YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – When the world looks at the Lake Chad Basin, it usually sees a security crisis defined by violent extremism and displacement. But the reality on the ground is far more complex. It’s a tangled web of climate stress, extreme poverty, broken infrastructure, and competition over dwindling natural resources.
Since 2009, millions have been uprooted, livelihoods shattered, and the fundamental trust between neighbors eroded.
Yet amid this prolonged adversity, a counter-narrative of extraordinary human resilience is unfolding.
Since 2019, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has been implementing the Stabilization and Reconciliation in the Lake Chad Region (STaR) project. Now entering its third phase, STaR is moving beyond traditional, siloed humanitarian aid.
Instead, it relies on an integrated approach, interweaving infrastructure, economic livelihoods, and local governance to rebuild what CRS calls the “nebulous glue” of society: social cohesion.
In a wide-ranging interview with Crux Now, Chris Bleers, Chief of Party for the STaR project, pulls back the curtain on how this work actually happens.
Below are excerpts from the conversation with Bleers…
Crux Now: How would you describe the evolving crises in the Lake Chad Basin, and what has been the impact on local communities?
Chris Bleers: The Lake Chad Basin Crisis is often described as a security crisis, but what we see today is a complex combination of conflict, displacement, poverty, climate stress, damaged or weak infrastructure, and limited economic opportunities. These factors exacerbate each other thereby intensifying and worsening the situation for communities on a recurring basis.
Since 2009, when the conflict started, millions of people have been displaced, livelihoods have been severely disrupted, and trust between communities has degraded. Farmers have lost access to land, herders have lost traditional migration routes, young people have struggled to find employment, and local governments have limited resources to respond effectively.
At the same time, I think it is important to recognize the resilience of the people of the Lake Chad Basin. Communities have adapted in extraordinary ways. What we have learned through STaR (Stabilization and Reconciliation in the Lake Chad Region) is that when people are given access to infrastructure, economic opportunities, and platforms for dialogue, they are remarkably capable of rebuilding their lives and restoring critically needed social trust.
The challenge today is not simply responding to a crisis. It is helping communities move from survival to being able to adapt and thrive in the case of prolonged adversity, trauma, or evolving disruptions.
What would you say are the major drivers of the Lake Chad Basin crisis?
There is no single answer, but a combination of things. Certainly, insecurity and violent extremism have played a major role. But beneath that are deeper structural challenges. Endemic poverty, limited access to basic services, extremely high youth unemployment, environmental degradation, climate hazards, competition over natural resources, and challenges faced by the government all contribute to instability.
One of the lessons we have learned from the STaR project is that conflict is often a symptom of broader pressures. When livelihoods collapse, when communities compete over scarce resources, and when people feel excluded from decision-making, tensions can emerge very quickly, and trust breaks down. Social cohesion, that nebulous glue of society, starts to disintegrate.
This is why Catholic Relief Services takes an integrated approach. We do not view infrastructure, livelihoods, social cohesion, and governance as separate sectors. We strive to interconnect them. If you improve one without addressing the others, the gains are often temporary and isolated. Sustainable stability requires progress across all components.
You obviously would have met with afflicted populations. Is there any unique case you came across that would have made you pause and say, human beings can’t continue to go through this?
There have been many moments over the years that stay with me. One that stands out involved a woman who was a STaR project participant and who had been displaced multiple times. She had lost her home, her means of making a living and family members to the conflict. Yet when we met her, she was not talking about what she had lost. Having taken part in STaR livelihood activities, she was now talking about her children and her hope that they would attend school and have a better future.
What struck me was not simply the hardship she had endured, but the resilience she demonstrated.
You encounter stories like this throughout the Lake Chad Basin. Families who have been displaced several times. Young people who have grown up knowing little but instability. Communities trying to rebuild while still facing uncertainty.
Those experiences reinforce why long-term investment in integrated resilience platforms is so important. People cannot be expected to repeatedly rebuild their lives without meaningful support. Humanitarian assistance remains essential, but we also need recovery, economic opportunities, and local governance systems that communities can believe in and help them move beyond crisis.
In 2019, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) began the 1st phase of the Stabilization and Reconciliation in the Lake Chad Region (STaR) Project. STaR II was launched in September 2021 and now you are onto the third phase. How successful were the STaR I and STaR II projects?
I would describe the first and second phases of the Stabilization and Reconciliation in the Lake Chad Region, or STaR, project as highly successful, while also recognizing that there is still much work to be done.
The independent, external evaluations of Phases I and II found strong performance across the project’s four components: infrastructure, livelihoods, social cohesion, and governance. Communities reported improved access to services, stronger local economic activity, increased trust among community members, and greater participation in local decision-making.
What I am particularly proud of is that through the STaR project, Catholic Relief Services has demonstrated that stabilization is possible even in very fragile environments. We have seen communities rehabilitate schools, health facilities, markets, water systems—often upgraded to solar-powered systems—storage facilities, and roadworks. We have seen women and youth build successful livelihoods through saving and lending groups and vocational training. We have seen local leaders, farmers, herders, displaced persons, and host communities engage in dialogue and jointly solve problems.
Perhaps most importantly, the project generated evidence that social cohesion and economic recovery reinforce one another. When people have opportunities, they are more willing to invest in peaceful coexistence. When communities trust one another, economic activity rebounds and becomes easier.
That lesson has shaped the design of both Phase III and our thinking for the anticipated Phase IV, which will be implemented starting in 2027 until 2030.
