Marfa in Chad

People Name:	Marfa
Country:	Chad
10/40 Window:	Yes
Population:	21,000
World Population:	21,000
Primary Language:	Marfa
Primary Religion:	Islam
Christian Adherents:	5.00 %
Evangelicals:	3.70 %
Scripture:	Translation Needed
Online Audio NT:	No
Jesus Film:	No
Audio Recordings:	No
People Cluster:	Ouaddai-Fur
Affinity Bloc:	Sub-Saharan Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

The Marfa are a Muslim people who live in the Ouaddai (Waddai) region of eastern Chad, where they live in numerous villages around the Marfa mountains from which they derive their name.

What Are Their Lives Like?

They share a similar culture to other Ouaddai people groups, such as the Karanga, Kashmere and Maba, but they have their own distinct language which distinguishes them from others.

Many of the Marfa work in millet fields around the villages in the rainy season (June to September) When the harvest is threshed many of the men head for larger cities and towns of Chad and farther afield to find work, while others work on gardens along the beds of the wadis. Wadis are dry river beds for most of the year, with ample water sources underground that are replenished during the rainy season.

What Are Their Needs?

Their area in the Ouaddai is remote - around 150 kilometers from the major town of Abéché. With no medical facilities in the area, those who are seriously ill often die in their villages or on the way to hospital two to three days away by donkey or camel. Some medical work may be a key to living alongside the people of the Marfa community and sharing the Good News of Jesus in word and deed.

Prayer Points

Pray God will send laborers to this harvest field.