeking new partnerships in order to extend this approach to other regions of Chad.
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