The centre is operated by the Bureau for Volunteer Service for Children and Health (BVES). In the last five years, it has taken care of over 1,500 former child soldiers, including 173 girls.

"We have to reintroduce them to the basic notion of family," explains Mamy Wema, a social worker at a centre in Bukavu for former child soldiers. "When they were with the armed groups, they saw mothers and fathers as objects; they haven't experienced parental roles or family love in a long time. That's an important part of our work here."

The children stay at the centre a minimum of three months before returning to their families. They are taught basic skills to ease their reintegration, including basic literacy or remedial classes for those with previous schooling, recreational activities to improve socialization skills as well as handicrafts, farming and other occupational skills.

Psychosocial services and health clinic
The centre also provides psychosocial services and a health clinic. "Some of the children have sexually transmitted diseases, pulmonary infections, or even gunshot wounds," explains one of the centre's nurses Adolphine Nsimire. "Some of the girls are pregnant and all are suffering from malnutrition."

The ICRC provides material support for the centre, and searches for the families of the children from outside Bukavu, including neighbouring countries like Rwanda and Uganda. Once the family is located it organizes the exchange of Red Cross messages and the eventual reunification of the child with his or her family.

The Director of the BVES, Murhabazi Namegabe says the various armed groups have a deliberate strategy of moving children to different regions to keep them separated from their families. "With the poor communications infrastructure in the region, only an organization like the ICRC has the kind of extensive network and access to remote areas required to find the families," he says.

Coming home isn't easy

"Even when these young people are reunited with their families, their problems continue," says Marnie Lloyd, an ICRC Protection Delegate in Bukavu. "There is the trauma of what they have experienced. Their social network has broken down, and they may have been without contact with their families for a long time. They have usually missed schooling and some have become accustomed to using violence to get what they want. The family or the community may be afraid of former child soldiers and sometimes they also need to be re-educated to foster acceptance of these children."

"Red Cross messages are a means of re-establishing contact between the child and the family," she explains. "This renewed contact is important to re-establish the connections and trust required to obtain the agreement on both sides before a family reunification can take place."

"Red Cross messages are frequently the first contact between the child and the family after many years. They often include photos and when the messages are delivered it can be a very emotional experience," she says.