A drought has transformed lush landscapes into desolate wastelands and plunged the Ethiopian region of Tigray into a severe humanitarian crisis.
Farmers, the backbone of the rural society, face ruin as their crops wither and die.
Communities here are also emerging from the shadows of a two-year war which was catastrophic with fields of crops burned.
Oxen used for ploughing were slaughtered and machinery was looted or destroyed.
Among those affected is Mihret Gebru, whose resilience and dedication shine through even in the darkest times.
The mother of six is a volunteer cook at Ara Primary School, in the Hintalo District, where two of her children attend classes.
She takes part in a school feeding programme provided by the UK charity Mary’s Meals which gives a plate of fortified porridge to children at school every single day.
Mihret said: “Twelve relatives died because of the war. That was worse than the current drought, but we face so many economic challenges.
“We face a shortage of food. There was a blockade which led to huge starvation and hunger.”
To save her children, Mihret sold all her animals, including chickens, to buy food.
She said: “For one jug of wheat of 1kg, it cost 85 bir (£1.15). It is very expensive. Before the war, it cost 30 bir (40p). I began doing people’s hair for the community to make money.”
Despite their best efforts to cultivate crops, the drought has rendered their farmland dry and barren.
Ara Primary School was shelled during the war, and the older students are still learning in the classrooms that sustained damage.
Up to 600,000 people were killed and millions displaced during an armed conflict that lasted from November 2020 to November 2022.
The war was primarily fought in Tigray between the Ethiopian federal government and Eritrea on one side, and the Tigrayan forces on the other.
Malnutrition is on the rise as food becomes scarce, and the haunting spectre of famine looms large over the region.
Schools, which should be places of learning and growth, are instead filled with the empty desks of children too weak to attend.
Mihret and her family were forced to flee to the neighbouring state of Afar where they hid in caves and trees as soldiers decimated their village.
She said: “We stayed alone for a few days because there were no basements or residents.
“Our husbands fetched water from the community. Sometimes we hid in caves or trees but there was no formal shade. We walked more than six hours from here to that area.
“But when I came back home, the war was continuing, but I felt safe. We realised the value of peace.”
But now the future of an entire generation hangs in the balance, threatened by the insidious reach of hunger.
Mihret said: “Mary’s Meals distributed food rations to children during the pandemic so they could cook at home.”
Her own children, two of whom are enrolled in the school’s accelerated learning program, bear the scars of interrupted education.
Her 11-year-old in grade three and 9-year-old in grade one, along with their classmates, are trying to cover three grades in one year to make up for lost time.
Mihret said: “They missed education for more than three years after the school closed in March 2020 because of Covid. It reopened in September 2023.”
Meanwhile her 17-year-old child, who is out of school, seeks opportunities outside the community, while her 21-year-old daughter married at 19 after dropping out of school.
Mihret said: “We have a big burden to raise lots of children because of the economy. We prefer for our children to get engaged so they can be reliant on someone else if they are over 18 years old.
“If there was a good economic situation and a feeding program here, we would have preferred she continued with her education.”
Teacher Wahio Mekoneni, 25, told how lots of students were in class before drought struck but now those who come in sometimes have their heads on their desks from fatigue.
The mother of two said: “Before the war, we had the chance to compete and accelerate learning. It’s difficult for us but also for the students.”
Mary’s Meals began feeding children at this school a plate of fortified porridge every single day from March.
Alex Keay, director of programme affiliates and partners at Mary’s Meals, said: “Enrollment numbers were significantly below pre-war levels before feeding started. The teachers were explaining that the kids were quite changed by what had happened during the war.
“Teaching was more challenging because children were traumatised by conflict and displacement.”
The 450 people registered at the school currently is significantly below the 570 enrolled before the war.
It costs just £19.20 to feed one student every single day for a year.
-To consider making a donation to Mary’s Meals, please visit the charity’s website.
