News
Progress Report – January to July 2026
In February I was in Lalibela meeting again some wonderful people.
For most people life is very tough by European standards; a small change can be lifechanging.
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Lalibela Trust continues to receive requests for food aid from local government and senior leaders. We are hugely challenged by these but remember that our long-term strategy has and continues to be the provision of facilities for health, clean water and school age education.
Progress Report – August to December 2025
In October, I spent seven days on the ground with our wonderful project manager, Derebe. Joining us was Richard Power MBE, a recently retired orthopaedic surgeon from Leicester. For 10 years, Richard led the development of the orthopaedic facility at Gondar Hospital, located just 200 miles from Lalibela. His medical expertise was invaluable as we reviewed our health projects at both the local hospital and rural health posts.
Although the UK Foreign Office currently advises against travel to our region of Ethiopia, we pressed ahead. Navigating the area required passing through numerous roadblocks controlled by either government troops or local Fano groups who currently control much of the rural Amhara region.
One early morning, we set off north toward Tigray. However, after two hours of travel, we were advised to turn back as the road into Gazgibla Woreda was cut off by active conflict—we later learned dozens of people lost their lives that day.
Despite these intense conditions, we were warmly welcomed everywhere we went by individuals on both sides of the continuing conflict. Most people are simply trying to get on with their vital roles—whether as doctors, water engineers, teachers, or midwives.
The humanitarian work of Lalibela Trust is universally recognized as vital support for those most in need, and both Fano members and local government employees treated our team with deep respect and courtesy. - Michael Arlington
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In this period, Derebe, Richard and I initiated bringing together Lalibela hospital, the health departments of the town and the two Woreda’s responsible for the health centres and Lalibela Diabetes Association (600 members).
Under the joint chairmanship of the hospital CEO and our manager Derebe an MOU was signed recognising the differing commitments of each organisation to improve the diagnosis and treatment of Diabetes across this large region.
The driving health strategy where safe, local travel is curtailed by the security crisis is to bring patient care closer to their homes. A 2-day journey mostly on foot to a health centre is not uncommon. The long-standing policy to train more doctors and nurses is bearing fruit and more medical professionals (poorly paid by the government) are slowly taking up posts in rural health centres.
Lalibela Trust is supporting this new staff provision with their requested simple medical equipment, midwifery items, cleaning equipment and a simple microscopic for diagnosis of disease such as malaria and simple.
We received enthusiastic and thankful welcomes in many small local health posts including the Lasta communities of Sarzena, Degosach, Geneta Maryan, Bilbyala and in Bugna Woreda at Ayina and Kidus Harbe.
When in Lalibela and without apparent planning a lorry load of 120,000 malaria nets provided by another NGO arrived.
Due to the ongoing unrest the local control of mosquitos has ceased and the cases of malaria were massively increasing. The health administration was unable to deliver (as targets for FANO) to its own 42 different health posts and centres! Lalibela Trust was able to commission local transport and in less than 2 weeks all the nets had been distributed. Our own old Land Cruiser continues to deliver vaccines, medicines and enfant baby food to these same locations 3 days per week.
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The large water investment in the settlement of Kidus Harbe continues. Having repaired the water pipes to the town storage we are working with the Woreda water department to upgrade the supply to facilities such as schools and the health centre.
In the second half of 2025 we also funded the significant repairs to 10 wells and springs across Lasta Woreda re-establishing clean water to each of these communities.
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Funding of some the Woreda administrative functions has in part broken down:
We were able to support, when in April we were asked by Lasta Woreda to transport 30 tonnes of school textbooks, which had been delivered to the Regional government, but there were no financial resources for the final stage of their journey. 1000’s of students in Lalibela now have their textbooks! Separately they also had their Examination papers delivered by In Ayina, the capital of Bugna Woreda, population 23,000 in October we spent a day at the large old Elementary school, with more than 2300 places, now in a dilapidated state and with only half of the local 6–13 year olds attending. We reviewed the challenging location for the new second elementary school, steep landscape and with building contractors in occupation on the other side of town, currently with no toilets or water and 700 kids attending each day.
Funding is complicated, we are determined to assist this poor area and also challenge, after detailed discussions with the community, some parts of the plans, always trying to deliver good value for the local people.
