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“When the enemy came in, we ran away. Those who escaped, escaped; those who died, died. We walked over the corpses, and we were lucky to escape.”
Shushai and her six children were among them Three million people displaced During the Tigray conflict from 2020 to 2022. Thousands of people have been killed in fighting between local militants and federal forces allied with militants from other regions.
Three years later, she still remembers the “good life” they left behind in northern Ethiopia. she remembers Brothers and sisters who can’t escapeher house has three rooms and a TV, as well as security for her children’s work and school.
“Those who stayed were massacred and killed; we left them behind,” she reflected.
when Fighting spreads to Amhara and Afar regionsShushai and her family then fled on foot and slept in the bush without cover for “nearly a month.”
She said some people were “taken away” during the military advance. Others were “beaten and sent back.” “Everyone who deserves to be killed has been killed.”
Shushai, now 40, and her children eventually settled in an internally displaced persons camp, where they still live today. Today she is one of tens of thousands of people living on a school campus in the Shire.
“There is no job. I wake up in the morning and there is no breakfast. They eat once a day. I stay and play with my children until there is a meal. We need everything,” she said.
UK charities ShelterBox and PAD provided Shushay and her family with blankets, mosquito nets, kitchen utensils, dignity kits with essentials such as sanitary napkins.
Even years after the conflict ends, their work becomes even more critical as cuts in international aid continue to hamper people’s struggles to rebuild their lives.
Global aid agencies have cut emergency relief supplies by 70% this year due to funding shortages.
Ethiopia still faces an internally displaced person crisis and is now Africa’s second-largest host of refugees, with many arriving due to conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan and drought in Somalia.
Shushai said their hope for the future “is to return to our homeland.”
“We wonder if they will let us return to a land where we can work and eat. We used to celebrate holidays like Christmas (Lidet). We would make popcorn and coffee and spend the day. But here, we don’t know Christmas; we don’t know the holidays. We spend it in the mud.”
Ceasefire has become the watchword of 2025 as diplomats try to resolve the world’s major conflicts. But around the world, deepening war crises and natural disasters are forcing record numbers of people from their homes.
More than 123 million people fled last year, exacerbating a 15-year upward trend, according to United Nations data on refugees and internally displaced people.
Even three years after the conflict officially ended, insecurity continues to plague Ethiopia. The worst drought in 40 years, along with seasonal floods and earthquakes, are exacerbating a humanitarian crisis affecting 21 million people. Those who were able to escape across the border into Sudan were quickly drawn into the civil war that has been ongoing since 2023.
Kader, 41, and his five children have been displaced three times within Ethiopia due to violence and the climate crisis.
“We’ve been displaced twice before and this is the third time,” he said. “When we got here, we encountered bad weather with scorching sun and heavy rain. It was terrible.”
Qadir suffered from chronic ailments in his back and legs, and when the condition worsened, he was unable to move on.
“It usually takes other people two to three days to get here, but because of my condition, it takes me five days.”
He relied on the goodwill of the community to bring him flour and sell the remaining livestock. Disabled people like Qadir have benefited greatly from the mattresses provided by ShelterBox this year.
Around the world, neglected crises continue to destroy livelihoods and leave families without the tools to rebuild.
Despite this, a survey of Britons found that three quarters are skeptical of the impact of their donations on communities on the other side of the world.
The majority also said they had “little understanding” of displacement as it does not typically affect the UK.
Only 27% believe climate change is one of the main causes of displacement.
Nuria, from Somalia, describes how drought forced her to leave her village with her 10 biological and adopted children, far from the relative safety of their home, and embark on a dangerous journey in sweltering heat and heavy rain.
She supported her family by selling charcoal and wood until a fire destroyed her livelihood and drought struck.
Subsequently, “painful” regional violence forced them to travel from place to place in the “sweltering heat”, begging for food and often starving.
Nuria, 58, and her children now live in a camp for internally displaced persons in Baidoa. Since her husband’s death, she has taken care of the children alone.
Despite this, she managed to find a temporary home with the help of the Juba Foundation and ShelterBox.
“We have settled into this residence and no one has forced us to leave, which is a source of pride,” she said.
“I found satisfaction in the daily struggle for survival rather than focusing on building an elaborate house. I had a strong desire to ensure that my children had a good life and a proper education.”
On the other side of the continent, Lagianga, 60, revealed the extent of the impact of foreign aid after her family fled violence and insecurity in Burkina Faso, which is facing widespread jihadist violence.
“Armed groups… came and gave us a ten-day ultimatum to leave our villages or face reprisals,” he said at a refugee camp in the eastern region.
“We come here empty-handed because our lives are more valuable than the wealth we leave behind.”
ShelterBox and HELP Burkina Faso helped build emergency homes to support 1,000 displaced families.
“Our living conditions have greatly improved,” Raghianga said. “Shelters allow us to live with dignity.”