Education as hope: Tigray's children urgently need help!

Education as hope: Tigray's children urgently need help!

at the end of April 2025 were 122.1 million people worldwide due to war and persecution. More than half of them, around 73.5 million, are inland -displaced people who had to flee within their home country. During the escape movements, Tigray, in the north of Ethiopia, is a particularly affected hotspot. The region has been suffering from the devastating civil war between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF for years, in which over 700,000 people have lost their lives.

In this context, a million people within the Tigray region have to flee and live under catastrophic conditions in makeshift camps. Schools that once served as educational institutions were often converted into emergency shelters. Families often live on a few square meters without privacy. The civil war hit the education system in Tigray strongly, and many children had no access to lessons over the years. Over 2,400 children lost their learning and shelter in one day.

The current situation in Tigray

Some schools have now opened again, but in a deplorable condition. Many classrooms are empty and lessons take place outdoors, often under a mango. Supporting organizations such as youth a world is crucial. This has been committed to school and vocational training projects in Tigray for 28 years and has been providing emergency aid since the beginning of the war in November 2020. The organization requires urgent financial support to rebuild the education system in Tigray. The cost of setting up a classroom amounts to around 4,000 euros, while a teacher earns around 100 euros per month.

In another context that describes the situation in Ethiopia, it becomes clear that the government is not only against civil society, but also against human rights defenders. According to employees, NGOs receive threatening calls and are intimidated. In many cases, events are disturbed by government agents, which also makes the work environment for aid organizations more difficult. Ethiopia is dependent on foreign help, whereby human rights violations of various actors, including the EU and Germany, have to be addressed more frequently.

Humanitarian aid and the refugee situation

The UNHCR reports that the security situation in Tigray, Amhara and Afar is still complex, with fighting on several fronts. There is an increase in the need for humanitarian aid because more and more people are being driven out within these regions. Over 15,800 refugees live in Tigray, and the range of help is made more difficult by the tense security situation. The UNHCR has increased the emergency aid measures for Eritreige refugees in the region and looks after several camps in which displaced accommodation and relief supplies are provided.

In addition, the improvement of the water supply is being worked out and advice centers are expanded in the settlements for internal displaced persons. The aim of these places is to support family reunions and identify people in need of help, such as people with disabilities or single parents. The UNHCR distributes urgently needed relief supplies such as kitchen sets, sleeping mats and hygiene reads to improve the living conditions of the displaced persons.

The situation in Ethiopia, especially in Tigray, is not only a humanitarian disaster, but also a clear sign of the need for international help and stronger pressure on the Ethiopian government to respect human rights and to restore peace in the region.