Society Matters | Volume 30 No. 1 | Autumn 2020

5 Volume 30 No. 1 | Autumn 2020 • The Chadian economy is still largely based on subsistence agriculture and educational and health standards are low. • The Catholic Church has been present in Chad since 1929, with the first arrival of the Spiritan missionaries, (although there were unsuccessful initiatives from the Capuchins as far back as 1663). • The SVDs have been in Chad since early 2003 and accepted their first parish in 2004. It was through a meaningful arrangement with the local bishop of the Diocese of Gore that the pioneer SVD team accepted this parish that bears the name of our Founder just on the occasion of the canonisation of St Arnold Janssen and St Joseph Freinademetz. • At present, the SVDs work in three different parishes (of two dioceses). There are 13 young, open and energetic confreres from eight different nationalities, working primarily in the areas of primary evangelisation, families and youth, justice and peace, and ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. Divine Word Missionaries in the Chad Republic • Chad Republic is a land-locked country located at the very heart of Africa. It shares borders with Libya in the north, with Sudan in the east, with Nigeria and Niger in the west and in the south with Cameroon and Central Africa. • The country is comprised of some 110 ethnic groups, which a total population of about 14 million. • The official languages of Chad Republic are French and Arabic. However, there is a multitude of local languages and dialects. • Chad’s religious background is mixed. The majority of people are Muslims. Both Catholics and protestants come second. A small percentage remains animist or traditional religion. • Chad gained its independence from France on August 11, 1960. The following decades, however, were marred by more than one coups d’etat, and the ensuing civil wars have devastated the country. The present regime has been in place since 1990, instituting a democratic form of government. • Chad has a brutal climate, with two-thirds of its territory being part of the Sahara desert. Chad is one of the poorest countries in Africa, due to the civil wars, coups, and endemic corruption at all levels. The Human Development Index placed Chad as the 186th among the 188 countries in the world.