Liban Hailu | Oxfam in Africa

Role: Media and Communication Officer

Organisation: Oxfam in Ethiopia

Simegn Hailu, 37, leads a group of 20 women in a self-help group that provides a system for saving money and loans for small businesses. Phot credit: Petterik wiggers/ Oxfam

"We’re Not Just Surviving"—Simegn’s Path to Financial Independence Lights the Way for Others in Sekota, Ethiopia

When entering Simegn Hailu’s family compound one must duck under clotheslines hung with brightly colored children’s clothes drying in the early morning sun. Inside, a small, well-stocked shop fronts…

Gezahegn Kebede, Oxfam in Ethiopia’s Country Director

World Humanitarian Day : A deep conversation with Oxfam in Ethiopia's country director

On this World Humanitarian Day, we pause to honour the dedication and courage of those who work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of others in the face of adversity. Ethiopia, a country rich in…

Originally from the western Tigray village of Humera, Birzaf's journey to the camp for displaced people was not one of choice, but of necessity, driven by the harrowing conflict in Tigray. Photo Credit: Petterik Wiggers/Oxfam

Hope through water for families in Tigray

In Abi-Adi town, a community of people displaced by conflict in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray Region, a woman in a clean blue dress stood out in the crowd as she headed toward the well pump. The 48-year…

Netsanet, a participant in the Oxfam support program spending time with her daughter at their makeshift home in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Photo credit: Petterik Wiggers/Oxfam

Cash assistance and training rebuilding lives in Tigray

The corridors of Agazi Elementary School in Tigray are bustling with activity. On one side, children scurry down the corridors to their classrooms, and the air is filled with the hum of learning. On…

Etsay Hafte, a farmer from Raya Azebo, speaks on the severe impact of climate extremes on her livelihood. She is one of the hundreds of thousands receiving cash assistance from Oxfam to help mitigate these challenges. CREDIT Petterik Wiggers/Oxfam

Stories of Hope in Southern Tigray

In the heartland of Kara in southern Mekoni district of Tigray, Ethiopia, Etsay Hafte’s story unfolds amidst the harsh realities of conflict and environmental degradation.Inside her modest house,…

Overcoming Hardship in Pinyudo Refugee Camp

Overcoming Hardship in Pinyudo Refugee Camp

In Ethiopia's Gambela region, amidst various refugee camps that shelter about 380,000 refugees, lies Pinyudo camp—a home for those who fled conflict in South Sudan. Here in Pinyudo , we meet Adugk…

Nyathak Chuol, refugee mother of six and a self-trained engineer at Pinyudo Camp in Gambella, Western Ethiopia oversees an EU and Oxfam-funded solar-powered water point, a lifeline for thousands of refugees Photo credit: Petterik Wiggers/Oxfam

One refugee’s commitment to ensuring water access for fellow refugees in Gambella

At Pinyudo, a refugee camp in Gambella, Western Ethiopia next to a solar-powered water tank , Nyathak is busy assembling a generator. As she fidgets with the intricate machinery , she manoeuvres some…

Nyalok, single mother of two and living as a refugee with a disability from a past accident, fled the turmoil of South Sudan in 2014. In Gambella, she is now making improvements to the small hut which she and her family calls home. Photo credit: Petterik Wiggers/ Oxfam

Strength under the sun - A refugee's story of Hope

Under the 38 °C hot sun, Nyalok Alo, 27 is hard at work. With purpose etched on her face, she mixes sand and water to cement the front of her makeshift home at Kule refugee camp in Gambella, Western…

49 year-old Gebrezgabiher Habtu stares at his crops after they all failed due to the ongoing drought in Tigray. CREDIT: Zerubabel Tore/Oxfam

Survival hangs in the balance for farmers in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Gebrezgabiher Habtu, is busy clearing his land in preparation for yet another attempt at farming. With only a handful of onion, tomato, and sorghum seeds he has left, Gebrezgabiher remains hopeful…

Tadelech Gebrihet has lived for 60 of her 70 years in the mountains of Tigray. Photo credit: Zerubabel Tore/Oxfam

Strength amid the turmoil in Tigray: one woman’s struggle to survive conflict, lack of food in northern Ethiopia

In the mountains of Tigray region in northern Ethiopia, Tadelech Gebrihet has lived for 60 of her 70 years in Kola Tembien, about 100 kilometers west of the region’s capital Mekele. “I enjoyed a…