Ethiopia – Shire Clinical Centre, Tigray

The Clinical Centre St. Agostina Health Centre has developed and expanded since the beginning of the Mission of the Sisters of Charity in Shire Endaselassie in Tigray, starting as a small dispensary, expanding to a clinic with outpatient clinics and a laboratory, and finally becoming a health centre with the addition of an X-ray department and a maternity ward.

Managed since its inception by a Sister of Charity, often a nurse, it is now managed by Sr. Mary Elrouman, who coordinates a staff of doctors, health directors, numerous nurses specialising in different fields, assistants, and administrators, for a total of about sixty people.

Currently, the centre serves between 250 and 300 people daily, including those from distant villages.

During the violent war that sadly affected the whole of Tigray from 2020 to 2022, thanks to the generosity, courage and audacity of its staff, the Health Centre remained open and operational, ready to welcome those in need, regardless of faction, allegiance or affiliation. It treated wounds and the many consequences of atrocious violence, managing to resist and continue to treat and heal.

It has experienced and continues to experience the closeness that Pope Leo speaks of in his message for World Day of the Sick 2026: ‘Being close does not depend on physical or social proximity, but on the decision to love. This is why Christians become close to those who suffer, following the example of Christ, the true divine Samaritan who drew close to wounded humanity.

These are not simply gestures of philanthropy, but signs in which we can perceive that personal participation in the suffering of others implies giving oneself, going beyond the satisfaction of needs to ensure that our person is part of the gift.”

Nous reconnaissons que le dévouement des sœurs et la passion que le personnel nourrit pour son travail permettent de continuer à servir avec générosité et qualité une grande partie de la population.

Pendant la guerre, beaucoup se sont réfugiés dans les écoles publiques en face de la mission et ont toujours été aidés par les sœurs : actuellement, ces réfugiés sont accueillis, soignés et soutenus par la mission elle-même, qui conserve son caractère de Maison de la Charité.

Ce conflit très dur a causé des traumatismes à tous, en particulier aux enfants et aux femmes, et il est maintenant temps de penser à la reconstruction, non seulement des murs qui sont devenus instables et des fondations qui s’affaissent, mais aussi et surtout des vies et de l’avenir.