AYA Trauma Innovation Center at Lenegewa
From Trauma to Transformation: A Model for Continental Healing
Lenegewa is a groundbreaking trauma recovery ecosystem dedicated to supporting women affected by extreme poverty, homelessness, and sexual exploitation. It provides not only life-changing services but also a powerful opportunity to study the psychological and systemic impact of severe, prolonged trauma.
Central to this effort is a data-driven, AI-integrated model. Lenegewa operates as a living lab, collecting real-time data to train an AI system tailored to understand and respond to complex trauma. This innovation drives personalized care and reintegration strategies while laying the groundwork for a scalable trauma-informed system of care.
AYA Trauma Innovation Center
At Lenegewa, AYA-Innovation has transformed the program into a trauma-informed center of excellence. Every service provider has been trained in trauma-informed care, and AYA has implemented ClarityConnect, its AI-enabled digital health platform, to support comprehensive assessment and real-time monitoring. To date, the platform has screened over 1,200 women facing extreme poverty, homelessness, and sexual exploitation, providing critical insights that guide personalized care.
AYA’s commitment extends beyond technology. The organization has embedded two part-time psychiatrists and five trained physicians—each skilled in mental health and wellness coaching—into the Lenegewa team. Thousands of hours of direct clinical care have been delivered at no cost, along with ongoing administrative and technical support. Through continuous data collection and AI development, AYA is creating scalable trauma recovery models, positioning Lenegewa as both a national resource and a continental blueprint for trauma-informed rehabilitation.
Empowering Women at Lenegewa
The Lenegewa Women’s Rehabilitation and Skills Development Center in Addis Ababa has emerged as a flagship initiative under the leadership of Her Excellency, the Mayor of Addis Ababa, Mrs. Adanech Abiebie. Built for 3 billion Ethiopian Birr, the campus is designed to accommodate up to 2,000 women at a time for an intensive 3 to 4-month rehabilitation and training program. The center provides trauma-informed support and vocational training across 17 different disciplines, targeting women who have faced extreme poverty, homelessness, and sexual exploitation.
To date, more than 600 women have completed the training, with a remarkable 94% passing the national Certificate of Competency (COC) exam, compared to a 73% pass rate among the general public. Currently, 800 women are receiving services as part of the 3rd cohort of trainees. Community support has been essential, contributing to 100% of graduates securing employment after completing the program. These results highlight the center’s powerful impact on healing, skills development, and sustainable reintegration—offering a model of trauma recovery and economic empowerment for Ethiopia and beyond.
