A Better Tomorrow
The heart of the organization:
Our good or bad deeds follow us almost like a shadow, but when the destination is good, only the truly blessed will follow us. A journey of 1,000 miles starts with one step.
For both the internally displaced and for the refugees, among the victims who have been affected severely were children and women – women like the one pictured here. They all need immediate access to healthcare and basic necessities such as food, clean water, and clothing.
Yodit for Women and Children Foundation, a non-profit organization based in the United States, is dedicated to responding to the humanitarian of Tigray refugees in Umbrakuba, Tendba and Hamdait in Sudan who face the trials of war and devestation.
—
Yodit Gebremichael
Humanitarian
Why We Began:
The War and Similar Past Experiences:
In November 2020, the Ethiopian government unleashed a full-fledged, brutal war against Tigrayans, killing tens of thousands of innocent people and leading to unprecedented displacement. More than 2 million civilians were internally displaced, and more than 65,000 women and children fled to the neighboring country, Sudan.
I can say that this war brings déjà vu and a painful flashback of my own wartime experience back in the 1980s when I was only a little girl. I have a vivid memory of what happened; soon after the Ethiopian government started bombing Tigray regions, my little sister and I traveled for several days with nothing, barely able to support ourselves. It took us close to 1 month before we could find a safe shelter and sufficient food and water.
Similarly, the recent war in our region destroyed the lives of thousands of Tigrayans. Women and children took the brunt of the ordeal.
When I decided to visit the refugee camp in Sudan, I witnessed firsthand the suffering of our helpless people, particularly women and children. They were spooked by unremitting shelling and indiscriminate killing.
Taking Immediate Action:
Witnessing women and children in such despair condition broke my heart, and that is why I was inspired to speak up. Our people did not ask for this and they did not deserve any suffering. I began to campaign immediately, to create awareness and help raise funds to assist the unfortunate Tigrayans.
So with the support of my family, great friends, and generous donors like you, we have managed to successfully carry out projects like collecting and delivering sanitary pads and other dignity kits, too, for more than 9,000 women and girls at three refugee camps. We have also recently embarked on an initiative to build shops at all refugee camps inside Sudan, they are now fully equipped with grinders and generators. We are currently finishing up the groundwork at some of the refugee camps in Tenedba and Umrakuba.
The Beginning of the Foundation:
The dire conditions of these refugees in Sudan and those who are internally displaced within Tigray call for immediate action and assistance to alleviate the problem.
We have established this nonprofit organization, Yodit for Women and Children Foundation, to answer the call. Yodit for Women & Children Foundations is a US-based foundation and will continue to help provide emergency aid and rehabilitation assistance to the war impacted Tigrayans and beyond through our strategic projects made possible by your donations.
Though I am not a historian, I believe history is repeating itself. This time, I want to be the first responder to our people who are in need. I thought to myself, if someone like me – who has faced this suffering first hand – cannot be the voice of women and children in war, then who will?
So Let’s Join Together:
I am Yodit Ataklti, and I stand by my people! As our elders say, you can’t clap with one hand and that is why I want to rally, inspire, and put good people together during this challenging time to overcome the unforgiving and non-remitting problems of people.
Join us as we unite together to make a better tomorrow for the people of Tigray and beyond. Please reach out and see what steps you can take to restore, support, and rebuild the hope of the people.