REST Site

Tigray is the northern most region of Ethiopia with borders to Eritrea and Sudan. It covers approximately 53,000 km² of highland and lowland areas. Tigray has a population of more than 4 million people ,85% of whom live in rural areas and are mostly subsistence farmers dependig on rain fed production.There are 5 zones which are further divided into 35 weredas.The capital city of Tigray is Mekelle in the central zone.You can also Click here to read more on Tigray prfile.

The Relief Society of Tigray (REST)

The Relief Society of Tigay (REST) is an Ethiopian non-government organization, implementing a wide range of relief,
rehabilitation and development activities in the National Regional State of Tigray since 1978. Originally established to serve the needs of the people in the liberated areas of Tigray during the then civil war, REST has always been a grass- roots organization, committed to working with the poorest and most marginalized communities to bring about positive and sustainable change.

From 1978, REST’s primary focus was on bringing relief food cross-border from Sudan, to try and prevent starvmantion and stress migration within the TPLF occupied areas of rural Tigray. There was always awareness that relief assistmance, while indispensable in those conditions, was not sufficient in itself, and by 1980, experimental terracing programmes amnd forestry activities were underway. The massive level of human displacement and death during the famine years of 1983-85 demanded full concentration on food relief and emergency medical assistance just to save as many lives as possible. However, the tragic scale of the disaster also acted as a spur in acceleration the move towards a more long term developmental approach.REST in the eye of the people is Click here to view.