“The world is a circle. What happens everywhere affects each one of us. Everyone at some point has a need to reach out.”
There was some relief in Ethiopia this week when the federal government declared an immediate cease-fire in its Tigray region after nearly eight months of deadly conflict. But questions still remain about what happens next to the people of Tigray, who have been caught up in the middle of a war between the federal government and the region’s ruling party.
Can the Tigrayans now safely return to their normal lives? And what happens to the thousands of refugees who fled to Sudan? Will they return home soon?
Tegest Hailu, an Ethiopian native who has worked as a physician in Fresno, California for nearly 30 years, is especially concerned about the refugees because she has observed the challenges they face in the camps. Joining other healthcare professionals, Hailu traveled to camp Tenedbha in May to build wellness infrastructure for those battling PTSD, depression and mental health crises. Hailu and her team arrived at the camp in early May, shortly after a heavy storm came down on the region and damaged many of the refugee shelters.
“The tents were destroyed. They were collapsing on people while they were in it. The roofs were blown away, torn,” Hailu said. “And people lost everything they had, including the food, rations they had received. Some were physically hurt because the tent fell on them.”
The devastation prompted the group to shift from their initial focus on mental health.
“We switched to addressing shelter, which is a huge undertaking,” Hailu said.
The team first reached out to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to see what can be done about the shelters. But they later realized that they would need much more resources to address the problem.
“We had multiple meetings with the UNHCR and other organizations supporting the refugee camps,” Hailu said. “UNHCR is very committed, but has limited resources.”
Hailu’s group proceeded with their effort, partnering with additional organizations to complete a needs assessment study and planning a fundraising initiative to provide more secure housing. The team also called on assistance from the architects among the refugees, inquiring their expertise to learn how to most efficiently stabilize a tent.
Hailu, who leads a nonprofit known as International Society for Better Health Access, is now asking for the public’s help in raising funds for safe housing.
“The cheapest we can do it with the most effective structure is $80- 100 per structure,” she said. “There are 6,000 shelters in Tenedbha and about 2,000 of them are safe.”
The goal, according to Hailu, is to raise at least $500,000 for the structures.
“Initially, it’s a shock. It’s a lot of money for a refugee camp, but we spend a $100 a night in a hotel, right?” she said. “So $100 for a refugee is reasonable if we share the cost, right?”
As the refugees still face the possibility of remaining in the camps throughout the rainy season, which lasts from May to October, Hailu is concerned about the heightened risk of snake bites during the winter months.
“There are a lot of snakes pushed to the surface,” the physician said. “Bites are unusually high, mortality is very high.”
With hopes of decreasing the number of possible snake bites, especially to kids, the humanitarians are striving to secure plastic boots.
“The cost is about $9 per boot,” Hailu said, adding that the team is also speaking with experts to acquire the appropriate type of anti-venom medicine.
The winter months also bring a higher risk of cholera and malaria, making it even more urgent for the healthcare professionals to obtain medicine and provide preventive measures. In Tenedbha, where 22,00 refugees currently reside, the land poses yet another issue. The dark soil in particular creates a challenge because it doesn’t absorb water when it rains, as opposed to some of the other refugee camps in Sudan, Hailu said.
While the problems in the camps continue to add up, humanitarians are persistently asking for people all over the world to contribute in some way.
“The world is a circle. What happens everywhere affects each one of us,” Hailu said. “Everyone at some point has a need to reach out. This is a group of people who overnight became homeless and all of a sudden are at risk of dying. Little that we do can make a big difference. Maybe because I was there and I saw it, it’s easy for me to say. But I’m not sure how to pass that on to tell somebody ‘it should be important enough for you to get involved.’ But as human beings we all have responsibilities to help other humans.”
The healthcare professionals, who initially planned to mainly focus on helping the youth, later realized that many of the 70,000 refugees in the camps are elderly.
“I didn’t expect to see people over 70 making the travel on foot from the area,” Hailu said.
Still, it’s the youth that are showing the most severe signs of trauma.
“The youth that are depressed and that are angry and that are sad, they are easy targets for human traffickers, so they are trying to take them to Libya. Some of them are killed,” Hailu said. “There are rumors of organ soliciting, so they take their organs and sell it. There is another movement now to keep the youth safe because they are such an easy target for human trafficking.”
Some of the refugees are taking it upon themselves to protect the young people from outsiders who try to deceive them with money and job offers.
“So there is a huge movement even among the refugees,” Hailu said. “They have selected people who go around, just peeking out.”
As for the humanitarians, they’re doing their part by organizing various types of activities for the youngsters.
“We started a soccer team and activities center with a library and arts and crafts,” Hailu said. “We have checkers and chess and hope to get a sewing machine so they can make masks and dresses.”
Sports in particular have become a major area of emphasis in the camps.
“It creates a team, healthier energy. They learn conflict resolution with each other,” Hailu said. “The biggest one is soccer. Initially, they were saying ‘OK, the boys can play soccer.’ And we said the girls can play soccer too. So we started the boys and the girls at the same time.”
In addition, advocates are ramping up their effort to create educational opportunities for the refugees, primarily focusing on providing books, computers and internet.
“Computer is a huge one,” Hailu said. “There is a way to buy internet, so we’re trying to get that so that they can reintegrate.”
Hailu, who understands Tigrinya to a certain extent, took time to sit down with the youth, listen to their concerns and offer a sense of hope.
“Being present with them, sitting on the ground, sharing their problems, hugging them, touching them, there is a sense that we see them and we hear them and we think of them,” she said. “There’s a sense of hope, a sense of knowing somebody cares.”
If the refugees are able to return home soon and some of the donations for the camp are left unused, Hailu plans to redirect the funds for other initiatives assisting Tigrayans. The California resident recently wrote the following letter to the public, urging people to join the effort to help the people of Tigray.
I am writing to ask you to support Tigray refugees who were forced to flee their homes and are currently residing in Sudan. Tigray is a region in Ethiopia that is home to ethnic groups including Tigrians. A war between the Ethiopian government and leaders from the region of Tigray forced 70,000 refugees to flee their Ethiopian homes to save their lives in the neighboring country of Sudan. Over 90% of the 6 million Tigrians who remained now face famine .
In response, I made a trip to the refugee camps in Sudan. My goal was to work with the children and adolescents in the camps and establish a wellness center in collaboration with other NGO’s. Of the 4 available refugee camps, we visited three: Hamdyat, Tenedbha and UmRaquba.
Let me describe the urgent need in Tenedbha that requires all our collective efforts. Tenedbha has about 22,000 refugees living in 6000 tents. We arrived at night after the first rainfall of the winter and found many of the tents collapsed, torn, or blown away. The storm resulted in injuries, and many lost the minimal belongings they had, including highly valued sacks of grain . . . . We also learned that snakes and scorpions pose a particular danger during the rainy season. Snakes and scorpions are driven out of crevices by rising water and infest the camp. We are hoping to secure rubber boots to protect children, and anti-venom for life threatening bites.
. . . I am hoping to raise $500,000 . . . We have a non-profit organization called ISBHA (International Society for Better Health Access) that has done great work in Ethiopia for years. To learn more about ISBHA and its success in creating schools and bringing water to a community in Ethiopia click here.
To make a tax deductible donation to ISBHA to support our work for Tigrian refugees in Sudan click here. Even if you cannot contribute, please share this plea with family and friends who may share my vision of providing these necessary life saving services. Together we can do it! If you have any questions please reach out to me at 559-273-9495.
NOTE- ISBHA tax deductible information: [501 (c) (3) ID number: 02-0731860].
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