Notes from the Ground

On the Ground with 'Wounded Healers' in Ethiopia

By Simon Adams, President & CEO

Published September 26, 2024

I’m currently traveling in Ethiopia, visiting the sites where CVT team members are providing critical mental health care to Internally Displaced Persons and survivors of incredible conflict-related trauma from the war in Tigray.

I landed in Addis Ababa, where CVT has offices that provide administrative and logistical support to our programs on the ground at refugee and IDP sites in Amhara, Gambella, and Tigray, which was my next stop to visit with staff and clients.

Tigray is so breathtakingly beautiful that you can easily forget the hardships and horrors that people have suffered. Ethiopians have demonstrated incredible resilience, and our staff consistently has shown up for refugees and IDPs alike despite suffering trauma alongside those they are treating.

One CVT staff member in Axum described those (like him) who lived through the Tigray war and now serve displaced and traumatized civilians as ‘wounded healers’. I never cease to be inspired by the resilience and professionalism of these CVT Ethiopia teams.

One CVT staff member in Axum described those (like him) who lived through the Tigray war and now serve displaced and traumatized civilians as ‘wounded healers’. I never cease to be inspired by the resilience and professionalism of these CVT Ethiopia teams.

At the IDP camp in Shire, survivors of atrocities access CVT’s counseling services in this tent/clinic/office. 5000 people (including children) live in this camp. The were forced to flee Western Tigray during the war, and cannot go home. The world is easily distracted by fresh humanitarian crises, but those displaced by the 2020-22 Tigray war still desperately need help and hope.

With more than 120 million people displaced globally by conflict and other humanitarian crises, this trip has been a stark reminder that in addition to meeting the immediate needs for safety, we must remember that the experiences that refugees and IDPs have been through are deeply traumatizing, and without mental health support, they will continue to suffer. I’m so proud of CVT’s work, and know we have so much to do. Onward!

-Simon