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‘I lost three years of my education’, says Hyab (15) who fled war in Ethiopia
Hyab, 15, was displaced by the conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia. She lives with her mother Asqual, and her siblings in the Mekelle Health Centre IDP camp where they have received support from Trócaire partner Daughters of Charity. Photo: Trócaire.
More than a year after a peace agreement ended the two-year war in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, children displaced by the conflict are still trying to rebuild their lives and dream of returning home.
When conflict broke out in the Tigray region in 2020, 15-year-old Hyab and her family were among thousands who fled from their home in north-western Ethiopia to the eastern town of Mekelle, more than 500 kilometres away.
“I’m in seventh grade. I could have been in tenth grade in the new year if the war didn’t happen. I wasted my entire three years because of war,” Hyab says.
Hyab, who dreams of one day becoming a doctor, is one of the 2.3 million children who remain out of school in northern Ethiopia. According to UNICEF, more than 85pc of schools in Tigray have serious or partial damage due to the conflict, and all public schools remain closed. Across Ethiopia, more than 3.5 million children are out of school – 1 in every 16 children.
Read More: Surely the world can unite on a shared plea to end children’s suffering?
In addition to the conflict, Ethiopia is now facing its sixth consecutive failed rainy season and drought. According to UNICEF, the conflict in Ethiopia combined with drought in some of Ethiopia’s regions have resulted in nearly 31.4 million people in need in Ethiopia including 16.5 million children.
“I have four siblings. We used to have convenient living conditions before we were displaced because of the war. I want to be a doctor when I grow up. I want to serve my people, and to live happily. I hope to focus on my school and better my academic achievements,” Hyab says.
Children in the camp in Mekelle do not have access to official schools, but many children like Hyab and her four siblings attend educational tutorials that are provided in the camp.
Hyab’s mother, Asqual (38) says that having no school to send her children to is “very difficult”.
“I used to live a good life. We used to be in business and we used to have our own beautiful house,” Asqual says.
Hyab, 15, was displaced by the conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia. She lives with her mother Asqual and her siblings in the Mekele Health Centre IDP camp where they have received support from Trócaire partner Daughters of Charity. Photo: Trócaire
“Living in Mekele is difficult. There is cold and hunger. There is no access to school for our children. We are in a very difficult situation.”
Hyab and her family are one of 152 families who have received support from Trócaire and local partner Daughters of Charity at the camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Mekelle and Medre Genet.
Hyab and Yordanos were displaced by the conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia. They live with their families in the Mekelle Health Centre IDP camp where they have received support from Trócaire partner Daughters of Charity. Photo: Trócaire
As part of the programme, families receive food supplies such as oil, flour and lentils as well as hygiene products. Families are also provided with psycho-social support to help them cope with the trauma of the war and conflict. In the camps, children under the age of five are receiving supplementary feeding to combat child malnutrition.
“We received flour, lentil and oil for six months and we are surviving on that,” Asqual says.
“We have psycho-social problems but we are trying our best with the trainings. Our fear is still hunger now that the new year is coming. We are scared of food insecurity. We hope that peace comes and we can go back to our home and live wonderfully.”
Yordanos (right) was displaced by the conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia. Pictured with her sister, she lives with her parents and her siblings in the Mekelle Health Centre IDP camp where they have received support from Trócaire partner Daughters of Charity. Photo: Trócaire.
Yordanos (15) and her five siblings were also forced to flee their home in north-western Ethiopia when war broke out in 2020. Like Hyab, Yordanos is attending tutorials in the IDP camp in Mekele, but has missed three years of her education due to the war.
“Life in the camp is very difficult,” Yordanos says. “There is hunger.”
“We used to have better living conditions back at home but now it has changed. We are living poorly. I hope to get educated and to be an engineer. I want to go back home and live peacefully.”
Yordanos with her family at the IDP camp in Mekelle, Ethiopia. Photo: Trócaire
Yordanos’s father, Tesfay (57) echoes his daughter’s plea to return home.
“Daughters of Charity helped us with flour, lentils and soap powder. We also received psycho-social support. We are grateful to Trócaire and Ireland for organising such support. We hope for peace and to go back home and also to get support. We are thankful for everything.”
Trócaire’s Christmas Appeal is supporting the children of places such as Gaza, Ukraine, South Sudan and Ethiopia who are living in conflict zones.
Your donation this Christmas will help us to provide survival kits, emergency dignity kits, and essential food baskets, as well as supporting critical work across Trócaire’s global programmes.
