Children in Crisis in Tigray, Ethiopia

Sarah* is 15 years and old lived in a small town of Western Tigray. She lived with her father, her stepmother and her brother. Her mother died a few years before the war started. Sarah led a peaceful life and had good relationship with her parents. When the armed conflict started, the armed forces began to kill civilians based on their ethnicity. To save their life her father joined to the regional armed forces and her stepmother migrated to Sudan. Her brother also joined the armed forces but he joined a militia group from another region. 

After the killing of civilians intensified, she decided to flee to a safer area of Tigray. During the fleeing, the armed forces found her and tortured her physically and psychologically. They broke her left hand by hitting and insulting her because of her ethnicity.  In addition to this she witnessed the killing and persecution of innocent civilians.

As a result of all the trauma she developed depression, fear, loneliness and nightmares.  She ended up in a site for internally displaced people in Shire but she didn't have a caregiver and as a young girl she was exposed to many dangers and lack of appropriate service delivery to help her heal from her trauma.She finally was referred and admitted her to our safe house where she received our holistic services. 

With the support of the healing environment, we tried our best to address her multiple problems We provided basic services, recreational and craft activities, counseling sessions, Psycho-social sessions and play therapy. She gradually started to feel better and is currently participating in all activities and is making friends with the other children. She feels ready to be re-unified with her family.

We have managed to locate her stepmother in Sudan and they are in touch via the phone, at this time it is impossible to reunify them. We also have found her father but he had been imprisoned and tortured by enemy forces and is severely traumatised by this. He is receiving treatment and is not capable to look after his daughter at this time. We have found extended family and are currently looking into the options with them.

Thank you for helping us to care for these traumatized young people. We are encouraged that we can be there for them and help them to move back into their community again.