Support for orphaned children and vulnerable families in Wukro (Ethiopia) – Project 2025

Support for orphaned children and vulnerable families in Wukro (Ethiopia) – Project 2025

This project supporting orphaned children and vulnerable families in Wukro (Ethiopia) is part of an ongoing program providing comprehensive support to vulnerable children and communities in situations of hardship in Wukro, implemented with the support of the Fundació CIS Angel Olaran.

In a context marked by poverty and the consequences of conflict, this program ensures access to food, education, and healthcare for hundreds of children and families struggling every day to move forward.

Thanks to the support received, living conditions for the most vulnerable have improved, creating new opportunities for a better future.

Project continuity

This project has already been completed, but the need for support remains urgent.

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Introduction

The aftermath of the recent conflict in Tigray has left profound scars on the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) across the region. The war has not only disrupted social structures but has also severely undermined children’s access to education, health care, and safe shelter. Many children have been forced to drop out of school due to the inability to afford school expenses, the absence of secure living arrangements, and the pervasive stigma associated with their circumstances. Food insecurity and poor access to health services further compound their vulnerability, leaving them at heightened risk of exploitation, neglect, and long-term poverty.

The conflict has dramatically increased the rate of orphan hood, while also giving rise to a growing number of child-headed and women-headed households. These households face immense challenges in meeting basic needs and ensuring the wellbeing of their dependents. In this fragile context, supporting OVC is not only a humanitarian imperative but also a critical investment in rebuilding the social fabric and fostering resilience within communities.

After the conflict ended, older adults found themselves just as exposed as children’s without caregivers. People dealing with mental or physical impairments, along with those living with HIV, now share similar struggles. Safe housing vanished for too many, making everyday survival harder than before. Access to medical help grew even more difficult, especially where roads and clinics broke down. Basic things like food and water turned into luxuries for some families. Shame and exclusion returned, cloaked in new stories of loss and fear. With networks fractured, many relied only on themselves, carrying burdens passed down through silence.

Recognizing these realities, the program has expanded its scope to provide comprehensive assistance to these populations. Support includes financial allocations to cover essential living costs, meal provisions to address food insecurity, and medical support to ensure access to treatment and preventive care. For people living with HIV/AIDS, the program also provides nutritional supplements to strengthen immunity and improve quality of life. For the elderly and persons with disabilities, tailored psychosocial and health interventions are offered to restore dignity and reduce isolation.

By integrating these groups into the program, it is ensured that humanitarian assistance is inclusive and holistic, addressing the diverse needs of those most affected by war and economic hardship. This approach not only alleviates immediate suffering but also contributes to rebuilding community resilience and fostering social cohesion in a post-conflict environment.

This report outlines the ongoing interventions under the program, highlighting the comprehensive support provided to OVC children including financial assistance, education, health care, psychosocial support, and legal protection. And also Elderly, people with physical and mental disabilities and people living with HIV/AIDS. It also underscores the urgent need for sustained donor engagement to address the escalating demands caused by post-war realities and economic inflation, ensuring that these children are given the opportunity to reclaim their dignity and pursue a brighter future. This report is therefore to show the activities of the office of the one year January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025.

Background of the program

Tigray, Ethiopia northern most regional state is located in one of the highly environmentally degraded parts of Ethiopia and further more Africa. Tigray is bordered by Eritrea to the north, the Amhara Region to the south, the Afar Region to the east, and Sudan to the west. Tigray is the fifth-largest by area, the fourth-most populous, and the fifth-most densely populated of the 11 regional states of Ethiopia.

The program covers two weredas of Eastern zone of Tigray region, namely Wukro and Kiteawlaelo weredas. The projected population of the region Wukro and Kilteawlaelo weredas are estimated  63,635 and 104,079 consecutively with 17,198 and 23,117 households, in which female house hold occupies 70% of the volume.  47.65% of all the population are male and 52.35% are Female.

The program was established with a vision to restore dignity and provide holistic support to communities most affected by poverty, conflict, and social disruption and guided by the leadership and values of Father Ángel Olaran. Its mission is to ensure that vulnerable populations especially orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC), elderly people, persons with disabilities, and individuals living with HIV/AIDS—receive comprehensive care that addresses both immediate needs and long‑term resilience.

Over the years, the program has expanded its scope to respond to the evolving challenges faced by marginalized groups. The organization’s activities are designed to provide integrated support, combining financial assistance, social services, and empowerment initiatives. The program operates with a strong emphasis on inclusivity, sustainability, and community participation, ensuring that beneficiaries are not only supported but also empowered to rebuild their lives.

