Due to the recent conflict in Northern Ethiopia, hundreds and thousands have been severely affected and displaced from their previous refugee camps and settled in the new refugee site. Alem-Wach in Dabat is a recently established settlement site in the northwestern Amhara region. It is now home to over 22,000 Eritrean refugees and asylum-seekers who came from Mai Ani, Adi Harush, Mai Tsebri and Shimelba camps due to conflicts. 

Wycliffe Ethiopia’s Trauma Healing team was blessed to serve a few of the children living on the site by providing them with Trauma Healing training. The training was held for three days from Feb. 22-24, 2023. Fifteen children and four Sunday school teachers were trained. 

The Wycliffe Ethiopia team planned together with refugee churches in AlemWach site led by Kunama church leaders for a couple of months. Tesfom had done a good job and he was always available to make sure that everything was in place. 

Participants: There were 15 children, ages 10 to 16, and four Sunday school teachers. Total of 19 participants. The training was given in Amharic but translated into Kunama and Tigrigna.  

Training Facilitators: Tewabech Mengiste and Ruth Gaddisa, and Kaleb  Luji.

All three workshop days started with prayer and worship songs in both Tigrigna and Kunama languages. Different games were played with the kids to build relationships.

Sample Reflections and Testimonies

The story of Sami and Rosa 

The facilitators were using a Trauma Healing guide in order to lead the trauma healing session for the children. One of the stories they came across was that of Sami and Rosa which they told the children in different parts throughout the three days. The story is told of the two siblings who were living in a community that was surrounded by conflict.  

As the violence around them kept getting closer to their village, the adults in the community, including Sami and Rosa’s parents, decided they needed to leave the area. Every night the adults would get together to discuss and update each other on how close the fighting was becoming to their area. They soon started to plan how they would leave that village and go somewhere safer. However, throughout all this, they never informed their children of what was going on. Sami and Rosa would see their parents having hushed conversations, that seemed serious, with the other parents, and that worried them a little, but since they couldn’t hear the details, they would soon forget about it. One day, deep in the middle of the night, Sami and Rosa heard shouting and screaming coming from outside. Their parents yelled for them to wake up and flee into the nearby jungle. Everything descended into chaos and the two children, in confusion, ran out their door and away from the commotion. During this time Sami and Rosa got separated from each other. Rosa was able to find her parents in the jungle but Sami left with another group. He eventually made it into a refugee camp where he was placed in an area with other children who did not have parents. 

As the facilitators were going over this story, they noticed that one of the children in the group seemed uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn. After the session one of them asked him what was wrong and he told them he had gone through what Sami from the story had experienced. 

11-year-old Adu had heard of the civil war that was starting up in North Ethiopia but he didn’t give much mind to it as he was living in the refugee camp and the conflict was taking place outside. One day, he started hearing the sound of gunshots that seemed to be coming closer and closer. He noticed his family and neighbors start to panic and become very scared. Soon, their camp was surrounded by armed soldiers from both sides of the conflict. The soldiers started shooting at everything and a lot of the refugees in the camp died. The survivors all started running out of the camp, and, Adu thinking he saw his parents with one of the groups of people, joined that group and ran away with them. He soon discovered that his parents were not with him. What could he do? With tears running down his face, he recalled how scared and confused he was. Should he go back to the camp? Should he continue going with the group he was with? Where was the group going? Were his parents even still alive? Some of the adults in his group noticed that he was alone and took him under their wing. He continued to travel with them and they eventually made it to another camp away from the conflict area. After a few days, and by the Grace of God, he was able to find his parents at this new camp. He said he still has nightmares about that time and still gets anxious when he can’t find his parents immediately. He said “The hardest part for me was realizing that I was alone. Even though the adults in the group took care of me, I did not know anyone. I felt very alone and very sad. I was living with strangers for many months and all that time I did not know where my parents were or how they were. I did not know what was going to happen to me. It was a very hard and sad time”

After the first part of the story, the children were given discussion questions to reflect on how Rosa and Sami felt. This helped them to talk about their bad memories and traumatic experiences while they were in their previous refugee sites and during their trip from Eritrea to Ethiopia.

Most of the children reflected on their past experiences during the war and after they came to this new settlement. They had a traumatic experience while they were in the previous refugee camps. Because of the displacement, the war, and the killings they witnessed, they were feeling scared not knowing what will happen to them and their families. Some of them, like Hiyab, lost a beloved friend due to the war. Sona said “when we were in Shimelba camp, I was scared of being killed. My Dad said it’s good to stay here so that when most people left the camp, we were left alone and had nothing to eat.” Berehet (15) and Hirity (13) also said they were scared of the war while they were living at Shimelba site. All the children have their own untold stories which no one deserves to pass through. 

The story of Rosa and Samy was very much related to what most of the kids had passed through. It helped them realize that such things could happen to anyone. Because of the similarity, they were able to talk about their own past experiences and wounds openly.  

I Am Important to God

After reflecting on the story of Rosa and Sami, the children were given papers to draw themselves and color it. Then the facilitators painted their thumbs with markers and helped them put their fingerprints on their drawings as a signature. 

