Monthly Prayer: February 2026

Sister Mana, one of SCIAF's partners, reflects on what wartime and peace brings to Ethiopia.

My name is Sister Mana from The Ursuline Sisters here in Tigray (north Ethiopia). We are here in the Adigrat (City in Adigrat) Community.

The experience of the war here was terrible. The memories are not good, but we pray to God that this time will pass – and with the prayer of so many people throughout the world, it does pass.

On the day the war started, there was very heavy artillery in this compound. One missile hit the police station nearby, and one landed in our compound. At that time some of us, including myself, were in Wukro (70 km south of Adigrat). 

Some of the sisters in Adigrat had no contact with anyone for one month – no news. We did not know who was alive. After that month, living in fear, I came to Adigrat with special permission, in a car, with the priest.

In Tigray we have two communities: In Wukro, we have a kindergarten, elementary school, an orphanage as well as a Women’s Promotion Centre. At that time our kindergarten and school were completely looted. We still do not have any computers – 25 were taken away.

Here at our community in Adigrat, they took all the Sisters’ rings and crosses – the Sisters’ begged them not to. And the most awful thing was our girls were violated by them. 

For the future, even at this very bad time, we pray.  We always hope because on the day we lose hope, we die. 

Of course, now, after the peace agreement, we hope that displaced peoples can return home, for everything to get back to normal. But still, our peace is not stable.

But the good thing is we are working with our children, and we hope our children, our small children, can be educated and rid themselves of the trauma of their past. Education can give them a brighter future. 

We are led by God's providence, that’s why we are here. 

The disciples were locked in a room and Jesus sent the Holy Spirit. When we were locked in a room by the soldiers they would check on us. One time, when they came to check, one of the Sister’s knelt and asked, ‘please leave the children’ and he said ‘no, no, that is our job’. 

Imagine someone saying that is our job – to destroy, to kill.  When you hear that from a human being who says they are Christian I cannot explain it – I don’t have the answer to that.

I know the SCIAF supporters are helping Tigray not only with money, but through prayer. I would love to say thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart because every person, every Christian, is like a chain that keeps us tethered to Christ.