Goal and objective

Goal

To significantly reduce poverty and improve the quality of life for the most vulnerable populations (OVC and Needy) in the operational areas through sustainable development initiatives and support programs.

Specific objectives

• Support orphaned and vulnerable children by providing education, healthcare, and psychosocial support for their holistic development.
• Assist needy families through financial aid, nutrition support, and access to healthcare to promote economic stability and self-reliance.
• Support street children by providing shelter, education, and rehabilitation to facilitate their reintegration into society.
• Assist people living with HIV/AIDS through medical care, counseling, and social support to improve their quality of life and reduce stigma.
• Promote sustainable development through community projects focused on environmental conservation, sustainable practices, and economic growth.
• Empower vulnerable individuals by establishing sustainable income-generating activities.

Beneficiary Profile

Total number of beneficiaries

There were a total of 644 beneficiaries in need at three different programs.

Description of Activities

Financial Support

In line with the overarching objective of improving the well-being of vulnerable populations, the program provides regular financial support to beneficiaries to help meet their basic needs. This intervention is designed to reduce economic hardship and enhance household stability among Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), needy individuals, and People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).

The objective of this activity is to ensure that beneficiaries are able to meet essential daily needs, including food, housing, and basic hygiene items, through the provision of monthly financial assistance.

Significant progress has been made in strengthening financial allocations to beneficiaries under the program with in the year. Monthly support has doubled, enabling families to better meet basic needs.

As a result of the economic support the lives of the children were secured and they were able to grow like any children in their communities. The proper use of the finance has been followed by the social workers and foster mothers with a close collaboration of the caregivers of the OVC. For very young children who cannot cook their own food and who have not any adult living with them, cooks have been assigned to prepare their daily meals.

Despite this increase, the allocations remain insufficient given the current economic inflation in the region. To sustain meaningful support, an increment in financial allocations is urgently needed for 2026, aligned with the realities of the regional economy.

Ensuring the Health of Beneficiaries

Coverage of Medical Expenses

In line with the country’s health policy, the program gives great attention on preventive health care rather than curative interventions. In achieving this, the program has provided continuous health education sessions to beneficiaries, focusing on personal hygiene practices and the modes of transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS. These sessions were conducted during monthly payment days and on other appropriate occasions to maximize beneficiary participation.

Moreover, social workers have been paying attention to important health matters through home-to-home visits. This preventive efforts significantly contributed to minimizing the incidence of illness among beneficiaries, resulting in a relatively low number of reported sickness cases during the reporting period.

Beyond preventive measures, the program also ensured access to curative health services by fully covering medical expenses for beneficiaries enrolled under the Orphan and vulnerable, Needy, and Care and Support (PLWHA) programs. Selected caregivers who are entirely dependent on program support were also included in this medical assistance. Coverage extended to all necessary medical treatments, including referrals to higher-level health facilities when required.

Furthermore, expenses of the above stated beneficiaries was also covered in accordance to the receipts submitted.

Additional support to PLWHA orphans and who are under chronic illness

In addition to receiving regular monthly financial assistance, the orphans with PLWHA or Chronic illness were provided with supplementary nutritional support so as to keep them healthy. The program has provided half (½) liter of milk per day. In situations where fresh cow milk was not readily available in nearby areas, milk powder was supplied as an alternative. This approach ensured continuity of nutritional support and addressed the specific dietary needs of the beneficiaries, thereby contributing to improved health and nutritional status of the children despite local supply constraints.

Educational Services

Education is the main way if beneficiaries are needed to be self-reliant. Holding this reality, the program has provided various kinds of support so that the beneficiaries will become effective in their studies and to make their future bright. The main services extended here are presented below:

1. Providing school materials: at the beginning of the academic year, the program has distributed exercise books, pen, and pencil to OVC student beneficiaries.
2. Providing school uniforms: The program has distributed uniforms to students who are registered to new schools and to those whose uniforms are worn out.
3. Covering school fee: the program has covered school fee to 20 children who are attending in private kinder garden schools. Moreover, the program has also covered registration fee for all student beneficiaries.
4. Extending the support for the students who are attending at University: The program has supported transport allowance, blanket and bed sheet and exercise book and pen for orphan university beneficiaries. Moreover, the program has provided financial support for other educational material expense. The amount of support is 500 Birr per month per individual and they are getting this support through a bank in quarterly basis. Currently 5 orphans are doing their studies in universities.
5. Provision of tutorial classes: The main purpose of providing tutorial classes is to contribute for the good performance of the students in their study. The program has provided tutorial classes at the organization’s multi-purpose center with qualified teachers. during the project year, students from Grade 5 to Grade 12 attended these tutorial classes and were grouped into four groups: Grades 5–6, Grades 7–8, Grades 9–10, and Grades 11–12, to ensure age and school level appropriate instruction.

