The Institute of Domestic Violence, Religion & Migration (IDVRM) C.I.C. and Mekelle University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 18 August 2025 to foster collaborative research, consultancy, and knowledge exchange. The agreement seeks to promote locally grounded, culturally relevant, and faith-informed solutions to address gender-based violence (GBV), trauma recovery, and displacement challenges.
The new partnership outlines several priority areas, according to the release from the institute. In health and trauma recovery, the institutions will integrate trauma-informed, survivor-centred approaches into Mekelle University’s medical curricula and conduct joint research on the physical, mental, and spiritual impacts of GBV.
In religion, culture, and social transformation, the collaboration will focus on faith-sensitive responses to survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Tigray and reframe cultural and religious narratives that contribute to stigma. Efforts will also extend to gender and community engagement, with initiatives aimed at faith communities and community-led stigma reduction campaigns.
The MoU further covers migration and displacement, with research on GBV in displacement contexts and policy recommendations to integrate spiritual care into humanitarian responses. The partnership envisions student-led media projects amplifying survivor voices, advancing religious reform, and highlighting safeguarding best practices in communication and education.
The Institute of Domestic Violence, Religion & Migration (IDVRM) C.I.C. is an international research and consultancy institute based in London, UK, that explores the intersections of gender-based violence, religion, and migration. With a focus on culturally sensitive and faith-informed approaches, IDVRM partners with academic institutions, NGOs, and communities worldwide to develop survivor-centred research, policies, and interventions. It has been implementing research-based interventions in Ethiopia, particularly in the northern part of Ethiopia, Tigray and Amhara regional states, notably with its ‘ድልድል/Dldl’ project, which was established and led by Dr. Romina Istratii, also the founding director of the institute.
Mekelle University, based in Tigray, Ethiopia, is one of the country’s leading public universities, with strong health sciences and social sciences faculties, among others. The university has been instrumental in advancing research and higher education in Ethiopia. With its research-based community service mandate, it is now deeply engaged in addressing post-conflict recovery, health, and social transformation in the Tigray region.
Both institutions emphasized that the agreement is grounded in mutual respect and recognition of complementary strengths, to advance survivor-centred research and interventions that are both globally informed and locally rooted.
