Twitter has suspended several activists who have expressed concerns about the media’s coverage of the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia. Using #NoMore as their rally cry, the activists have been condemning outlets such as BBC and CNN for allegedly vilifying the Ethiopian and Eritrean government and supporting the opposing group, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front

The TPLF, according to the activists, is to blame for the ongoing war in Ethiopia.

Activist Simon Tesfamariam is among those who has been suspended on Twitter.

A Twitter spokesperson said Simon is suspended for violations of rules “including our platform manipulation and spam policy”.

“This includes the creation of multiple accounts to post duplicative content and create fake engagement, and the operation of fake accounts,” the spokesperson told VOA News.

Simon’s supporters are speaking out against Twitter.

“”We have reason to believe that Twitter is targeting and suspending pro-Ethiopia voices that are raising awareness about the TPLF’s atrocities and its lies .  .  We believe Twitter has been infiltrated by TPLF sympathizers in the same manner that many democratic institutions and corporate spaces have also been infiltrated to provide a TPLF narrative,” — Abiy’s spokeswoman Billene Seyoum

“He deserves accolades, among others, for his meticulous research and balanced reports (New Africa Institute) to counter mainstream media disinformation stemming from political bias” — Eritrean government spokesman Yemane Gebremeskel supports Simon.

The war in Ethiopia broke out in November 2020. Abiy sent troops into the country’s northernmost Tigray region to topple the TPLF. Abiy said he launched the operation in response to TPLF attacks on army camps.

Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers have since been accused of massacres and mass rape in Tigray. Others say TPLF has committed similar crimes in neighboring Afar and Amhara regions.

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When Weyessa McAlister returns to his hometown in Ethiopia, he is welcomed with love and praise. 

“Yegna jegna,” the people say in the Ethiopian language, Amharic. 

The phrase, which translates to “our brave hero”, is particularly given to those who make a difference for their family and community. In McAlister’s case, the brave one returned from America and provided a much-needed clean water system to the people of Aje, a small village located south of Shashemene in Ethiopia.

McAlister spent part of his childhood on the family’s farm in this rural part of the Oromo region. Working alongside his grandfather, the boy would help grow crops, including corn, that would sustain the family throughout the year. 

On some days, McAlister would pile the corn on a donkey, take it to the city and sell it to raise money for school. That routine became common when the young man was only in the first grade. 

It was also normal for McAlister to run barefoot to his school, located about six miles away from home. Using only the sun as his clock, the boy would desperately attempt to arrive on time to class. As it turned out, the child became a star cross country runner later in life. And he earned the nickname, “Ace,” for his athletic prowess.  

McAlister and his peers in Southern Ethiopia came from various parts of the area to attend school. And they were often happy to have the opportunity to come together, despite how difficult life may have been in the rural region. 

The children also found relief when they played soccer outside of school. It was common to see them kicking with their bare feet and playing on a busy road. As large groups of people often walked along the road, which happened to be the only main road in the area, the children would have to stop their game and allow the crowd to pass by.  

Although he found joy in sports, McAlister suffered a series of heartbreaks early in his childhood. First there was the divorce of his parents, which caused the boy to permanently lose contact with his mother. Then came the tragic loss of his father, who died due to waterborne illness. A year later, 4-year-old McAlister experienced the loss of his younger brother, who also died for the same reason.

McAlister’s grandfather raised Ace and his sister after the series of tragedies in the family. Eventually however, the grandfather sent 8-year-old McAlister and his sister to an orphanage in the capital city, Addis Ababa. After spending the next few years of their childhood at the orphanage, the two siblings met a Massachusetts man named Steve McAlister.

At the time, Steve and his wife, Rosemary, were already raising a boy from Burkina Faso, along with their biological children. Still, the couple were ready to welcome more youngsters to their home. 

So Steve traveled to the orphanage in Addis Ababa, where he found the newest members of his family. The American parents then proceeded to complete the process of officially adopting the siblings.  

Ace now reflects on his memories while sitting in his home in Washington D.C. as a 25-year-old man. But the American resident isn’t just here to reminisce on his childhood. Instead, he’s more focused on the present and future of his hometown.

That’s why McAlister is leading an effort to provide clean water in his home village, where his loved ones and many other residents have died from waterborne illnesses. 

“Water is life,” the 25-year-old D.C. resident now says. “I wanted to give back to the community somehow.” 

