New York, May 14 -- At the Nirak Health Center in Ethiopia's Amhara Region, Gebrehiwot Getahun and his team worked hard to serve their community. The circumstances were not easy; arid land, environmental degradation, and ongoing humanitarian challenges all brought health challenges to families in the area. Throughout this, the Nirak Health Center was a safe place people could turn to for support.

That support came to an abrupt stop when conflict forced Gebrehiwot and other health workers to flee the center. What they returned to was a building in ruins.

"When we came back after the war ended, the health center was deserted," Gebrehiwot recalls. "No medicine, no equipment, not even chairs. We had the knowledge to treat patients, but with...