How this rare rehab centre is offering free care to victims of Ethiopia's war: Video
Aregawi Mezgbe struggled to finish his exercises at a rehabilitation centre in Mekele, the capital of Tigray, a region hurt by war.
At 29, Aregawi, a former mechanic, is one of many people injured during the two-year conflict that ended in November 2022. He was hit by a bomb while fighting the rebels in the Amhara region. After having his right leg amputated, he now uses a prosthesis from the centre.
"The medical treatment I received here is really very good," Aregawi told AFP. He wants to start a business or drive a tuk-tuk.
The Tigray war has caused about 600,000 deaths and left over a million people without homes, with dangers from landmines and unexploded bombs still present.
The rehabilitation centre has been open since 1996 and stayed important during the war, helped by support from the Red Cross. Director Brhame Teame is proud that they treated 175 Ethiopian soldiers during the conflict. "We help anyone who needs it," he said.
During a recent visit, about ten patients were at the centre, including Saba Teklay, 25, who lost an arm and a leg in a bombing. After nearly a month in a coma, she is learning to use her new prostheses, made in a nearby workshop. "I'm getting used to the artificial legs," she said while practising on parallel bars.
Hagos Girmay, 55, has been making prosthetic limbs since 2001 and worked many long hours during the war. He was injured in a past conflict. "When I see a patient come in with crutches and leave with artificial limbs, I feel satisfaction," he said.
Even though a peace deal signed in November 2022 has stopped the fighting in Tigray, Brhame worries about conflicts still happening in other parts of Ethiopia, especially in Amhara and Oromia. "We need peace in Ethiopia now; we are tired of wars," he said.