The determined young man was a junior at Monument Mountain High School in Great Barrington, Massachusetts when he came up with a plan to combat the issue in his native land. A few years earlier, however, McAlister was a 13-year-old boy who was learning to adjust to a foreign country. His journey in America started with homeschooling, a plan designed to help the young man catch up with the rest of his American peers in academics. 

English was particularly a challenge for McAlister, who barely learned a bit of the language when he stayed at the orphanage in Addis Ababa. It was some of the volunteers at the orphanage who introduced a few English words to the children. But most others at the facility used Oromiffa or Amharic, two Ethiopian languages McAlister still speaks. 

McAlister became more comfortable with his new home as he progressed through high school. But he was still uncomfortable with the persistent issue back in East Africa. So he embarked on a mission to bring clean water to his hometown.

The first step? Create a GoFundMe account and raise about $6,000 to buy “a bunch of portable water filters.” The next step? An unforgettable journey back to Aje in 2015. Making the trip back to his birthplace, the high school student personally delivered the filters and demonstrated how to use them.

“I had a large assembly in my village where I demonstrated how these water filters work and gave one filter per household,” McAlister said. “I brought my tools to show them how it’s done and also set it up for everybody.” 

The relieved Oromia residents still use bali, the same buckets they always used to carry water. But now, thanks to their hero, the village members also get to attach filters to the buckets, making their water much safer to consume and use. 

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During his return to Ethiopia, McAlister also visited the orphanage from his childhood. As he met with children in his former home, the young man volunteered to teach them English and math. 

In 2018, the African hero once again returned to his hometown and distributed more filters. Even after his second trip, however, McAlister wanted to do a lot more for his people. He took the next step in his vision when he attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. That’s where he founded H2OPE, a student organization dedicated to providing clean water to rural villages in Ethiopia. 

McAlister arrived at Trinity College after a brief stay at Northfield Mount Hermon School, a college-prep school in Massachusetts. It was Northfield’s cross country coach who recruited McAlister, having noticed the young athlete’s elite running ability in high school. For McAlister, though, the institution provided more than just an opportunity in athletics.

“I really caught up a lot in reading and writing,” he said. “They walked me through the college application process. It was a blessing. I took advantage of that opportunity.”

When he arrived at Trinity College, McAlister chose to minor in music production and major in environmental science. While he chose the music minor mostly for leisure, the study of environmental science allowed McAlister to learn about the water system, which ultimately fueled his desire to build water wells in Ethiopia. 

The Trinity College student then launched H2OPE. While leading the student-organization, the H2OPE founder used various fundraising initiatives to raise money for wells. Ethiopian coffee and handmade crafts were among the items McAlister sold to increase funding. He also received donations from other community members and organizations, as well as the Student Government Association at his school.

Leaders of Trinity College also joined the effort, providing financial and moral support for their star student. In Addis Ababa, a nonprofit organization known as Drop of Water, which builds water wells, stepped up to lead the effort. 

As the pandemic engulfed the planet in 2020 and basically shut down the world, the H2OPE project was also forced to slow down. It was heartbreaking for McAlister to see the delay in his goals. Gradually, however, the structure took shape.

McAlister, who was following the progress of the project while he remained in America, was smiling from ear to ear when he received a letter from Drop of Water in June, 2021.

The Trinity College student also recieved pictures of the structure and photos of the joyous residents. Children, men and women were seen in the images as they proudly operated their new machine for the first time. 

Adjacent to the water well, there is a stone with a special inscription. McAlister beams with pride as he reads this stone which bears the name of his school and foundation.

In the coming weeks, McAlister will travel back to Ethiopia to see the structure which is now providing water to at least 100 households. As he makes the journey back to East Africa, McAlister plans to speak with the residents, see the impact of his project in person and create a stronger relationship with Drop of Water, as well as other organizations.

The jegna man expects his project to ultimately make a difference in various ways. He is particularly eager to see a change for young girls who have been spending their days fetching water instead of focusing on their studies. 

“They are the ones who travel so far to collect clean water,” McAlister said. “We want to be able to give opportunities for those young girls, to help them do other meaningful things like going to school rather than being trapped in the house, cooking for the family and collecting water.” 

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In the past year, McAlister has been working fulltime in a company where he is required to handle chemical hazards. He says it has been challenging to make a living while still making time for his project back in Ethiopia. 

Still, the 25-year-old vows to never live a life where he only thinks about paying his own bills. 

“People my age always think about money,” he said. “But my mission is ‘how can I give back to the community?’” 

McAlister remains determined to make a difference in Ethiopia and beyond. As part of his ambitious vision for the future, the D.C. resident previously joined an organization known as Engineering Without Borders. 

