Finding family again: Annuarite’s story of separation, survival and hope

When fighting broke out in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, 11-year-old Annuarite’s^* life changed in an instant

“We were in class when the war broke out. The teacher told us to run,” Annuarite remembers. In the chaos, children scattered in different directions. When Annuarite finally made her way home, her family wasn’t there – having also fled the violence, running in different directions as they tried to survive.

“When I got home, I couldn’t find my father or my mother,” says Annuarite. “I was alone… I was separated, lost.” 

Displaced and desperate

For months, she survived without knowing where her parents were, moving from place to place in fear. At one point, she hid in a canoe, not knowing where safety might lie. Like so many children caught in conflict, Annuarite became separated, displaced and deeply vulnerable.

Also displaced, Annuarite’s family had all reconnected, and began desperately searching for her – but with no success.

“I tried everything to find her,” says her father, Faustin^*. “It was impossible.”

“For a year, we didn’t know if she was still alive,” her brother Grace^* says. “We searched for her everywhere, but she was nowhere to be found.”

Never giving up

Despite living in extreme hardship, and often going without food, the family never stopped hoping.

Through Save the Children’s family tracing and reunification work, Annuarite was identified as an unaccompanied child and placed with a foster family for her safety. Teams worked tirelessly to locate her parents and verify their identity, even amid ongoing insecurity and displacement.

After more than a year apart, the moment finally came.

“Today, I am filled with joy because I have found my parents,” Annuarite says. “I feel safe again.”

Her family shares that joy: “Seeing her again at home fills me with immense joy,” says her sister Esther^*, who once feared the worst.

The reunion marked the end of their separation, and the beginning of their healing.

Annuarite is back with her family, back at school, and able to enjoy the simple things every child deserves: playing with friends, learning, and feeling safe again.

Stories like Annuarite’s are only possible thanks to the generosity of donors like you. Your support helps ensure children separated by conflict are protected, cared for, reunited with the people who love them most, and receive all the care and support needed to return to normal life.

As her mother Sifa says, “I thank wholeheartedly those who brought my child back to me.”

Together, we can help more children like Annuarite find their way home and back to their families.

*Names changed to protect identities.