Democratic Republic of the Congo

DRC humanitarian crises - Canadian Red Cross working to reconnect families

Displaced people lining up for water in a makeshift camp near Kibati, October 29, 2008. Photo REUTERS/Stringer courtesy of www.alertnet.org
ICRC and Congolese Red Cross distributing food to civilians fleeing fighting in North Kivu. Photo : Red Cross/P. Gueissaz
CTV coverage of the reunion "A family reunites in Toronto after four years apart". (courtesy CTV)

The Canadian Red Cross Restoring Family Links program helps people in Canada to re-establish contact with immediate family members after separation due to war, internal conflict, migration, natural disaster and other humanitarian crises.

Similarly, individuals in other countries can place inquires to find relatives in Canada through the network of 186 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) throughout the world. Restoring Family Links is at the heart of the humanitarian mandate of the Canadian Red Cross, and is a vital component of the protections mandated under the Geneva conventions.

Key services offered by this program include outreach activities, a tracing service, the distribution of family messages, and assistance and support in the family reunification process.

The DRC constitutes 11 per cent of the Restoring Family Links case load in Canada. With approximately 16,000 people from DRC living in Canada, and the recent upsurge of violence in the country, the Canadian Red Cross is preparing for an increase in calls. So far this year there have been 46 cases.

Regine Buzayayo fled her home country due to violence and was forced to leave behind her two daughters. Her life changed in June 2008, when she was reunited with her two daughters, both of whom she hadn’t seen in four long years. More»

The ICRC, with support from the Red Cross Society of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is responding to the urgent needs in DRC. They are distributing food and clean water and delivering surgical and other medical supplies. The ICRC has been working in the DRC for 30 years and each year an annual budget is allocated to fund operations there, which includes unexpected emergencies. Following an upsurge in violence earlier this year, ICRC increased this budget to enable it to respond to emergencies such as the current one. Following initial emergency assessments, the ICRC has not identified a need for extra funding.

For more information about the current situation in DRC and the Red Cross response there, please visit ICRC.

Click here to find out more about the Restoring Family Links program in Canada.

Visit the "Even Wars Have Limits" website to learn more about the effects of conflicts on people and communities around the world.

Posted November 14, 2008