Working with the group when he was still at Trinity College, McAlister helped design a rainwater collection system for an elementary school in Tanzania. He then prepared to travel to Tanzania with the organization to implement the project. But the group’s travel plans fell apart when COVID came along. 

McAlister, who proceeded to graduate from Trinity College shortly after the missed opportunity, now looks forward to what else is in store for the future. But the immediate plan is of course to visit his water well project.

“I’ll be in Ethiopia for about three weeks,” he said. “I will have various meetings and I’ll be visiting the well site and visit my family.”

As he prepares for the trip back home, the Aje native is still thinking back to his childhood, particularly those days where his family would walk 45 minutes to fetch clean water. At the same time, he continues to envision a much different life for his people — a world where they’re not dying from waterborne illnesses or spending hours of their days on finding clean water.

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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].

The post Advocates Rally For Tigray Refugees Facing Challenges In Sudan Camps appeared first on KassDigitalMedia.

“This is real talk. In my country, Ethiopia, many girls drop out of school because of their period.”

The kind of support Zeleke talks about is based on compassion and open-mindedness. It’s the kind of support that dares to break cultural norms, encouraging girls to speak up when they need help and inspiring them to believe that there is no shame in the natural process of their bodies. 

“I got my period when I was 11 years old and it was very hard to mention it to my friends or classmates,” the Ethiopian woman said. “My mom helped me through a hard time. I thank all my family for standing with me and teaching me what to do while I’m on my period. I have body cramps and my dad still checks on me and he always tells me to check on my younger sisters and girls as well.”

As she grew older, Zeleke realized that many girls are not fortunate to have support from their families as she did. There was one image in particular that opened the young woman’s eyes and inspired her to launch a campaign for girls.

“The poster I saw on a meme page literally thanks husbands for not letting their wife stay outside while they menstruate,” she said. “It was such a painful moment learning how period Is deeply tabooed. And most importantly, I learned youth like me need to work hard on breaking the taboo.”

It’s not only the stigma that bothers Zeleke. It’s also the shortage of period products and the lack of information, which ultimately leaves a psychological impact on girls and affects other aspects of their lives.

“In Ethiopia, girls reach puberty and start menstruating often without adequate information and the psychological readiness to manage it, causing the onset of menstruation (menarche) to be a shocking incident,” Zeleke said. “Lack of information accompanied by a lack of access to appropriate sanitary wear and proper facilities for managing menstruation at school can hinder girls’ class attendance, performance and school completion.”

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After seeing the troubling meme, Zeleke decided to take a step forward. She started with a Google search, looking for organizations which strive to break the taboo and solve period poverty. One of the first organizations she found was known as POWER:Period, a group based in Copenhagen, Denmark, which is focused on “challenging the stigma of menstruation through activism, engagement and workshops.”

“I sent an email requesting to be their period ambassador in Ethiopia and their feedback was very appreciated,” Zeleke said. 

The ambassador then worked with her new team to arrange panel discussions in Ethiopia and to create more ways to educate the public. 

“POWER:Period was helping me with ideas and supporting me with all they can. I was even the first person to receive the booklet which POWER:Period made and translated in Amharic and gave out thousands of copies to educate people. It helped me learn more after collecting feedback from the booklet I translated,” said the advocate, who’s currently working on translating the booklet in three more Ethiopian languages. 

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Ramping up her efforts since taking that first step, the East African woman found more partnerships, speaking opportunities and ideas. In one of her latest roles, Zeleke serves as the global ambassador of an organization known as Women and Girls Support Ethiopia, which strives to empower women and girls through diverse developmental activities focused on poverty alleviation. 

“It has a vision to see a community where women enjoy life equally as their male counterpart through creating economic and social opportunities,” Zeleke said. “Enhancing their capacity through multiple interventions, including education and training, WGS-E strives to make its vision viable.” 

The global ambassador has also partnered with WGS-E to launch the #icare campaign, which leads an effort to distribute period products, in addition to fighting against other common issues affecting women. 

“WGS-E #icare campaign share complementary goals,” Zeleke said. “One of the overall goals is to expand the outreach of the vocational skill training program to marginalized group of people and connect them into income generating activities.” 

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The #icare leader was emotionally overwhelmed during a recent event in Addis Ababa, where she discussed the challenges girls face due to period poverty.

“It was at the event held in Hilton Addis on Jan. 2, where WGS-E #icare campaign collaborated with Merahit, Jegnit Yanchi and Kalkidan Children’s Health Care Charity Organization to launch a campaign together to [provide] one million period products for adolescent school girls,” Zeleke said. 

