The parents left Rwanda in 1994 and first found refuge in the Democratic Republic of Congo, then in Angola. The father of the three children died in 2016, while the mother died a year later. The children were admitted to the Viana refugee camp. They found themselves alone, faced unimaginable suffering and were cared for only by caregivers from the Rwandan refugee community.

The ICRC received a request from a Rwandan family member based in Kigali who inquired about the possibility of the ICRC helping to find the three children in Angola and repatriate them to Rwanda.

When family members are separated by a crisis, there is always the fear and uncertainty of not knowing where their loved ones are or how they are doing. This can have long-term negative psychological, health and social effects. For children, suffering is exacerbated by the lack of love and care from their parents.