Finally Together Again
When four-year-old Fares was found alone in Gaza, no one knew what had happened to his family or if they were even alive. He was just two years old.
SOS Children’s Villages, one of the few organizations still caring for unaccompanied children in Gaza, took him in, giving him safety, care, and stability amid the chaos.
A long search for family
For children who are found alone, SOS Children’s Villages’ first priority is protection. The second is to find surviving family members. But in Gaza, this is a complex task. Many families have been displaced multiple times, and small children often cannot remember names or places that could help identify their relatives. For nearly two years, there were no clues about Fares’ family, until a hospital visit changed everything.
Reunited
While receiving medical care, staff were able to trace records that led to an address. Through the Ministry of Social Affairs, Fares’s father was found alive.
“Even though he had been away for so long, he recognized his father instantly,”
When Fares saw him, he ran straight into his arms.
“Even though he had been away for so long, he recognized his father instantly,” a co-worker from SOS Children’s Villages Palestine said. For the first time in almost two years, father and son held each other again.
Fares is now safe with his father, and the family receives ongoing support from SOS Children’s Villages to rebuild their lives. But many children in Gaza are still alone. without anyone to protect or care for them. Through continued support, SOS Children’s Villages works tirelessly to identify and reunite separated children with surviving relatives.
Facts about the children SOS Children’s Villages in Gaza supports
Nearly 40,000 children have lost one or both parents since the war began. More than 19,000 children in Gaza have lost both parents. Children without parents are the most at risk of violence, abuse, and exploitation.
SOS provides daily care, food, medicine, and protection for unaccompanied children.
Whenever possible, SOS Children’s Villages helps trace and reunite children with surviving relatives and caregivers.
Grieg Foundation contributes to critical emergency relief work in Gaza, helping ensure that children like Fares find safety, care, and hope- and whenever possible, the way back to their family.
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