As she took the stage on that day to speak about the issue, the advocate first showed gratitude for her parents, thanking them for being there from day one and for supporting her work through the years. Zeleke also visualized the dozens of girls who use socks and other homemade supplies instead of pads. 

“I cried in front of the crowd begging them to help us solve period poverty,” she said.

On. Jan 4., the Ministry of Finance – Ethiopia delivered welcome news for women, reducing taxes on Menstrual Hygiene Management products from 30% to 10%. 

Ethiopia has drastically reduced taxes on MHM products from 30% to 10% to make MHM essential products available and affordable for all girls and this is resulting in an increase in access to the products for women and adolescent girls. 3/3

— Ministry of Finance – Ethiopia (@MoF_Ethiopia) January 4, 2021

The uplifting news was the result of years of hard work from the advocates.

“So about the tax issue, Jegnit had been working day and night for the past two years, which needs to be appreciated the most,” Zeleke said.

The #icare leader also played a role in resolving the tax issue, dedicating hours of research to highlight the extent of the problem.

“I had to turn my face to the system and check what made period products unaffordable,” she said. “And BOOM, doing my research, I found tax on period products was about 67-123%.” 

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Zeleke recalls a time when she went to buy reusable pads with her friends and paid almost 8000 birr as tax. 

“That will literally keep 80 girls in school for a year and half,” she said.

Hoping to solve the tax issue, Zeleke and her partners collected 2,000 signatures from petitions. While they were happy to get the signatures, the advocates also learned how difficult it is to get people interested in the topic of menstruation.

“It was never easy to collect 2000 signatures while people don’t take period poverty seriously,” Zeleke said. “It’s painful how some private school directors were ignorant and some people think it’s not an issue at all.”

The shortage of dialogue, coupled with the dearth of research on the topic, has compounded the issue of period poverty. 

“To my knowledge there has never been a detailed national survey of Ethiopia looking at menstruation,” Zeleke said. “Millions of girls and women are denied mobility and are subject to restrictions in their daily lives when menstruating. Due to the culture of silence and associated stigma around menstruation, the topic is not openly discussed even at the family level and therefore not given due attention.”

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Zeleke points to non-facilitating school environments as another significant issue. 

“Ensuring sufficient gender specific private toilet facilities with water for changing and washing, and provision of sanitary materials would help reduce girls’ absenteeism in schools during menstruation,” the Addis Ababa resident said. “Providing pain relief and adapting school rules (to facilitate toilet visits) may further help to facilitate menstrual care in schools.”

She also recommends broader policy implications to “include the responsiveness of the education sector to enhance girls’ reproductive health and life skills, and modify social norms to diminish menstrual restrictions.” 

Zeleke adds that international investment is needed in the development of environmentally-friendly materials and disposal systems. 

“Good menstrual hygiene is crucial for both physical and mental health, education, and dignity of adolescent schoolgirls,” she said. “Menstruation is part of the female reproductive cycle starting at puberty. Poor menstrual hygiene has been associated with serious ill-health, including reproductive tract and urinary tract infections. Inadequate water and sanitation facilities is a major impediment to school attendance for girls during menstruation.”

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While the issue is still widespread, the champions of women’s rights have seen some reasons for optimism. 

“Traveling to different parts of the country to solve period poverty and break awareness was one of our big achievements,” Zeleke said.

Advocates are also training women for various jobs, aiming to help them generate income.

“By bringing the diverse parts of our interventions and movement together around a common vision, I’m looking for individuals and organizations that will propel our movement forward,” Zeleke said. “We aim to develop a network of strategically aligned individuals and organizations residing in Ethiopia working together to advance the initiation.” 

The #icare campaign and its partners have been able to collect thousands of sanitary products and distribute them to school girls in recent years. However, with many more girls still looking for access to the basic needs, the human rights champions are calling for universal unity. 

That means the responsibility falls on people of all genders, teachers, community leaders and parents, who are being asked to teach their boys to stop shaming girls when they have their periods. 

“The society I grew up in looks at blood made by violence as normal, but peaceful and natural blood is horrific,” Zeleke said. “We talk about human rights, yet leave menstrual hygiene aside. As we women are the builders and the incubators, we deserve the human right too.” 

The advocate recalls a caption she once read, which stated that “CONDOMS should be sold and pads should be given for free. Sex is a choice and MENSTRUATION isn’t. Young girls without money are suffering out there.”

