Tigray, a region devastated by war

Tigray, a region of Ethiopia, was traversed from November 2020 to November 2022 by a war waged by the Ethiopian federal government, supported by militias and the military forces of the state of Eritrea.

"Under the pretext of maintaining order, the war against Tigray has proved brutal.

In 2 years, almost a million people lost their lives. Nearly two million people have been internally displaced, surviving in dire conditions unable to return to their villages of origin even after the peace agreement. One hundred and twenty-two thousand women have been raped.

With the total blockade of the region, tens of thousands of people have lost their lives for lack of food, care and medicine.

The region's entire economy has collapsed, with factories, small businesses and livestock looted and destroyed. Young people are emigrating in large numbers to Middle Eastern countries and Europe, taking dangerous routes, victims of human traffickers." Sr LH

Schoolchildren have been deprived of education for around four years. Almost 90% of schools in Tigray have been totally or partially destroyed or looted. Pupils have to attend accelerated courses to make up for lost years. Many are unable to achieve good results in their studies and prefer to join the young people who are illegally emigrating from all over Tigray.

Maichew Town, in southern Tigray, has seen the arrival of many people who lost their homes and livelihoods during the war.

At the Daughters of Charity school, where the number of pupils is far greater than the school's normal capacity, the sisters are struggling to give 700 children access to education.

The “On the Way to School” project aims to enable children from families who lost everything during the war to continue their schooling

"The families of these children lost everything during the two years of war and are struggling to find jobs due to the lack of economic recovery, while the country is still plagued by internal wars.

These children need outside help to continue their studies. They currently wear old, worn-out school uniforms and have to beg for notebooks and pens. They are unable to concentrate at school and often drop out. It's common to see schoolchildren wandering along the roads, exposed to various forms of exploitation... Their situation is depressing. Sr LH

"Having lived through the horror of war and siege, we have witnessed all the deprivations suffered by the population. The situation in Tigray is still heartbreaking; we need help to recover from the socio-economic devastation and psychological trauma affecting the people." Sr LH

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