Hissein and one of his apprentices in front of an order of fired bricks

In Toumtouma, a town in the province of Ouaddaï in eastern Chad, which faces humanitarian, economic and climatic challenges, 40-year-old Hissein Abdallah Ahmat, a father with 20 dependents, is working hard to provide for his household. In addition to his farming and petty trading activities, Hissein began producing bricks seven years ago.

‘I chose this business because it meets an essential need: offering people quality materials to build semi-durable homes,’ he explains proudly.

Each year, he makes between 25,000 and 30,000 bricks during the dry season, which generally runs from October to March or April, which he sells for between XAF 35 and 40 each, generating an average annual income of XAF 525,000 to 600,000.


As part of the community stabilisation project supported by the Government of Japan, IOM is strengthening key infrastructure in communities hosting large numbers of Chadian returnees in the provinces of Ouaddaï and Sila. In Toumtouma, one of the target communities, the community expressed the need to build a solid fence around the community health centre in order to protect medicines, equipment and nutritional inputs. IOM therefore hired Hissein's local company to undertake the project, the first brick of which was laid at the end of October 2024. 

‘After being selected by IOM and on the basis of a community assessment of the quality of my bricks, I was able to sell 25,000 bricks in a single transaction at a price of XAF 50 each. This gave me a record turnover of XAF 1,250,000. My bricks were used to build the wall of the community health centre, and the health centre is well protected now,’ he confides with a smile. This new income is opening up new prospects for him, ‘With these funds, I'm going to strengthen the capacity of my business by recruiting more labour, mainly from returnees, young people and vulnerable women. The increase in my income will also enable me to guarantee my children's schooling and cover my family's basic needs,' he added.

Image of the wall of the medical centre built with Hissein's bricks

Hissein's story illustrates the direct impact of IOM's resilience projects in eastern Chad. By supporting local initiatives such as this, these projects not only improve individual livelihoods, they also strengthen the economic and social fabric of the beneficiary communities.

‘I sincerely thank IOM for this opportunity, which has not only boosted my income-generating activity, but has also brought benefits to the whole community,’ concludes Hissein.

The Resilience project aims to strengthen livelihoods and stabilise communities in eastern Chad affected by the crisis in Sudan.
Thanks to this project, around 43,000 Chadians repatriated from Sudan and members of host communities in the provinces of Ouaddai and Sila are benefiting from rehabilitated basic infrastructure and community subsidies to improve their livelihoods.