“This is real talk. In my country, Ethiopia, many girls drop out of school because of their period,” Zeleke said. “There are lots of companies profiting from this period. Some girls find it hard to afford disposal pads every month. It’s very hard for university students and girls from low-income families. I know some girls stay with the same pad to avoid the cost because they don’t have the knowledge and don’t know about side effects.” 

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Zeleke, who studied International Trade and Economics at Zhejiang Normal University in China, is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the field of Counseling in Psychology. But she still has time to get involved in several humanitarian projects, in addition to her focus on period poverty.

“I work on some projects which are focused on women and economic empowerment as well youth unemployment,” the humanitarian said.

Just like her parents, who helped her grow into a confident woman, Zeleke is determined to extend the support as she goes forward. 

“I never cared about my bed sheets or panties while I’m on my period. So I want every girl in the community, city, country, to be confident about their period,” she said. 

According to the Nobel Peace Center, 75 percent of Ethiopian women and girls lack access to menstrual supplies. The report adds that girls are often forced to use alternatives such as dry grass, rags, newspapers and cow dung.

“Lots of girls are having a problem in school, universities and different places,” Zeleke said. “I always think about girls and women who are living on the streets, how they can’t afford sanitary pads. Women need pads, tampons and menstrual cups for basic dignity while we bleed.” 

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Hiwot Tadesse was looking to raise 100,000 birr to help a child in Ethiopia who needed heart surgery. But she got a lot more than she expected. That was thanks to hundreds of people who shared her message on multiple social media platforms and help raise 208,550 birr. Now, Hiwot has raised enough to help two children who need heart surgery.  She plans to distribute the funds soon and update the community about the children’s status.

The post Ethiopian Community Funds Heart Surgery appeared first on KassDigitalMedia.

Anxiety has become a recurring feeling for many Ethiopians today who are living abroad and constantly losing contact with their families back home. The problem was evident earlier this year when the government ordered a two-week internet blackout across the country, aiming to stop communication between opposing groups as violent riots erupted in the Oromia region.

“As long as it is deemed necessary to save lives and prevent property damages, the internet would be shut down permanently, let alone for a short-term,” prime minister Abiy Ahmed said during a press conference in August.

A similar situation is happening again in November as political tension escalates in the Tigray region, northern Ethiopia. With the federal government engaged in a combat with an opposing political party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, communication has been blocked off in the region. The road to Tigray is also blocked, making it difficult for journalists to enter the area and preventing access to humanitarian aid.

Ethiopians around the world now worry about the conditions of their family in Tigray, becoming increasingly frustrated by the day as they are unable to call or use the internet to reach relatives.

One Ethiopian woman shared her sorrow in an Instagram video.

“I’m scared for my dad and my little brother and my little sisters,” she said with tears coming down her face. “This is madness. What kind of world have we created? Why did we learn how to hate each other?”

Despite the pain, the heartbroken woman vowed to lead with love.

“I’m not gonna let the world turn me into another hateful person,” she said. “My dad, my mom, they didn’t raise me to be that person. They didn’t raise me to hate people. They didn’t raise me to look down on people who can’t defend themselves.”

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We’ve talked a lot this last week and really the whole year, but nobody is actually being real about how it feels. So yes, maybe you are mad that people weren’t publicly going going hard for you. Most people I’ve talked to are scared to even if they feel your pain. But we did that once and ended up with Trump because we underestimated how much hate people really have. When did it become okay to not stand up against things we know are wrong. Do we let our anger over rule our moral conscious? I have hope that we can and will be better. We saw that when we voted out this racist President but we’d be fools to think that was it. So I’m asking all of us to be brave and fight back against people willing to risk your families lives while they save their own. #iamtigray #istandwithtigray #stopwarintigray #stopwareverywhere

A post shared by The Uprooted Podcast (@uprooted.podcast) on Nov 9, 2020 at 3:18pm PST

Dozens more Ethiopians are still growing anxious about their family in Tigray.

“Indeed, we don’t know what is going on the ground of Tigray region as the main communication channels shutdown including electricity. I can’t [know] how my family members are doing. All I hear is airstrike, and military attack by our government,” one concerned social media user wrote.

“I can’t call my family and check if they’re okay or what is happening,” another person said. “There is no way of knowing what is happening in Tigray!”

While there is a lot of finger-pointing going on during the conflict, many Ethiopians simply want peace for their families.

