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Five-year old Aisha was one among thousands of children stranded in foreign conflict zones. She’s now home with her grandparents. Her story shows us what’s possible: #thread
She was barely 16 months old when she was found and brought to a children’s home. The International Committee of the Red Cross visited her and other children regularly.
With no news of her parents, after a year Aisha was registered as an unaccompanied minor. We worked to find her relatives abroad. Finding them took time.
Meanwhile Aisha grew. She learned to speak, and turned from a shy toddler into a playful, loving little girl who adores dolls and loves cats.
My colleague Ali still remembers the day he told her she was going back to her grandparents. At first, it was difficult for her to process. The children's home had been her world.
Ali accompanied Aisha on the journey home and recalls the trip to the airport. Peering out from the backseat of the car, "she realized how big the world was. Everything was new and exciting to her."
Wrapped up in a pink jacket, the little traveller held her own carry-on luggage and handed over her own ticket at the airport. “I wanted her to own the moment”, Ali said. As the plane took off, Aisha clutched her doll.
On arrival, she was met by another ICRC team. She was delighted to be finally united with her grandparents. @ICRC will support them as they learn to look after her and as Aisha adjusts to her new life.
No matter how they end up in a conflict zone or what their parents are accused of doing, children like Aisha are victims and they must always be treated as such.
In the Middle East and Africa, there are many more children still stranded in conflicts, yet to be brought home. Keeping families together during repatriations should be the norm.
The situation is bleak and complex, but not impossible.
#CAAC
The situation is bleak and complex, but not impossible.
#CAAC
