Salesians support people facing uncertainty in Tigray region

(MissionNewswire) At the Don Bosco Center in Adwa, Ethiopia*, 3,000 loaves of bread are baked every day and distributed mainly to children affected by hunger. This is one of the many ways that Salesians continue to support people still facing challenges in the Tigray region of the country.

More than three and a half years after the official end of the civil war in Tigray, the political and economic situation in the region remains extremely fragile. Tensions between regional and federal actors, ongoing insecurity, and weakened economic structures continue. The local community, together with around 1 million internally displaced persons, still depends heavily on external assistance. Many families continue to face an uncertain future.

The situation is particularly dramatic in the camps for those who have been internally displaced. Many people are still living in provisional shelters. Schools that should normally serve as places of learning are being used as emergency accommodation. Families live in extremely cramped conditions, often separated only by hanging blankets or sheets. Many people are gradually losing hope for a better future.

“Without external support, it would be very difficult to guarantee regular assistance,” explained Father Trinh Kinh Luan, a Salesian in the region. “This support allows us to immediately purchase the flour we urgently need to continue baking and distributing bread. In this way, hungry children and mothers in the refugee camps can receive food every day. This help is not only financial. It is also a profound sign of hope and solidarity.”

Recently, a new humanitarian aid delivery from the Austrian aid organization One World Youth (Jugend Eine Welt), arrived in Adwa. Thanks to 4,700 kilograms (more than 10,000 pounds) of flour, the Salesians will be able to continue baking thousands of loaves of bread in the coming weeks, helping to ensure the survival of many people in need.

Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 38% of its population living in poverty, according to Feed the Future. Close to 85% of the country’s workforce is employed in agriculture, but frequent droughts severely affect the agricultural economy leaving more than 12 million people chronically, or at least periodically, food insecure. In addition, more than two-thirds of the population is illiterate.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Ethiopia – Adwa: Bread for the Hungry – Salesians Continue Emergency Support for People in Tigray

Salesian Missions – Ethiopia

UNICEF – Ethiopia

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.