“My allegiances are with civilians—#Tigray #Ethiopia #HumanityFirst—including foreign nationals like my mom trapped in Abiy Ahmed’s telecommunications blackout. To hell with PP, TPLF, and all these other acronyms. None are the solution. They represent the past. War is for demons,” Massachusetts resident Samuel M. Gebru said.

Human rights organizations and leaders from around the world have condemned Ethiopia’s communication shutdown.

“The Ethiopian government’s blanket shutdown of communications in Oromia is taking a disproportionate toll on the population and should be lifted immediately,” Laetitia Bader, Human Rights Watch director, said earlier this year. “The restrictions affect essential services, reporting on critical events, and human rights investigations, and could risk making an already bad humanitarian situation even worse.”

But Abiy has continued to defend the decision to block communication during times of conflict, saying it’s for security reasons.

Many more people around the world are familiar with the feeling of worrying about loved ones in conflict regions. That was the case for an American resident named Ali, who worried about his family in Iraq.

“The situation in Iraq is very bad. My cousin was killed in Tikrit by the insurgents. I’ve been trying for some time to get my mother and father out, but now with the embassy starting to close, that’s not looking likely at this point,” Ali told immigration attorneys during the time of the conflict.  

In the early 2000s, Samuel Mansaray obtained a green card and came to the U.S., escaping conflict in Sierra Leone. But he had to wait four years before hearing about his wife and daughters back home.

“When they found my family, I just had to put down the phone,” Mansaray said. “I was so excited, I was so upset. It took me some time to get my composure back.”

The International Rescue Committee has called for all parties involved in the Ethiopian conflict to deescalate tensions.

“An escalation of violence in the Tigray region could have a devastating impact on the people we serve,” George Readings, IRC Lead Global Crisis Analyst, said. “We are currently supporting 90,000 refugees in four camps in Tigray and are concerned about disruptions to essential water, sanitation and hygiene services and the potential need for life saving emergency assistance if violence escalates.”

The U.S. Department of State is mainly focused on helping American citizens who are trapped in conflict regions.

“Our focus must be on helping U.S. citizens,” the department stated. “The embassy or consulate of your friend or family member’s nationality is responsible for helping their citizens. In general, we do not provide evacuation assistance to non-U.S. citizens. Exceptions may be made to accommodate special family circumstances, such as when a spouse or other relative of a U.S. citizen is traveling with the U.S. citizen family member.”

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Cover Photo: John Jennings

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Mussie listened to the dozens of women around the world who used social media to tell their stories of survival. She also amplified the voice of her own friends, who came forward with their own testimonies at the time. 

“I shared a story of two friends who shared their story of sexual abuse when they were children,” the Ethiopian advocate said. “I shared the story on Facebook to shed light into the problem that nobody talks about.”

The story of Mussie’s friends inspired more women to come forward and share their own struggles. 

“That post went viral,” Mussie said. “I ended up receiving a lot of messages from different women, some I don’t even know, telling me they too have gone through such experience, but never told a soul. Most of them felt seen and understood.”  

Three years later, Mussie has launched a platform which aims to break the cycle of sexual abuse, particularly in Ethiopia. The project, known as Kelela for Children, provides various types of resources through its social media channel and website. 

“Kelela for Children’s goal is to teach parents, teachers, caretakers and everyone genuinely concerned about children about methods of prevention and intervention,” Mussie said.

Prevention specifically depends on communication.

“It includes breaking the barriers that block the communication between children and parents while living in a society that doesn’t discuss sexual topics and considers it a taboo,” the Kelela founder said.

“These include teaching children about privacy, consent, appropriate behavior, private body parts, etc.” 

When it comes to intervention, Kelela highlights two components. The first part is focused on learning to read the signs of a child who is being sexually abused.

“There are both behavioral and physical signs that can be noticed or seen which most parents (in our context) don’t know or are often drowned out because of cultural contexts,” Mussie said. 

The advocate points to the example of African children who are scolded for refusing to sleep in the same bed as relatives.

“This could have been a visible behavioral sign that the child was telling us she/he is not comfortable, but because they are either scared or don’t have the language to articulate their needs, the needs go unheard,” Mussie said. “But if a parent is informed about this, they can easily investigate the issue and find out if there is something going on or not.”

The other part of intervention is “learning about what to do if our child is being sexually abused.”

“So what are the immediate things we can do as a parent or caretaker?” Mussie said. “What are the legal and medial steps we can take, etc?”

When Mussie came up with the idea for Kelela, she wanted to “let the concept brew inside her head first before launching.” By November 2018, she was ready to start the project.

