Across the Border: Boy Reunited with Family after Four Years

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Across the Border: Boy Reunited with Family after Four Years

A tribal raid in Ethiopia four years ago saw then-8-year-old Luke Chan* taken from his family and moved across the border into South Sudan. The child was forced to work in a cattle camp while longing for his family and loved ones.

The time away from his family was long and difficult, but the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Ethiopia and South Sudan, in close cooperation with the respective Red Cross societies, has successfully reunited Luke with his family.

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This week in Restoring Family Links: 08/08/2016 - 08/12/2016

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This week in Restoring Family Links: 08/08/2016 - 08/12/2016

Olympics: The 2016 Olympics started in Rio on August 5, with over 200 country participants. For the first time in Olympic history, there is a refugee team competing under the Olympics’ official flag. Coming from Syria, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia, these athletes are refugees fleeing from their home countries to escape violence, persecutions, and wars. The decision to have a refugee team to compete in the Olympics was praised as it would help raising awareness of the current refugee plight as well as giving hopes to the displaced populations. 

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This week in Restoring Family Links: 06/06/2016-06/10/2016

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This week in Restoring Family Links: 06/06/2016-06/10/2016

Refugee team to compete in the Olympics: On June 3, the International Olympic Committee revealed that a team of 10 refugees will be participating and competing in the Rio Olympics Games in 2016 under the Olympics flag. The athletes are citizens of South Sudan, Syria, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia – all of which are suffering from instability and insecurity. The selected participants will participate in a variety of sports, such as swimming, athletics – 800m, athletics – 400m, marathon, athletics – 1500m, judo – 70kg, and judo – 90kg. 

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In My Own Words: Reconnecting with a Cousin

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In My Own Words: Reconnecting with a Cousin

My name is Desta Edosa. I am 33 years old, married and a father of two sons. I am originally from Ethiopia, specifically from Oromia.  I came to the United States in 2009 through a visa lottery, and I won. In February 2016, Caren Bedsworth from the American Red Cross called me and left me voice message saying I had a message from relative in Ethiopia. Listening to her voice message, I could not believe at first it was true as I did not know Red Cross gave such services. As Caren provided the office’s address, I looked on the internet and verified that the address mentioned was American Red Cross’s address. I called back Caren and asked who the person was. She delivered the letter to my home and I was so excited when I saw his handwritten letter. It had been about seven years since I last saw him.

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Mother and Daughter Reunited after 18-Year Separation

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Mother and Daughter Reunited after 18-Year Separation

Tears streamed down Lemlem's cheeks the whole day after returning to Ethiopia. Why so many tears? Her return voyage from Eritrea allowed Lemlem to reunite with her daughter after being apart for 18 years and to meet the sister and brother she had never met before.

Lemlem hadn't seen Merhawit since the girl was two.

"I was emotional and started sobbing the whole day from the moment I met my daughter and sister. It is really unbelievable that I met them. When I was in Eritrea I was constantly thinking about my family. I never imagined I would meet them all again after such a long time," Lemlem said.

"There is nothing more exciting than finding your family again."

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