Additional summer classes for primary school students were facilitated by social workers to help them gain preliminary understanding and preparedness for the upcoming school year. Moreover, basic computer training was also provided for those students in Grades 11 and 12 to enhance their digital literacy and support both their academic and future career development.

Psychosocial support

For the reason that orphans have lost their parents who were responsible to give them care and love, they are exposed to various psycho-social problems like loss of confidence, anger, feeling of guilty, fear etc. In order to mitigate such kind of problems, the program has undertaken various psycho-social support activities as displayed below:

Foster care parenting service

The program strongly believes that orphans have to be supported inside the community with their closer family as this creates good atmosphere for socialization. As a result of this, most of the beneficiaries are living with their closer families. However, there are some beneficiaries who do not have any body to take care them. For these beneficiaries, the program has appointed 8 foster mothers to see the day to day life of the children. At the moment there are only 44 beneficiaries who are getting the service.

Counseling

During the last six months, the social workers of the program has rendered counseling services to 25 orphans who showed behavioral problems and to 12 PLWHA’s to lead a normal life. Apart from this each social worker do provide this service to beneficiaries who have such kind of problems.

Home and school visit

The main objective of the home and school visit is to evaluate the beneficiaries’ general wellbeing, with particular focus on their health, academic performance, and relationship within the family, and to take timely corrective measures whenever challenges are found. Four working days a month were set aside for social workers to make follow-up visits in order to carry out this activity successfully.

There were two types of home visits: routine visits and special visits. Children living with HIV/AIDS, children receiving counseling for behavioral or other psychosocial issues, and fully orphaned children were the focus of special visits. Monitoring student attendance, classroom participation, academic performance, and general involvement in school activities were the main goals of school visits.

Both home and school visits played a critical role in identifying gaps and implementing corrective actions aimed at improving beneficiaries’ living conditions and academic outcomes. During these visits, social workers provided counseling to beneficiaries and engaged family members in discussions related to education, positive behavior development, personal hygiene, and strengthening family relationships. As a result of these continuous follow-up efforts, improvements were observed in beneficiaries’ health conditions, the incidence of illness declined, and cases of unwanted pregnancy were reduced to zero.

Training on life skills

As part of the continuation of the program’s effort to ensure the integral development of the beneficiaries, training on life skills has been given to 45 beneficiaries from March 29-30, 2025 at multipurpose center facilitated internally. The training was provided by social workers.

The training had the following objectives:

• To equip participants with the basic skills in alleviating psycho-social problems
• To equip participants with various skills of peaceful living (within the community)

Home base care service

Home-based care services were conducted twice a year for elderly needy beneficiaries who lack close family members to provide care and support. These services were implemented through the active involvement of volunteers and young Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), in close collaboration with social workers and foster mothers. The home-based care activities included washing beneficiaries’ clothes, cleaning their living environment, and carrying out basic house maintenance, including painting, thereby improving the safety, hygiene, and overall living conditions of the elderly beneficiaries.

Additional nutritional support

During the reporting year, additional food items and hygiene materials were distributed to beneficiaries across all program components. Each beneficiary received 25 kg of wheat flour, 3 liters of edible oil, two pieces each of body soap and laundry soap, and 1 kg of detergent powder to support household food security and personal hygiene. In addition, the same type and quantity of assistance were extended to emergency needy individuals within the project area, ensuring timely support for households facing urgent needs. This kind of additional support was provided twice in this reporting year.

Impact of the Program

The implementation of the program has brought about significant positive changes in the lives of the targeted beneficiaries and their families. Through the provision of regular financial assistance, supplementary nutritional support, educational services, health care coverage, and continuous social work follow-up, the program has substantially improved the overall well-being and living standards of orphans, vulnerable children, needy individuals, and people living with HIV/AIDS.

Access to consistent financial and food support has enhanced household food security and reduced economic stress, enabling beneficiaries to meet their basic needs with dignity. The emphasis on preventive health education, medical expense coverage, and home-based care services has contributed to improved health outcomes, a reduced incidence of illness, and better hygiene practices among beneficiaries. Notably, the program has also helped eliminate cases of unwanted pregnancy among supported children through continuous counseling and awareness-raising efforts.

