“After 6 days of not knowing where my son was, I thought he was dead.” A tale of a mother who has been reunited with her son after deadly floods displaced thousands in Bundibugyo.

During emergencies such as war, a disaster or any form of destruction, people become internally displaced or end up as refugees in foreign countries. Under such circumstances, families become detached. Family separation not only affects people physically but emotionally too. It is worse for differently abled people because in most cases they need help as they may not be able to move from one place to another. Children are another special category of people who are at risk or suffer worse effects of family separation because most times their safety is compromised. In armed conflict, they can end up being recruited into armed forces, they can be abducted, trafficked or even sexually abused. In some cases, they are put under foster care, and suffer injustices such as exploitation.Uganda Red Cross with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross works to ensure that families separated by any of the above circumstances are supported. This is done through the Restoration of Family Links program (RFL) or what some people locally call “family tracing.”