In our last blog we shared news of Desta Ethiopia’s delivery of aid to people stranded in the conflict zone on the border between Afar and Eritrea. We are following up with news of some of our initiatives in the other regions of Northern Ethiopia where conflict is occurring.
The people in conflict zones whose images appear in our blogs are real people with feelings. They feel shame, distress and loss of dignity, as anyone else would in their circumstances. They do not deserve the suffering inflicted on them. It is Desta’s intention not only to provide humanitarian assistance, but also to offer them our respect and compassion as fellow humans.
War hurts vulnerable people most: Asnakech Molla is 81 year old. She is blind, childless, and has no one to take care of her. Sintayehu Mellesse’s husband died of HIV leaving her to bring up their son on her own. She can’t afford to send him to school. Even without war life was difficult enough for these women. They live in Lalibela, Amhara, home of a UNESCO world heritage site best known for its famous rock-cut churches. Before 2020 it was a major tourist destination; in September it became a battleground between opposing military forces. These vulnerable women and plenty more like them are negotiating survival in a world transformed by war. Aid delivery remains restricted due to ongoing conflict in the surrounding areas and there are severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine. Thanks to local contacts, however, Desta is bridging the gap by providing assistance to 20 Lalibela households on the margins of survival.
These boys attend a traditional school in rural Tigray where they are training to become deacons in the Ethiopian Orthodox church. They are known as ‘Yeqolo Tamari’ (translated as ‘students of the corn’) on account of their austere life-style and simple diet. They traditionally depend on the charitable giving of local people to sustain them through their studies but these days no one has money to spare. Desta Ethiopia has been helping them over difficult times since 2024.
All these women, from Sinkata and Howzien in Tigray, have dark stories to tell from the last war, and life continues to be a struggle, especially for those bringing up children alone, and elders without family to support them. We have been supporting these particularly vulnerable women and their families through difficult times since Desta Ethiopia was founded in 2021.
We are grateful to all who help us to sustain people like these not just for the short-term, but for as long as support is needed. A while back we gave a big shout-out to a number of extraordinarily generous supporters who have made substantial contributions to Desta Ethiopia. Now we would like to sing out another big THANK YOU, this time to all the people of few means who nevertheless quietly press cash into our hands when no one is looking. We treasure these gifts just as highly.
WITH LOVE AND THANKS, DESTA ETHIOPIA
