“I was scared something bad would happen to us if we stayed. We had no choice but to escape.”
Letha, Ethiopian refugee in Sudan
Letha’s Story
Letha was seven months pregnant when she made the difficult decision to leave her home in Ethiopia’s western Tigray region without all of her family.
When fighting broke out in November 2020, she was separated from her husband, son and daughter, and fled across the border into Sudan with her two youngest children.
They were accommodated at a reception centre where UNHCR provided them with assistance, including food and shelter.
Letha later delivered a healthy baby boy, but she still felt bereft.
“I wasn’t at peace, because I didn’t know where the rest of my family was,” she says.
With help from UNHCR and its partners, Letha was reunited with her 11-year-old daughter, Eymaret after a seven month separation.
But the search for Letha’s husband and son continues.
“We had a good life back home and lived peacefully. My dream is for our whole family to be together again,” she says.
Your donation in action
UNHCR is working with authorities and partners in Ethiopia and Sudan to provide emergency shelter, food, water and health screening to the thousands of refugee women, children and men arriving from the Tigray region in search of protection.
UNHCR is also providing psychosocial support for unaccompanied children and women and girls who have been exposed to gender-based violence.
Your gift will help us register vulnerable refugees and keep them safe as they arrive in new countries.
Your gift can provide temporary shelter for refugees.
Your gift can provide malnutrition screening and emergency nutrition for children whose lives are in danger.
About Tigray Crisis
What is happening in Tigray, Ethiopia?
The Tigray conflict began in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia in 2020, when thousands of refugees began fleeing ongoing fighting in the region to seek safety in eastern Sudan.
Refugees – mostly women and children who are exhausted from walking long distances over rough terrain – have been arriving at remote border points. With no end in sight to the conflict, more support is urgently needed.
How can I help refugees from Tigray?
You can help refugees fleeing Ethiopia and internally displaced people by making a donation or fundraising for us.
Your support will provide emergency shelter, portable water and health screening to the thousands of refugee women, children and men arriving from the Tigray region in search of protection.
Our fundraising impact
The majority of funds raised by Australia for UNHCR are directed to UNHCR’s emergency operations, providing the ready funds and resources to respond quickly and effectively in situations of crisis and disaster.