Period 2025-2026

Vision and mission
The Foundation aims to acquire funding, design and implement activities that improve the livelihood of vulnerable households and communities through an area-based approach to land and water use in Chad. This includes all aspects related to growing and marketing sesame for the benefit of these communities.

The Foundation aims to achieve its goal by, among other things:

• attracting project financing by approaching parties in the Netherlands, Chad and elsewhere
• seeking cooperation with and outsourcing activities to parties in order to strengthen activities;
• “Successfully connecting vulnerable farming households in Chad with other market players.”

Ambitions
In the period up to 2026, the Chad Economic Area Development Foundation wants to implement projects aimed at sesame producing vulnerable households in southern Chad, in the eastern part of the Tandjilé province. During this period, preparations will be made with households and villages to enable them to join the sesame trade flows to export markets such as Turkey and Egypt more profitably in the 2026 agricultural season.

The foundation

Origin and core values
​​Marius Stehouwer, the founder of the foundation, has years of experience and contacts in Chad.
When Marius’ Chadian friend and former colleague Djikoloum challenged him to make a further contribution to the development of Chad, Marius was struck by this. Djikoloum specifically asked for attention to be paid to the southern province of Tandjilé, where he was chief at the time. Here, sesame production is an important source of income for farming households. However, soils are becoming poorer and farmers receive a low market price for their product. How wonderful it would be if these vulnerable households could increase their productivity and obtain a better price through a stronger market position.
We have not found any NGOs operating in Chad that focus on sesame, while this crop offers great opportunities for Tandjilé. That is why Marius decided to set up a foundation to respond to his friend’s request.
On June 5, 2024, the Foundation for Economic Area Development in Chad was established by notarial deed and registered with the Chamber of Commerce on June 10, 2024, with a four-person Supervisory Board with serious expertise and experience in economic development.
As professionals who are committed to the Foundation for Economic Area Development in Chad, we find inspiration in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to care for others and to share our knowledge and skills for those who are less fortunate.

• Hope – that the local population makes their own plans with hope and expectation and is encouraged by the end results;
• Justice – that vulnerable households receive a better price for the sesame they sell at the market;
• Love – that there is a willingness to cooperate and take into account the interests of others and that such charity benefits all.

Relevance
In February 2023, IDH/ Sustainable Trade Initiative (www.idhsustainabletrade.com)¹ concluded that sesame has the best chance of successfully taking over the central role of cotton as a cash crop in southern Chad (partly). This conclusion follows from a study in seven southern provinces, including Tandjilé.
Sesame’s strengths are that the sector has experienced gradual growth in recent years, that sufficient land is available and that efforts have been made domestically to produce improved seed varieties. Profitability for traders and increased global demand are mentioned as the most important opportunities.
The biggest challenges mentioned by IDH are reduced soil fertility, the weak market position of sesame producing farmers, the lack of cooperation between the various market parties and the lack of formal farmer organizations. This project aims to address these challenges.

Results
The four project results will enable vulnerable sesame producing households in southern Chad to successfully benefit from the foreign demand for this product beginning in 2026 agricultural season.

Result 1
In a selected number of cantons, sesame producing households have united in cooperative associations (CVs) that, by implementing self-made plans, offer the affiliated households help to achieve a higher sales price that will become visible from the 2026 agricultural season.
Result 2
Adequate staffing in Chad that, through systematic cooperation with the manager, successfully realizes results 1, 3 and 4.
Result 3
The current supply chain and value chain of sesame have been mapped out well for the area and it has been determined where profits can be made; contacts have been made with reliable market parties with a view to future cooperation.
Result 4
The Foundation for Economic Area Development in Chad has acquired new financing, also from trading parties, so that from March 2026 it can build on what has been achieved in this period.

Step-by-step plan

• The director, Marius Stehouwer, is responsible for the proper execution of the planned activities.
  He directs in close cooperation with Mr. Ladibé Luc, an acquaintance of his and living in Pala, 150 km west of the project area. Ladibé is available for field visits and is the one who instructs the field worker to be appointed. Due to their good networks, the director and his assistant know how to find suitable executors to (have) realize the planned activities at the right level. Online communication between Amersfoort and the provincial capital Lai plays an important role.
• The four-member Supervisory Board supports the director, in terms of content and with their network.
• The director(s) travel to Chad 2 to 4 times a year to maintain contacts with local partners and to contribute to the design and implementation of the projects.
• In accordance with our remuneration regulations, the directors are only reimbursed for travel expenses.
• The directors establish contacts with individual and institutional donors for fundraising purposes.
• The Supervisory Board and donors are informed about the progress of the projects through periodic reports.
• The results of the projects are placed on the own website.

¹ IDH publication “Value chain analysis for cash crops in Southern Chad” (2023)