Atse Yohannes Alumni Association (Ayaa)

From Trauma to Triumph: Your Gift Can Help Children in Tigray Heal and Thrive

My name is Aregai Girmay and for those who I have not met yet, I want to say thank you for taking the time learn more about me and the reason for this fundraising page.

I was born in the Tigray region of Ethiopia and after settling in the US, I found myself wanting to maintain a connection to my community and helped create and alumni organization for my alma mater, Atse Yohannes Preparatory School. Over the years, the Atse Yohannes Alumni Association (AYAA) has embarked on several projects to improve the school and surrounding community for students. Our largest project was the creation of a media and digital library center and dedicated restrooms for female students.

The Tigray region has experienced a devastating war over the past few years that has left the community decimated. Families have been torn apart and children have lost years of their youth. Many of the projects we spent years organizing and building on the school’s campus were destroyed. Our goal now as an alumni organization is to provide support in a way that would benefit our community long term.

Traditional mental health support structures are absent in many Tigrayan schools, leaving students struggling in silence. Recognizing the deep trust between students and teachers, we decided to develop a project that pioneered a school-based program to provide initial mental health support to students from their teachers. By training teachers as paraprofessional counselors, we can equip them with the tools to heal and empower these children.

Our goal is also to develop student-led clubs that offer safe spaces for peer support, creative expression, and constructive dialogue. These clubs, integrated seamlessly into the school day, will break new ground by introducing concepts like mental health and group therapy to a community that historically shied away from mental health services. All the funds raised through this platform will be used in the training of teachers and development of school programs and clubs.

Understanding that there will be reservations, we plan to actively engage parents, teachers, and community leaders to educate and build trust. This innovative project has the potential to empower a generation of Tigrayan youth to heal from trauma to build a brighter future.

As many of you know, I have been running marathons for several years and I will be running the upcoming Tokyo Marathon on March 3rd, 2024. While I am excited to travel to Tokyo and race alongside my good friends, I have decided to use this opportunity to fundraise on AYAA’s behalf to support this school-based programming and bring additional awareness to the Tigray conflict.

Every stride I take in Tokyo is a step towards raising $30,000 for this critical mission. Join us in making this vision a reality and investing in the Tigray community’s resilience by donating today.