Relief Society of Tigray

Relief Society of Tigray
ማሕበራዊ ረዲኤት ትግራይ
Founded1 January 1978; 46 years ago (1978-01-01)
Founded atTigray
TypeNGO
FocusPoverty eradication
disaster relief
advocacy
HeadquartersMekelle, Tigray
Area served
Tigray Region
Executive Director
Teklewoini Assefa[1]
Employees1010 (in 2012)
Managing director (2021): Heshe Lemma
Dibdibo reservoir, constructed by REST

The Relief Society of Tigray (abbreviated REST; Tigrinya: ማሕበራዊ ረዲኤት ትግራይ or ማረት, Maret) is an NGO based in Tigray, northern Ethiopia.[2] REST was founded in 1978 as an organisation providing relief efforts to civilians.[3] As of 2008, Teklewoini Assefa served as Executive Director of REST.[3] REST emerged as the humanitarian wing of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and has remained closely linked to TPLF.[4][5] REST was active throughout the armed conflict of the 1980s, including during the devastating 1984–1985 famine.[3] Since the 1990s it is the major NGO operating in Tigray.

  1. ^ "Relief Society of Tigray 2012 Annual Report" (PDF). 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  2. ^ Laura Hammond (2004), This Place Will Become Home: Refugee Repatriation to Ethiopia, Cornell University Press, p. 36, ISBN 0-8014-8939-3
  3. ^ a b c Royal Norwegian Embassy in Addis Ababa. Relief Society of Tigray celebrates 30th Anniversary
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference enc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Coote, Mike. Does Our Money Really Help?: Life in Ethiopia. Bloomington, Ind: AuthorHouse, 2007. p. 25