In Tigray, Ethiopia, the conflict didn’t just rage on the ground. It exploded online. Misinformation spread like wildfire—fuelling hate, deepening divisions, and silencing truth.
At the height of the crisis, two individuals—a journalist and a social media influencer—stood up. With nothing more than their phones and conviction, they started calling for truth, peace, and understanding in a digital space full of chaos.
Now, thanks to support from Search for Common Ground and funding from Global Affairs Canada, their one-on-one efforts have transformed into something much bigger:
The Tigray Digital Peace and Truth Hub.
This initiative is building something that’s never existed in the region before—a structured, self-sustaining ecosystem for fact-checking, peace journalism, and digital literacy.
Local content creators and journalists are being trained in ethical storytelling, online safety, and how to identify and debunk false narratives.
A Common Ground News Network and Truth Hub has launched—completely independent and run by people from Tigray, for Tigray.
Real-time fact-checking pages and digital literacy campaigns are already reaching thousands online, fighting misinformation before it turns into real-world harm.
This is more than a project. It’s infrastructure for peace.
Search has helped provide not only training and mentorship—but the physical tools to sustain this work: an office, equipment, and the resources to scale.
What started as two individuals shouting into the void is now a growing chorus, powered by community, grounded in truth, and aimed at healing.
Disinformation isn’t just an Ethiopian problem. It’s our problem.
In a digital age, conflict spreads faster than compassion—and when local communities don’t have the tools to push back, the consequences are deadly.
This initiative shows what’s possible when we invest early, locally, and with intention.
With modest funding, Search turned a spark into a structure—a permanent, community-led solution to online hate and manipulation. It’s not just changing how people get their information in Tigray. It’s changing how they see each other.
Because when people can tell their own stories with accuracy, dignity, and courage—peace becomes not only possible, but powerful.
This is how we fight disinformation.
Not with censorship—but with truth, trust, and tools.
Support this work. Invest in peace—digitally and globally.
