Desperate teenagers fleeing a war-torn region of Ethiopia are paying smugglers nearly ￡14,000 in search of a better life abroad only to become victims of human trafficking.

       People in Tigray’s Atsbi district often attempt to escape the harsh realities of a looming famine, unemployment, drought and a landscape ravaged by a two-year conflict.

       But they are duped by traffickers charging them over one million Ethiopian birr on their way to Saudi Arabia or Europe.

       They spend months in labour camps as they attempt to borrow more money from friends or family to guarantee their release.

       Headteacher Testas Gebre told how many of his students drop out of Genderfu Primary School to make the treacherous journey to the Middle East.

       The main route for migrant smuggling and human trafficking is from Ethiopia via Obock in Djibouti, Bosaso in Somalia, Yemen and finally Saudi Arabia.

       Mr Gebre, who has been the principal for five years, told how several former pupils have died along the way.

       He said: “In my experience, after grade eight, a few go to high school but the majority migrate to Arab countries or other countries. These children are usually 15 or 16 years old.

       “Lots of students die on the way. Some of them get work opportunities but many stay in prison when they cross the border. Very few get work opportunities and help their families.”

       The school, once a bustling centre of learning with 540 bright-eyed students, is a poignant reminder of a community forever changed by war.

       Though spared from severe physical destruction, it has seen its student population dwindle to around 360.

       Up to 600,000 people were killed and millions displaced during an armed conflict that lasted from November 2020 to November 2022.

       The war was primarily fought in Tigray between the Ethiopian federal government and Eritrea on one side, and the Tigrayan forces on the other.

       Now the shells of classrooms across the region - with doors, roofs and windows shattered by projectiles - shelter determined students who sit on broken benches or even the floor.

       Their resolve to learn is undiminished by the destruction surrounding them.

       The war's impact on the families of Genderfu has been profound but thankfully gentle bird song has now replaced the sound of shelling.

       But one year on since its reopening, the majority of children have not returned to the area.

       During the conflict, the school itself became a refuge of sorts—not for students but for the military.

       While the building remained structurally intact, some educational materials, such as blackboards and chairs, were destroyed.

       Mr Gebre said: “The school was closed for almost two and a half years. It reopened one year ago.

       “Most children in my experience come to school without eating any food. Sometimes we allow them to go back home during the day. Many children ask to leave so they can eat food.

       “We do allow that. While teaching, many lose their concentration. After the war, many children face common diseases which is an indicator of insufficient nutritious food.

       “Often, they are feeling sick around their neck and faces. Most of the children lose concentration, especially the younger ones who ask to go home because they feel sick.

       “If we send children to their homes, of course we know there isn't sufficient food but if we don’t allow them to go home, they fall asleep in class. But there isn’t an opportunity to eat at home either.”

       UK-based charity Mary’s Meals began providing a life-changing plate of fortified porridge to students at the school every day just last week.

       This will have a huge impact on slashing drop out rates, boosting enrolment and helping children’s concentration.

       The organisation is feeding around 114,000 children every day at 223 schools across Tigray.

       Mr Gebre, whose past pupils have gone on to become lawyers and nurses, said: “School feeding will enhance our children’s participation and help us reach the enrolment from before the war. It will minimise the dropout rates. There is huge migration from this area. We can’t control the dropout rates but we can try to minimise it.”

       -To donate to help Mary's Meals Ethiopia appeal, visit: www.marysmeals.org.uk/express