“But I wanted it to be owned by all the women who inspired the whole idea,” Mussie said. “Their stories are sad but their resilience and courage to tell their stories – whether in public or privately is something remarkable and commendable. This includes women who never told anyone, but have been down that same road.”

So what does it mean to let the women own the project?

“I mean being involved one way or another,” Mussie said. “I wanted it to be owned by people who truly care about this and want to make a change.”

The advocate shared the vision with a few people around her who became interested in helping develop the project, setting up a team composed of a psychiatrist, psychologist and a lawyer. Mussie then partnered with a communications agency to design her materials and website. The next step was to find volunteers who translated the information to six different local languages.

Kelela for Children now stands under the umbrella of Kelela, which aims to tackle other issues outside of sexual abuse. 

“When it comes to Kelela the platform, the bigger picture is to keep identifying other problems especially focused on gender based violence and women’s right topics,” Mussie said. “If things go as planned, our reach will be continental. We will use Kelela as an umbrella platform for many others who would like to do similar works in the topics I mentioned.”

Kelela for Children has provided a 28-page guidebook on its website, detailing prevention and intervention methods for sexual abuse. Mussie and her team also plan to hold more campaigns and awareness creation activities about the different topics they aim to cover.  

In addition, the project brings forth stories of survivors.

“We wanted to have real life stories of adults who survived sexual abuse as children,”Mussie said. “Stories have power and they are much better than stats in the way they speak to people’s hearts, so we chose these stories to accompany our guidebook. so readers will understand the magnitude of the problem in addition to understanding the consequences these incidents have in adult life.”

Having graduated with a master’s degree in Gender and Media studies, Mussie has served in various journalism positions and learned how she can use media to make a difference. Her vast resume includes experience as a media and communications consultant specializing in social change as well as focus on social behavioral change communication strategies, gender sensitive media guidelines and conflict sensitive journalism. 

Mussie said her education contributed to how she “understands media and the ways in which it functions in society.”

Equipped with that knowledge, the media professional is moving forward with what she calls “a passion project.”

“This was our process to arrive here today. It took us a total of 2+ years to be here,” Mussie said. “Kelela for Children is a passion project that brought incredible professionals and social change makers together who were willing to exchange their skills and time to something they felt strongly about.”

Sexual abuse has been an increasingly concerning topic in Ethiopia during the pandemic as children spend more time at home. In an effort to bring attention to the issue, organizers of the #metooethiopia movement started a petition and highlighted the reasons for their concerns.

In the letter addressing Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed, the advocates described themselves as a group of “men and women who have been directly or indirectly affected by the physical, psychological and social trauma of sexual violence in the Ethiopian community.”

“We are the brave sisters and brothers who have shared our stories and those who have read their heartbreaking experiences and therefore stand in solidarity with them,” the group stated. “There is a lack of awareness and open conversations in our schools, work places, media outlets and community as a whole.”

According to BBC, The Women and Children Affairs Bureau in Addis Ababa said more than 100 children in the country have been raped since school closed because of the pandemic.

“Child sexual abuse is one of the most rampant problems we have in every society and the consequences are really grim. The impacts will follow for a very long time and at times even for a lifetime unless treated,”  Mussie said. “We need to break the cycle at some point. There could be many ways to do that and creating awareness and blowing the whistle to break the silence is very necessary.” 

When survivors reached out to Mussie three years ago and shared their stories, the Kelela founder said she noticed similar testimonies about parents who have no idea what’s happening to their children.

“When I started getting all those messages added with all the stories I know because of my work and engagement in such topics, it made me see the patterns more clearly. Parents have no clue — unless they are the perpetrators,” Mussie said. “That ‘no clue’ includes not knowing how to prevent these things or not knowing how to read the signs when their child is being abused.” 

The advocate said survivors feel isolated when they struggle to share their stories, making them feel like nobody else is facing the same struggle.

“This also creates a space for self blame,” Mussie said. “Because perpetrators often use different manipulation techniques to convince you, you consented to it.” 

With the launch of Kelela, Mussie is striving to encourage more survivors to speak out on a prevalent issue. 

“Sexual abuse starts at a very early age especially among women and almost all of us have gone through such things, but we never talk about them because they are taboo in our society and community, which creates the delusion that we are alone and it is happening only to us,” Mussie said. 

Kelela, which is an Amharic word describing the act of covering or protecting something, has a deeper meaning in the context of Mussie’s mission.

“The essence of the word is filled with empathy and care,” she said. “It is not paternalistic.”

Empathy is supposed to aid in the healing process as survivors face a long road to recovery.

“The process to heal and move on becomes nearly unthinkable or the hardest challenge one ever faces in life,” Mussie said. “This is because such traumatic experiences in childhood often end up manifesting themselves in adulthood. You may forget about it during your younger days but as you grow up, they will resurface.”

When it comes to boys facing sexual abuse, Mussie said she doesn’t have data to easily trace the number of cases, but the topic isn’t talked about because males also face unique challenges in speaking out.

“Men are not encouraged to talk about their feelings and trauma which makes it hard for them to share their stories compared to women,” Mussie said. “This doesn’t mean women find it easy to tell their stories, but the society has normalized sexual abuse against women and girls, so it is less of a taboo than sexual harassment against boys and men.” 

Mussie said the fight against sexual abuse is a long term goal and it requires more than one method, but there are many organizations and individuals doing their part, striving to put out fires against gender based violence. 

“We’re trying a direct grassroot approach to teaching the parents, guardians, caretakers, etc…in general the community that cares,” Mussie said. “What Kelela does is just add to the already existing bucket of solutions currently implemented by different stakeholders.”

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Millions of Ethiopians around the world have been paying tributes for the musician since the tragedy. But the pain is even greater for Haacaaluu’s grieving parents, who expressed their sorrow in an interview with Reuters.

“My heart won’t heal until the day I go and join him,” said Hundeessaa Bonsa, the musician’s father. “My wound lives as it is, it won’t heal. Haacaaluu was the shining son of the house.”

Like many of his fans around the world who were inspired by his songs, Haacaalu’s mother calls her son a hero.

“My son was a hero like a lion, he roared about his people, but he was eaten by rats,” Gudetu Hora said.

Haacaaluu was born and buried in the town of of Ambo, which is located about 62 miles west of the capital. Although his mother encouraged him to keep singing when he was a boy, Haacaaluu’s father wanted him to be a doctor.

“I used to sing whatever came to my head,” Haacaaluu told BBC in 2017.

The young artist followed his passion and became an iconic artist. But he also used his platform to speak up for social justice. His songs became an anthem for the Oromo people, who have been organizing mass protests in recent years and demanding to be treated equally as other ethnic groups in the country.

“My son didn’t live for himself, but for others,” Gudetu said. “He feels the pain of his people.”

Read more about Haacaaluu here.

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Ethiopians are celebrating after the country announced the first stage of filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’s reservoir. The long-awaited project was derailed for years because of disputes with neighboring Egypt and Sudan, who depend on the Nile River for farming and fresh water.

With the countries now making progress in their discussions about how to share the Nile, Ethiopia is building a $4.6 billion dam which is expected to reach full power generating capacity in 2023, The Washington Post reported.

The construction of the dam, which is 74% completed, is expected to provide electricity to the 110 million citizens and make Ethiopia a major power exporter.

The latest news about the dam was met with jubilant demonstrations in the streets of Addis Ababa and celebratory hashtags on social media.

And there was one more welcome news for Ethiopians when Teddy Afro announced that he will be releasing a single on Monday.

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Leyla Angelidis was three years old when she became concerned about the lack of children’s books in her native home Ethiopia. The little girl, who was adopted as an infant and taken to America, decided to make a difference after hearing about the problem. By expressing her concerns, Layla inspired her family’s Open Hearts Big Dreams initiative.

The program creates and distributes books specifically made for children in Ethiopia, featuring Ethiopian characters and written in several Ethiopian languages, as well as English. Partnering with several other organizations, such as Ethiopia Reads, Open Hearts Big Dreams started to make an impact in the country.

Layla found herself in a multicultural home when she came to the US. The diverse house includes Ellenore’s Greek husband, Michael, and the family’s culturally rich history.  The family’s experience with different cultures fueled their desire to bring even more diversity into their home. So they traveled to Ethiopia and adopted a 6-month-old baby named Layla. Considering the similarities between the Greek and Ethiopian traditions,  the Angelidis family naturally incorporated Leyla’s culture into their home.

After starting with a goal of contributing 200 unique titles to Ethiopian children’s literature, Open Hearts Big Dreams has published nearly 100 books so far. The project is made possible with contributions from author Jane Kurtz, who writes many of the easy-to-read books. Several other contributors also volunteer  their writing abilities, artistic talents and various skills to make the project a success.

As part of its effort to expand opportunities, Open Hearts has organized coding classes in Ethiopia and supported other technology initiatives.

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