In November, a month after our visit, the army recaptured Ayina in short campaign which resulted in many deaths. Most of the local FANO fighters melted in the inhospitable and impenetrable countryside for another day.
In December with peace and government control restored and local leadership fully returning to the town funding was ‘found’ for building the school. We continue to work closely with the local administration.
We also visited a remote hillside school at Tadus Amba, Lasta crossing a river on foot and walking 2km up the hillside.
An elementary school has developed here over 50 years and some of the early buildings are falling down. At this stage we decided the need in Ayina was greater and hopefully only postponed reinvestment in buildings. The potential rebuild cost was inflated by the need to move materials across the river and rebuild the track way up the steep hillside.
I am delighted to share that we completed the renovation of Geterige Primary School in Lalibela in time for the September term, with only 6 weeks from the grant request to the work completion.
This project demonstrates the benefit of Lalibela Trust’s short command chain and responsiveness with local knowledge to respond to urgent demands. The Trust is known for using resources carefully, repairing and ‘making do’ as a small charity rather than spending limited resources on prestige projects that become ‘white elephants’, (which sadly we see and visit).
In October we received an enthusiastic, warm welcome at the school.
I plan to visit again in February 2026.
Progress Report – April to July 2025
We have not been to Lalibela since the February 2025 visit. I, Michael Arlington am writing this report.
I am currently (Oct 12) en route to our projects for a one week visit.
There has been inconsistent rainfall in the current rainy season, but mostly sufficient to allow for the next season’s planting which is underway.
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The Government of the Prosperity party continues with their policy of disarming all local militia. Many people of Amhara region are resisting this policy and local FANO groups are coming together not just to resist as armed militia but also as political representatives of the local people.
Small scale skirmishes continue and have increasingly occurred, with deaths not uncommon, but no formal talks have yet taken place. We work in Bugna and Lasta woredas and these are largely ‘in the control’ of FANO.
The Woredas of Gazgibla and Lalibela town are under government control. We can still work in Lalibela town. Gazgibla is more restricted, but we are tentatively resuming our work there. Lalibela Trust works for the humanitarian benefit of all the people; however the security and political realities do provide everyone with ongoing day to day challenges. Nevertheless we continue to work in this environment.
Despite or in part because of these difficulties Derebe, our Project Manager has had a very busy 4 months. He and the local Woreda administrators whether in Health, Education or Clean Water provision are innovative in finding the best ways to invest for the objective of improving the lives of the million people across ‘our’ region.
We continue to work closely with our Australian colleagues in Create Impact, and in recent months we have invested side by side with this charity in both health and education projects.
We have the faintly ridiculous situation that the headquarters and stores of Lasta Woreda, situated in Lalibela town, are unable to distribute using their own hired vehicles for fear of attack from Fano forces. Therefore, every other day for 4 months Lalibela Trust has used our vehicle and driver to distribute infant medicines and baby food to the rural health centres to keep alive malnourished and dying infants.
Lalibela Trust has not been able to work in Gazgibla, a Woreda to the north bordering Tigray, for a few years because it has been the most exposed of ‘our’ woredas to the Tigray war. At our request Derebe made a visit there to reestablish relationships with the leadership. This is a poor upland area which historically has not produced enough food for its own needs. I am including Gazgibla in October. Our initial discussions are relating to clean water projects damaged in the Tigray invasion 2-3 years ago.
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Lalibela Trust continues to invest heavily in repairs to wells and springs in both Bugna and Lasta Woredas. Over 20 more upgrades and repairs have been completed in the first 6 months of 2025 resulting in an estimated 6000 beneficiaries now having their local clean water supply restored.
Each project requires the local community to upskill or to reform their water committees and to work closely with the technical water team from the Woreda. In most cases skilled water contractors are employed to do the technical work under supervision of the Woreda water engineers.
We wrote in our last report about water in the town of Kidus Harbe, in Bugna Woreda. Here, another NGO had become involved in March but failed to complete the work and they walked away. Lalibela Trust, through Derebe’s contact with Bugna’s water department, has completed the repairs to 3.5km of water pipe from the water source (along a riverbed that annually dries up) to the storage reservoir. This was filled in June before the rains arrived.
