From Fear to Hope
Adiam’s Return to Learning
In Abiy Adi Woreda (district), 9-year-old Adiam Berhane Gebrehawarya is rediscovering the joy of learning after years of conflict and displacement.
Before war tore through northern Ethiopia, Adiam lived happily with her family in Adebay Kebele. When fighting erupted in late 2021, she fled on foot with her mother and siblings to Hitsats IDP Camp in Northwest Tigray, leaving her father behind in Adebay.
When he finally rejoined them a year later, Adiam faced another heartbreak: her father was struggling with severe mental health issues. “Before the conflict, my father was healthy,” she recalls. “After he came back, we stayed at holy water sites to help him. I often felt hungry. I felt fear, anxiety, loneliness, and hopelessness.”
School became an impossible dream as the family moved from place to place seeking treatment.
Everything changed in June 2024 when Adiam enrolled in a CERF/OCHA-funded, UNICEF-supported Accelerated Learning Programme implemented by Innovative Humanitarian Services (IHS). She now studies in a bright, temporary classroom built for children like her. She received a school bag, stationery, and nutritious biscuits that help her concentrate. Her teachers not only teach English and Math but also comfort her when she worries about her father.
Through the programme’s child protection support, her mother received cash assistance and essentials, making it possible for Adiam to attend school regularly and play with friends in a child-friendly space.
Today, Adiam is thriving. She ranked 4th in her class and will soon move to Grade 3. Her smile says it all:
“Now I feel joyful and hopeful. Education is vital because it helps us live a good life. I want to become a doctor… to treat sick people… to treat my father.”