Educational support interventions, including tutorial classes, school follow-ups, summer bridging classes, and computer training, have resulted in improved school attendance, academic performance, and motivation among students. The strengthened engagement between social workers, families, and schools has fostered a supportive environment conducive to children’s academic and personal development.

Furthermore, psychosocial support, regular home and school visits, and family counseling have strengthened family relationships, social integration, and emotional well-being of beneficiaries. Overall, the program has contributed to greater resilience, self-confidence, and protection of vulnerable groups, laying a strong foundation for sustainable development and long-term positive change within the community.

Images of bedding and essential supplies distribution

Images of reading activities and educational support

Problems encountered

During the implementation of the program, a number of challenges were encountered that have affected the effectiveness of service delivery and the overall well-being of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) and their families.

One of the major challenges is school dropout, particularly due to reduced interest in education after the war. The disruption of schooling, combined with psychosocial trauma and economic hardship, has negatively influenced children’s motivation to continue their education. As a result, a few young OVCs have left school in order to engage in income-generating activities to support their families, further increasing the risk of child labor and limiting their future opportunities.

Another challenge observed is that the monthly financial support provided by the program is not sufficient to meet basic household needs throughout the entire month. This insufficiency places additional pressure on families, forcing them to make difficult choices between food, education, healthcare, and other essential needs.

In addition, some OVCs display disciplinary and behavioral problems, which affect their academic performance and social interactions. These issues are often linked to emotional distress, lack of parental care, or unstable living conditions.

The program has also encountered reluctance among some beneficiaries to actively support themselves or participate in self-reliance and livelihood initiatives, leading to continued dependency on assistance.

Furthermore, there is a significant lack of basic necessities such as adequate clothing and shoes, which affects children’s dignity, school attendance, and protection.

Another notable challenge is the reluctance of some foster mothers and social workers to fully assume their responsibilities, including regular follow-up, proper supervision, and psychosocial support. This limits the effectiveness of case management and reduces the quality of care provided to OVCs.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Conclusion

The program has been successfully implemented in accordance with its objectives and planned activities, delivering comprehensive support to orphans, vulnerable children, needy individuals, and people living with HIV/AIDS. Through integrated interventions encompassing financial assistance, nutritional support, health care services, educational support, psychosocial counseling, and home-based care, the program has significantly improved the living conditions and overall well-being of beneficiaries. Preventive health measures, regular follow-up visits, and strong collaboration with families, schools, volunteers, and community stakeholders have contributed to improved health outcomes, better educational performance, and strengthened family and social relationships. Overall, the program has demonstrated effectiveness in addressing the multidimensional needs of vulnerable populations and promoting their dignity, resilience, and long-term development.

Recommendations

1. Increase Financial Support and Livelihood Interventions: Review and increase the monthly financial assistance to better meet basic household needs. Complement financial support with sustainable livelihood and income-generating activities for caregivers to reduce dependency and improve household resilience.
2. Strengthen Educational Support and School Retention: Implement targeted interventions to prevent school dropout, including educational materials, school-related expenses support, counseling, and follow-up with schools. Special attention should be given to young OVCs who have left school to work, encouraging their reintegration into education or vocational training programs.
3. Enhance Psychosocial and Behavioral Support: Provide regular psychosocial counseling and life-skills training to address trauma, disciplinary issues, and behavioral challenges among OVCs. Community-based child protection mechanisms should also be strengthened.
4. Improve Provision of Basic Needs: Mobilize additional resources to address gaps in clothing, shoes, and other essential non-food items, ensuring children’s dignity, protection, and consistent school attendance.
5. Capacity Building and Accountability for Caregivers and Social Workers: Conduct regular training, supervision, and performance monitoring for foster mothers and social workers to enhance commitment, accountability, and quality of care. Clear roles and responsibilities should be reinforced.
6. Promote Self-Reliance and Beneficiary Engagement: Encourage beneficiaries and caregivers to actively participate in self-support initiatives through awareness-raising, skills development, and mentorship programs that foster ownership and responsibility.
7. Strengthen Coordination and Monitoring: Improve coordination with schools, local authorities, and community structures to enhance service delivery. Regular monitoring and evaluation should be conducted to track progress, identify gaps, and inform program adjustments.

Project continuity

This project continues the intervention launched years ago to support orphaned children, elderly people, and vulnerable communities in Wukro, in the Tigray region (Ethiopia).

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