Our commitment now in Kidus Harbe is to provide running water to the schools, the health centre and health posts in this large town, with the local community providing the physical labour. This has now started.
Derebe’s close working relationship and the Trust’s flexibility to respond to changing requests and needs is enabling a reliable water supply for this community. Our longstanding knowledge and flexible reputation also allowed us to provide for an unusual request. The large Kulmesk water project funded by another NGO, who had spent all their budget, needed fuel to start pumping water to their new customers. Although the ongoing running costs of the project are to be self-funded, they had failed to provide for the significant initial cash required before the householders start to pay for their water. This sizable project, well beyond what our small charity could consider, was able to be completed because Derebe was a valuable partner and Lalibela Trust was quick and flexible in making the decision.
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Funding of some the Woreda administrative functions has in part broken down:
We were able to support, when in April we were asked by Lasta Woreda to transport 30 tonnes of school textbooks, which had been delivered to the Regional government, but there were no financial resources for the final stage of their journey. 1000’s of students in Lalibela now have their textbooks! Separately they also had their Examination papers delivered by Laliebla Trust on time!
With short notice in July we became aware through the parents’ foundation of Getergie Primary School in Lalibela that roofs were leaking and floors were unsafe in their 8 oldest classrooms. With builder’s drawings and detailed costings to review and approve, and with financial control of the project in Derebe’s hands, we made the decision in early August to jointly fund this project with Create Impact for the new school season.
We have provided 13 disabled secondary pupils, some having to travel to the capital Addis Ababa to have their needs assessed, and who can now be educated in the national school system, with bespoke equipment for their individual needs.
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We have continued funding the ongoing repair and upgrading of the Maternity Unit of Lalibela hospital thanks to the generous donation of Dr Hugh Sharp.
At the hospital, the construction of a new building with additional ward space continues and this should enable more work to be carried out locally. This will mean many more people can be treated as they do not have to find the large cost of travelling many hours away by public transport.
At our February visit we were asked to support the existing very limited work on diabetes at the hospital, at health centres and with the Lalibela Patients’ Association. Whilst sympathetic to these requests we felt that a Diabetes strategy across the whole hospital region was required to enable our limited resources to be wisely spent. In July we received a draft strategy, but without estimates of the resources needed, clear outcomes and costs. We have responded positively to their thinking and hope to see a clear, targeted request and strategy soon. The Diabetes Association represents over 600 diagnosed sufferers, so we know there is work to be done.
We are monitoring the use of the Hormone and Electrolyte analysers we purchased for the hospital. Installation required costly improvements to the electricity supply. Wonderfully new Xray equipment has arrived replacing the broken and old, inadequate equipment.
We have provided all the furniture at 2 more rebuilt Health posts at Meskele Kristos and Brauagua in Bugna Woreda. Again, thanks to the generous support of Festival Medical Services, which raises funds from their charitable medical work at music festivals including Glastonbury.
We reported in March on the building of Sarsena Comprehensive Health Post by Create Impact and our provision of the equipment. Subsequently Create Impact and LT were asked to provide security fencing (not originally specified) and later to provide for an incinerator and placenta pit. We look forward to the review by Lasta Woreda of the operation of this, its first Comprehensive Health Post, prior to engaging with further such projects.
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It has been an exciting and challenging time for me making decisions on expenditure and deciding to say yes OR no or asking more questions through Derebe.
My contribution is only made possible by the hard work of Derebe in Lalibela and the continuing detailed and generous support of Norman Coward. Anything we are achieving is based on his, and Carole’s, dedication and knowledge built up over 25 years.
Michael Arlington
I apologise for the late posting of this newsletter.
Total construction projects
Health Posts
School Classrooms
Clean Water Projects
Total Beneficiaries from all Projects to Date
Standard health posts, 15 completed.
One larger Community Health Post opened in February 2025.
100,000 beneficiaries
51 completed; the most recent were constructed or renovated by our sister charity Create Impact
37,000 beneficiaries.
Total 142, of which 14 are Hand Dug Wells.
A maintenance and repair programme is ongoing following the damage caused by the invasion of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front with the aim to complete by the end of 2025.
45,000 beneficiaries.
182,000
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