When Letensea W/Gebriel was a child she used to look after her family's cows, goats and sheep on their land in the central part of Tigray Region. "One of my brothers was with the Tigray forces", she says, "so I joined too when I was 12. I had never gone to school, so they made me go to school for a year before my military training", she says.

A picture Of Letensea

After four years of active service Letensea was wounded in the leg. "When I was better I went back to fight and was wounded again, this time in my head", she recalls. "I was in hospital for three months. Then I returned to fighting again, although I suffered a lot of pain. I still do." Despite this, Letensea regrets that her time in the forces. "One of the things that I miss most is the social life, the friendship we had with other fighters", she says.

"During our most difficult times - say, when we had to walk long hours without food or water – I learned that friendship was important. Together we felt less fragile. We coped with difficulties by making jokes and giving each other encouragement. That kind of life I cannot get again. Sometimes those of us who are still alive meet. We remember those times and our friends who died and we cry. I feel partly happy and partly sorry. I preferred life as a fighter." Throughout the struggle Letensea also studied. "We used to do two school grades in a year. I managed to reach 7th grade", she recalls. "Then I was trained for a year in sewing and given work in Almeda, a government-run textile factory.