Axum Safehouse Project – Women’s Association of Tigray (WAT) in collaboration with UN Women Ethiopia
(Name changed to protect confidentiality)
Before the conflict, Weizero Mearey was a symbol of strength and self-reliance in her community. A mother of two—one aged 16 and the other 10—she earned her living through a small shade business that supported her family. With the encouragement of local government offices and NGOs, she grew her enterprise and was even recognized as a model entrepreneur. Despite living with HIV, she managed her health responsibly, ensuring medical follow-up during pregnancy. As a result, her younger child was born HIV-negative, though her eldest child is HIV-positive.
Life had already tested her resilience. She lost her first husband, the father of her children, and later remarried. Her second husband was a militia member. When conflict erupted in Central Tigray in 2013 EC, her life was shattered once again.
When Eritrean and Ethiopian soldiers entered her town, they demanded information about her husband and his weapon. Mearey told them she did not know where he was or where the gun was hidden. That night, a group of soldiers came to her home. She pleaded with them, telling them she was HIV-positive and begging them to spare her. Her cries went unheard.
She was forcibly taken, separated from her children, and subjected to repeated and brutal sexual violence by multiple groups of soldiers over several days. She lost consciousness and remembers little of how she survived or returned home—only that her body was severely injured and her dignity deeply violated.
Through the support of her wereda administration, Mearey was later selected to join the Axum Safehouse, an initiative led by the Women’s Association of Tigray (WAT) in collaboration with UN Women Ethiopia. For three months, the safehouse became a place of healing and restoration. She received regular food, clean living conditions, medical care, and psychosocial support. Recreational activities helped her reconnect with life, and skills training rebuilt her confidence and sense of purpose.
Reflecting on this period, Mearey says:
“I feel as though I was reborn in the safehouse.”
With continued support from WAT and UN Women, she was assisted to reopen her shade business. Today, she is once again earning an income and caring for her children. Regular follow-ups ensure her progress and wellbeing, reinforcing that she is not alone on her journey.
Mearey now raises her voice to encourage other organizations to stand with survivors of gender-based violence, calling on them to follow the example of WAT and UN Women Ethiopia—to invest not only in survival, but in healing, dignity, and a future rebuilt with hope.
Her story is not only one of pain, but of extraordinary resilience—a testament to how comprehensive support can help survivors reclaim their lives and dreams.