[ti:In Ethiopia’s Tigray, Children Return to School but Trauma Remains] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]The war in Tigray is over, but the trauma remains. [00:05.32]Tsega Fitsum is a volunteer teacher [00:09.00]at the Mai Weyni school in the Tigray capital, Mekelle. [00:15.16]She said, when school started [00:17.40]soon after the November peace deal of last year, [00:21.00]her students' minds were still on the conflict. [00:25.52]"They used to be inclined to draw guns [00:28.44]instead of writing alphabets and numbers," [00:31.68]she told VOA. "But now, we say 'The war has stopped. [00:36.64]There is peace and there is no fear, [00:39.88]and they should work freely.'" [00:43.32]The effects of the war are likely to continue for years. [00:47.40]The Mai Weyni school is home to more than 8,500 people [00:52.64]who were displaced by the war. [00:54.96]About 5,100 are children under the age of 18. [01:01.04]Most have been outside of the education system for more than two years. [01:06.20]A 2022 report by the United Nations [01:10.52]said that 1.39 million children in Tigray do not attend school. [01:18.72]The war between Ethiopia's federal government [01:22.32]and Tigrayan forces left many children without parents [01:27.20]or separated from families. [01:30.48]The effect of those emotional wounds [01:33.32]last a long time for children, experts say. [01:38.96]Etsedingel Hadera is a psychiatrist in Mekelle's Ayder Hospital. [01:45.20]He said it is important for parents [01:48.20]to help ease the hidden scars the children carry. [01:53.28]"When parents see behavioral changes, [01:56.20]they should give their children hope [01:58.40]and let them know it's okay and that it will all pass," he told VOA. [02:05.24]"If they are not comforted that way, [02:08.08]they listen to everything around them, [02:10.40]even when we think they are not paying attention." [02:14.72]Fitsum said the top goal must be healing the children [02:18.40]at the school and reuniting them with their families. [02:23.92]"Many children were hurt and some were forced [02:27.40]to live parentless...But if there is peace, [02:30.84]they want to go back to school and return to their families. [02:35.40]We need to make an effort, especially for the children," she said. [02:41.80]Meresu Gebru is a mother who sought shelter [02:45.52]on the school grounds after fleeing Mai-Kadra. [02:49.04]She said: "Education is a solution for all. [02:53.48]I want education, stability." [02:57.44]Gebru fled with one of her five children [03:00.76]from the town where some of the war's worst violence took place. [03:05.56]Her four other children, along with her husband, fled to Sudan. [03:12.36]People who live around the school [03:14.76]said life is far from normal for the children. [03:18.40]Mekelle was bombed by government warplanes several times. [03:24.28]"During the war, children were psychologically traumatized," [03:28.08]said Gebregziabher Hadush, who lives Mekelle. [03:34.36]Now that there is a peace deal, [03:36.64]experts say mental health services [03:39.64]should be offered to children as they reenter the classrooms. [03:43.68]Psychiatrist Etsedingel said the problems from the war [03:48.96]will continue to effect the next generation. [03:53.56]"Some of my patients under 18 say they have lost hope," he said. [03:58.96]"They are thinking about committing suicide. [04:01.88]Some ask, 'What is our hope? [04:04.20]School has stopped and we are suffering.' [04:07.44]They need psychosocial support." [04:10.08]I'm Dan Novak. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM