2,400 students enrolled
2,400 students enrolled
Learning Starts Again
Learning Starts Again
Children returned to classrooms and rebuilt confidence through education support.
Children returned to classrooms and rebuilt confidence through education support.
Voices Returned Here
Voices Returned Here
There is a particular kind of silence that settles over a village where children have stopped going to school. Not peaceful. Not restful. Just absence — of backpacks, of morning bells, of the small rituals that mean a community values education. For nearly two years, that silence held over this part of the Tigray region.
There is a particular kind of silence that settles over a village where children have stopped going to school. Not peaceful. Not restful. Just absence — of backpacks, of morning bells, of the small rituals that mean a community values education. For nearly two years, that silence held over this part of the Tigray region.
When conflict erupted in 2022, the only secondary school in this district was destroyed within weeks. Classrooms that had once been filled with eager students stood as hollow shells. The library, which had held the only collection of books for miles, was burned to the ground. For the young people who remained in the area, this meant more than lost lessons. It meant the loss of their only path to a future beyond the conflict. Many had already been displaced multiple times. School had been the one place where they could still imagine a life beyond the war.
When conflict erupted in 2022, the only secondary school in this district was destroyed within weeks. Classrooms that had once been filled with eager students stood as hollow shells. The library, which had held the only collection of books for miles, was burned to the ground. For the young people who remained in the area, this meant more than lost lessons. It meant the loss of their only path to a future beyond the conflict. Many had already been displaced multiple times. School had been the one place where they could still imagine a life beyond the war.
"I remember walking past the ruins every day and seeing the children just standing there," said one teacher, who had taught at the school for fifteen years. "Nobody talked about education anymore. It felt like we had burned their futures.”
"I remember walking past the ruins every day and seeing the children just standing there," said one teacher, who had taught at the school for fifteen years. "Nobody talked about education anymore. It felt like we had burned their futures.”
When Karuna field team arrived in the region in early 2023, the priority was not immediately rebuilding the school building — though that was needed. It was rekindling the love of learning. Families and young people who had been displaced, traumatized, and disappointed by broken promises in the past were understandably hesitant. The first weeks were spent simply sitting with students and families — understanding what they believed they needed to return to learning, rather than arriving with predetermined solutions.
When Karuna field team arrived in the region in early 2023, the priority was not immediately rebuilding the school building — though that was needed. It was rekindling the love of learning. Families and young people who had been displaced, traumatized, and disappointed by broken promises in the past were understandably hesitant. The first weeks were spent simply sitting with students and families — understanding what they believed they needed to return to learning, rather than arriving with predetermined solutions.
Our books turned to ash, but now we learn again with hope.
Our books turned to ash, but now we learn again with hope.
Listening Before Building
Listening Before Building
When schools fall, learning rises
When schools fall, learning rises
That listening shaped everything that followed. Rather than waiting to rebuild the permanent structure, the community proposed something simpler and faster: temporary learning spaces that could be set up in any available building. It would not look like a school in the traditional sense. But it would function as one, immediately. Karuna provided basic learning materials, a small stipend to support returning teachers, and — critically — more than 1,000 books to replace what had been lost in the fire. For young people who had been without any learning materials for almost two years, this was not a minor addition. It was, for many students, the first time they had held a book since the war began. The first day, only fifteen students showed up. Trust takes time to rebuild. By the end of the second week, that number had grown to over a hundred.
That listening shaped everything that followed. Rather than waiting to rebuild the permanent structure, the community proposed something simpler and faster: temporary learning spaces that could be set up in any available building. It would not look like a school in the traditional sense. But it would function as one, immediately. Karuna provided basic learning materials, a small stipend to support returning teachers, and — critically — more than 1,000 books to replace what had been lost in the fire. For young people who had been without any learning materials for almost two years, this was not a minor addition. It was, for many students, the first time they had held a book since the war began. The first day, only fifteen students showed up. Trust takes time to rebuild. By the end of the second week, that number had grown to over a hundred.
We asked what they missed most, then we worked to bring it back.
We asked what they missed most, then we worked to bring it back.
LEARNING & DREAMING AGAIN
LEARNING & DREAMING AGAIN
Rebuilding Futures Together
Rebuilding Futures Together
One of the returning teachers, Haile, had taught at the original school for twelve years before its destruction. He described the first weeks back as "relearning how to teach hope and history in the same hour." Several students needed time before they could concentrate. Others arrived early every day, unwilling to risk being late to something they had waited so long to have back. By the fourth month, attendance had stabilized at just under 200 students — more than half of the district's school-age population. The community, with Karuna’s continued support, began discussing how to rebuild the school.
One of the returning teachers, Haile, had taught at the original school for twelve years before its destruction. He described the first weeks back as "relearning how to teach hope and history in the same hour." Several students needed time before they could concentrate. Others arrived early every day, unwilling to risk being late to something they had waited so long to have back. By the fourth month, attendance had stabilized at just under 200 students — more than half of the district's school-age population. The community, with Karuna’s continued support, began discussing how to rebuild the school.
Outcome
Outcome
What changed, in the months that followed.
What changed, in the months that followed.
10M
Children supported
10M
Children supported
100+
Schools Assisted
100+
Schools Assisted
90+
Community Established
90+
Community Established
I remember still walking past the ruins and seeing our children's futures in ashes. Now they finally carry books to class every morning, and I don't have to wonder if their dreams have died.
I remember still walking past the ruins and seeing our children's futures in ashes. Now they finally carry books to class every morning, and I don't have to wonder if their dreams have died.
