Determined to become a medical professional in honour of his father- Solomon’s story

Solomon lived with his father and stepmother in a small town in Ethiopia. He would attend school regularly and look after cattle thereafter. He was very focused and ambitious. He lost his mother when he was only three years old. He does not really remember much about his mother. His father was his everything, acting as a mother and a father at a time. As time went his father decided to marry another woman due to his inability to conduct both household chores and other activities. The introduction of step mother to Solomon’s family impacted his mental well-being negatively and he started to feel inferior in the face of his step mother. Thankfully, his father was always by his side and he was able to cope with the challenges. 

Unfortunately, one traumatic situation changed his life forever. During the invasion of Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPFL) in 2021, his father got critically ill and could not be able to move in search of medical treatment. Sadly, he passed away at that critical time when Solomon was in need of love, care and protection. He felt hopeless, unloved and lost.  To make things worse, his step mother, someone he thought would be there for him, completely neglected him. She did not care about his school attendance, his personal hygiene, if he had any food and even started to exploit him. “I was living in a difficult condition where there was no hope and a bright future. Imagining life without schooling is just living for nothing for me.” Solomon explains.

With the troubles he was facing, Solomon decided that it was best to look for a relative who can help him. Luckily, he managed to move in with his cousin, living in a small room in an area that is not conducive for children to live in. He resumed school although he would travel 10kms per day to attend a class. He would get exhausted and extremely tired and hungry but this did not deter him from his goal, he was still committed to going to school.

In March 2022, Terre des Hommes Netherlands’ case  workers conducted an identification and registration exercise of children at risk in Ataye. That is when they met Solomon and his cousin and talked to them about how they can be supported by the project. He was registered after his situation was assessed and was provided  various support. Firstly he received  Individual protection assistance, an amount of 97 Euros which he used to buy clothes,scholastic materials (school bag, exercise book, pen and pencil)  and food. He also received  psychosocial support and counselling for his psychosocial stress that has helped him cope with his situation. Lastly, he was made aware of child protection issues (access to education, child marriage, child labour exploitation).