DR Congo: Putting Burundian refugees back in touch with their families
A Burundian refugee in Lusenda camp, where 14,000 people have sought refuge, writes a Red Cross message (brief, hand-written messages containing family news) to his family,Lusenda camp, South Kivu, DR Congo © BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Alyona.Synenko
“On a normal day, a mother might be at home, a father in the field working and their children at school. Then violence erupts, and everybody starts running. This is how members of the same family lose each other.”A refugee submits a family tracing request. The ICRC works with the National Red Cross Societies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania to help people find their loved ones.Lusenda camp, South Kivu, DR Congo © BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Alyona.Synenko
“When people have the telephone number for their family, we give them the opportunity to call them. But very often, after months on the road, phones and numbers get lost. In this case, we take all the information that can help us start looking for missing family members.”A Democratic Republic of the Congo Red Cross volunteer dials the number so that these refugees can contact the rest of their family.Lusenda camp, South Kivu, DR Congo © BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Alyona.Synenko
A refugee calls his family to let them know how he is.Lusenda camp, South Kivu, DR Congo © BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Alyona.Synenko
A Red Cross volunteers delivers Red Cross messages in the camp.Lusenda camp, South Kivu, DR Congo © BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Alyona.Synenko
“People can have food and shelter, but not knowing what happened to their loved ones ... this can make people desperate.”Refugees read the replies from their families in response to the Red Cross messages they sent.Lusenda camp, South Kivu, DR Congo © BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Alyona.Synenko
Refugees receive their families’ replies to the Red Cross messages they sent. For some, this is the only way to keep in touch with their loved ones.Lusenda camp, South Kivu, DR Congo © BY-NC-ND / ICRC / Alyona.Synenko
The crisis in Burundi has driven thousands of people to flee to neighbouring Rwanda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Many have lost track of their loved ones in all the upheaval, and are desperate to find out what happened to them. In these difficult circumstances, children have found themselves without their parents' protection at a time when they need it most. Some 14,000 Burundian refugees now live in Lusenda camp in the province of South Kivu in eastern DRC. The ICRC and the National Red Cross Society are working in the camp to help people trace and contact their loved ones.