This activity helped them to see that all the pictures are different as are their fingerprints. This is how God created each one of us – we all are different and unique. There was no picture and fingerprint that looked like the other. 

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Ps 139:13-16

After reading Ps 139:13-16, the facilitator emphasized how God created each one of us uniquely and wonderfully. God, not only created us wonderfully but also has a wonderful plan for our life. We are not accidents on this earth, but each of us is here as God’s plan. For many reasons, our families and friends may abandon us, but God holds us in His hands always. hence, in whatever situations we are going through, God always controls our lives. After meditating on this lesson, the facilitators prayed for the children. 

Why Bad Things Happen

After teaching the children about the Creation story and how Satan ruined God’s creation and brought evil to the world, suddenly, the facilitator brought her beautifully coloured flower picture out and tore it apart and distorted it. All the kids were shocked and asked why? 

Then it was time to teach them how evil distorted God’s beautiful creation including us. It is because of evil in our world that there is war, disease, famine, death, displacement, and killing each other,    it's not because of God. “Just like the beautiful flower pictures you all wanted to keep safe, God also wanted us to be safe”, said the facilitator. She emphasized how Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God brought all the bad things to the world which affects all of us everywhere. 

Finally, the story of creation continued showing the kids how God didn't stop there. He gave his children hope of salvation. He promised them a savior, his Son Jesus Christ will come to save the world. Only He will perfect the distorted world. 

During prayer time, the facilitators helped the children to take time and reflect on the lesson and relate it to what happened in their lives. Some kids reflect on their past experiences while living in different refugee camps which still brings traumatic memories.  

The facilitator emphasized that, the bad things that have happened in their lives are neither because of them nor their families, but due to evil in our world. The kids were also encouraged to forgive others whom they thought were responsible for the war and displacement in their home area.   

Lament

Efrata Kahisay’s Letter (translation)  

My name is Efrata Kahisay. I am 11 years old. This is what happened to me when I was young: due to the difficult situations we passed while living in Hitsats Site, my parents were lost. And still, I have no information about them. after that, we were scattered and I was separated from my elder sister Selamawit. After a month-long search, she was found in a city called Shiraro. 

And while we were coming to this site on foot, we traveled during the nights. Because our journey to this site was in the dark, something hit my eye. Until now, I couldn’t get proper treatment. Moreover, because of our belief in Jesus, we faced a lot of opposition and difficulties on the site. My sister was even bitten and attacked by soldiers. 

Hirity Kidanes Letter

I have passed through many difficulties as a refugee. I was a believer in Jesus since we were displaced. Our relatives mocked my family because of our beliefs – they call us names like “Satan.” Because of this, we didn’t get much help during our displacement. But thank God who never forsake us. When we left Eritrea, my disabled brother was with us. My mother carried him while traveling many days on foot. After many difficulties, we reached the settlement site. We hoped my brother would get the treatment he needed and would get better. However, they told us that they can do nothing for him there. They told us that if he goes to abroad for treatment, he would get better. But that is beyond our capacity. Moreover, there is no one who supports us financially. Therefore, we are here living on this site with our disabled brother getting no help. But I believe that one day, God will come to our aid. May all the glory and praise be unto Him, amen!

Success and Praise  

• All the children who were called for the training attended and actively participated till the end.  The lessons that were planned for the workshop were covered. 

• With the help of the Holy Spirit, the children were able to identify their heart wounds, bring them out and talk to God and to their friends. The healing process has started in the children’s lives.

• On the last day of the training, the parents of the children were called and they were given a debrief awareness on what the children were thought in three days. It was about an hour and a half. The trainers were able to cover the “healing arc”. They were given the opportunity to ask questions. Few of them did, but most families were sharing their pain individually, and how that pain affected their children in many ways. 

Challenges 

Language:  Since the language of the trainers was Amharic; Kaleb had to interpret it into both languages. This was a bit hard and time-consuming.

• The training location was one of the challenges. There was not enough space to play, so it was difficult for the facilitators to get the children to play outside of their Camp. Although various games were included in the course to help express inner feelings, it was not played enough due to the discomfort of the place.

• For some children not going to school because of insecurity issues is a big deal; they say it again and again in any of the lessons. The facilitators tried to address the families who do not send their children to school but the parents have a concern about security. But for the children, it was an issue which led them to further sadness and hopelessness.

Prayer Requests 

During our three-day stay with the children, we witnessed that some of the kids look better-taken care of and others were not. Some girls’ hair was full of lies, wore dirty and worn-out clothes, and looked like many days passed since they took a bath. It was a sad experience to witness this situation on the kids because it was not our focus to support the kids in their physical needs. However, we prayed for them so that God would provide them with what they needed.

 Please join us in praying:  

• Pray for the children who did not go to school to return to school.

• Pray for security: According to the children, the local community does not have a good. relationship with the refugees, so they sometimes beat and rob them.

• Pray for God to provide food, clothes and other basic needs for the children.

• Pray for God to help the children who have not found their parents yet like Efrata.

• Some children are vulnerable to sexual abuse, so pray for God to protect them.