How Refugees are Greening the Edge of the Sahara

In Episode 2 of the series, Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison journeys with the UN World Food Programme to the border between the African countries of Chad and Sudan, where over 1 million refugees have fled into Chad from the Sudan civil war. He visits a project where refugees and Chadians are working together for water harvesting, food production, and massive land restoration. Could this be a new model for how refugees can be integrated into nations while healing degraded landscapes?

EPISODE 1: Inside Africa's Food Forest Mega Project

WFP Resilience Building:

Thanks to Evelyn Fey of the WFP media team for camera and drone videography

Oregon State University Online Permaculture Design Course:

Andrew Millison’s links:

JOIN THIS CHANNEL to get access to uncut video content:

SIGN UP FOR MY FREE NEWSLETTER:

[amillison]

ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS:
1) Why is it mostly women in the fields? Where are all the men?
Most of the men stayed in Sudan to watch over the family cattle herds so the families have something to come back to. Also, the men were disproportionately killed when villages and towns were invaded. The refugees are mostly women and children

2) Why are they not using machinery and doing all the work by hand?
You have to understand, the rate of electrification in rural Chad is 1.3%. That means there are no repair shops, spare parts stores, no stores of hydraulic fluid or transmission fluid. The roads are in very bad shape and many are seasonally impassable, plus there are no operators and mechanics in these areas. It is almost totally non-industrialized. So there is just not the infrastructure to support a fleet of heavy equipment. To bring in backhoes and excavators, you would need a massive infrastructure investment in the nation to get to the point where you could even start to roll out a fleet of machines.

3) How is the closing of USAID affecting this work?
Prior to Trump becoming president in 2025, the WFP has gotten nearly half of their funding from the US Government, mostly through USAID. The shutdown of USAID has had major impacts to the WFP, and they are still figuring it out. They are in a triage phase, closing offices and firing many people. This will obviously have a devastating effect on their work. The restructuring of the organization is ongoing so we don't know yet how this particular project will be impacted. I intentionally included footage of USAID food bags to highlight that they were present feeding these refugees as they crossed the border.

[neubianx]

This is how you do aid. People want purpose. They want to be self sufficient. Good story.

[alysoffoxdale]

When the news is full of leaders trying to find out who can destroy the world fastest, this is exactly the hopeful message I needed to see first thing in the morning. Blessings on Chad for giving these people a welcome and a way forward building something better in the world!

[krissiegwynne]

The people of Chad are an example to the world. By embracing the people fleeing Sudan, they're building up their country together, gaining skilled people and restoring nature. It's a story of humanity at it's best, treating each other with kindness and working together with nature shows that miracles happen. We are one planet, one human family and are all connected to each other. I hope Cairo University see this and that Jasmine gets her scholarship in the end!

[kuschyredeye]

That's what I call a sensible and humane measure to deal with the refugee crisis

[sparetire]

It's so nice to see what we are capable of when we unite for a common good.

[kbalanandam]

Once exiled by the very land they called home, these refugees now breathe life into the barren wilderness, transforming it into a thriving paradise. Like sculptors carving beauty from stone, they shape the Great Green Wall of Africa, proving that human resilience can rewrite fate. They are the hands that turn dust into forests, the souls that heal a wounded earth—living proof that change begins from within and that no landscape, or heart, is beyond renewal.

Once again, a huge thank you to Andrew Millison for your incredible content!

[leedza]

Makes a lot of sense. Either you have extra mouths to feed or extra hands to achieve the impossible. The beauty of it is that if they ever return to Sudan they'll have all the skills they need to pick up where they left.

[OneImmortalSun]

This kind of story is what I came here for. 🌏🌱❤✨

[michielvanv]

These projects are so full of hope, it's heart warming

[Daisy]

This brillant. First program that addressed the problem and provides a solution. Congrat Chad and your former refugees now citizens.😊

[b_uppy]

Thank you for showing how well rainwater harvesting works. Your documenting is probably the most impactful way to convince people this really works.

Amazing job by those people.

Well put by saying "edge of the Sahara.' Saying "Sahel" is more likely to get a shrug of indifference...

[dorisjob]

Was für ein wunderbares Projekt. Möge Gott jeden reichlich segnen, der daran mitarbeitet.❤

[kidthump]

Shout out to Chad from the United States. Glad to see some humanity once in awhile.

[carolewarner]

It's so easy to see refugees from another country as a threat to one's own country and its people will just be a drag on the country where they've landed. But you can see that these people are highly intelligent, skilled and willing to work!

By granting these refugees asylum and offering them land, Chad has increased their land reclamation workforce. These people are highly motivated to rebuild their lives and to be productive and self sufficient again as soon as possible. They are making a real contribution to their new country and to the future generations there with their intensive restoration work. SO inspiring!

[peterjones]

Africa has so much potential, its the future!

[sankalpachakma]

This is so brilliant. It’s a clear lesson to governments and societies around the world that welcoming outsiders and incorporating them into the local ecosystem is an effective way towards development.

[andywight]

Another inspiring story of what can be achieved when we help one another.

[susanquinlan]

Hello from Prescott Arizona. Given these uncertain and ugly times in the U S, leave it to Andrew to remind me that these are amazing times to be alive. Thank you for the gift of hope and goodness. God Bless.

[aquariusdreaming]

I love all your work, Andrew. Thank you for the priceless information and selfless effort in bettering the world!