What do you hope to achieve with the STaR III Project?
Phase III of the STaR project is about deepening and consolidating the gains achieved in the first two phases but also making concerted efforts toward greater gender equality and social inclusion.
We want to strengthen resilience among women, youth and people with disabilities in some of the most conflict-affected communities of the Lake Chad Basin. That means continuing investments in infrastructure, livelihoods, social cohesion, and local governance while placing greater emphasis on sustainability and inclusion.
We are particularly focused on creating stronger economic pathways for young people, expanding opportunities for women, improving local governance systems, and ensuring that communities themselves are leading the development process.
The ultimate goal is not simply to deliver activities. It is to leave behind stronger communities that are better able to manage shocks, resolve disputes peacefully, and drive their own development.
Very often, projects such as the STaR project fizzle out once the implementing NGO or authority is gone. What is the sustainability plan? How do you train communities to take ownership of the project?
It’s a fair question, and one that we have been thinking about from the very beginning of the STaR project.
Our philosophy is that sustainability is not something you add at the end of a project. It must be built into the design from day one.
For STaR, this starts with community-led planning. Communities identify priorities, participate in decision-making and budget planning with their local authorities, and contribute to implementation. Local Economic Development plans, Ward Development Committees, Basic Land Commissions, Community Infrastructure Operations & Maintenance Committees, savings groups, and local governance structures all play a central role.
To ensure long-term sustainability of the project within communities, we also invest heavily in capacity strengthening. Local institutions are trained to manage infrastructure, oversee maintenance, mobilize resources, and resolve disputes. We work closely with local governments to ensure that investments align with local priorities and public planning systems rather than creating parallel structures.
Part of the project has to do with “Social cohesion,” which is a difficult metric to measure. How do you measure success in this particular metric in communities that have suffered years of conflict?
Social cohesion can be difficult to measure, but it can absolutely be observed.
The 3Bs which stands for Binding, Bonding and Bridging is a framework that examines relationships across different levels. Binding refers to strengthening relationships within groups. Bonding focuses on relations between different groups within a community. Bridging looks at relationships between different communities and institutions.
The 4Ds approach—Discover, Dream, Design, and Deliver—provides a structured process for communities to identify strengths, envision a shared future, develop solutions together, and implement those solutions.
What makes these approaches powerful is that they move people from discussing problems to creating shared solutions.
For example, farmers, herders, traditional leaders, women, youth, displaced people and host communities may jointly identify a community priority such as a market, water point, or access road. Working together on a common goal builds trust in a very practical way.
Over time, we measure changes in participation, trust, perceptions of inclusion, collaboration, and conflict resolution. While social cohesion may seem intangible, the outcomes are often very visible in people’s daily lives and interactions.
How do you balance the need for state-level governance with the importance of community-led, participatory planning?
For the STaR project, it is not an either-or proposition. Lasting development requires both effective institutions and empowered communities. Communities are often best placed to identify priorities because they live with challenges every day. At the same time, local governments have a critical role in providing services, allocating resources, and ensuring accountability.
At Catholic Relief Services, our approach is therefore to connect the two. Community priorities are captured through participatory planning processes and then linked vertically to local government structures and development plans.
When that relationship works well, communities gain a voice, governments gain legitimacy, and development investments become more sustainable.
In many ways, our role is to serve as a bridge between citizens and institutions so that both can perform their respective roles more effectively.
I understand the U.S. has been one of the major funders of CRS, but recently there has been a change in U.S. foreign policy that has involved cuts to foreign aid. What has been the impact of such cuts on CRS Projects in the Lake Chad Basin generally, and how could this potentially worsen the already precarious security situation?
The reduction in U.S. foreign assistance has forced many humanitarian organizations, including Catholic Relief Services, to make difficult decisions about how and where to use our resources.
In a region already facing conflict and displacement, sustained support is an important part of helping communities meet their basic needs while also helping them build long-term stability.
As we look ahead, continued investments from governments, donors and partners will be critical to making sure the communities of the Lake Chad region have enough food and access to healthcare and economic opportunities so that they can recover. We work through the local Church and community networks that are already present long before a crisis and remain long after headlines fade. This approach is about accompaniment: staying close to communities, listening, and responding with compassion and respect.
Our commitment is to remain present with people who are suffering, even as resources become more limited. The need is growing, and standing with the most vulnerable has never been more important. The STaR project’s design fully reflects this “whole community” approach, and is thankful for the consistent, long-term, and flexible funding provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development via KfW, the German Federal Development Bank.
By the time STaR III ends, what will success look like?
Success of the STaR project will not simply be measured by the number of schools rehabilitated, people trained, employment numbers, or savings and lending groups established. Success will mean communities that are more resilient than they were before.
It will mean women and young people participating more actively in economic and civic life. It will mean stronger local institutions that can respond to community needs. It will mean communities that are better able to manage disputes peacefully and work together across social divides.
And ultimately, success will mean that people have greater confidence in their future.
If a young person can find meaningful and dignified work, if a farmer and herder can resolve disputes without violence, if a family affected by displacement can make a living again, and if communities can continue progressing without external support, then we will know we have achieved something significant.
That is the future we are working toward—not simply recovery from crisis, but a foundation for stability, for people to adapt and thrive, and for marginalized groups—such as women, and those living with disabilities—to actively participate and benefit from economic growth across the Lake Chad Basin.
Source:
cruxnow.com
