A Family Found
June 2024
Four Years Lost
For four long years, Deborah lived in an orphanage under a false identity, unable to trust anyone with the truth about her past. At just 10 years old, she had run away from home, changed her name, religion, and hometown to protect herself. She believed no one was looking for her. She believed she had no family left.
It all started with the loss of her mother. Left in the care of her stepmother, Deborah endured mistreatment until she could take it no more. With no knowledge of her older siblings’ whereabouts, she saw no choice but to escape, leaving behind not just her home, but her true identity.
When she was eventually found on the streets and placed in an orphanage, no one could trace her family. The false information she provided made reunification impossible. For four years, she remained lost, hidden in plain sight.
Asking the Right Questions
That all changed when Fatuma, a dedicated Social Welfare Officer in Dar es Salaam, received family-tracing training from GCA. With new skills and a fresh approach, Fatuma built trust with Deborah, visiting regularly and engaging in conversations about her dreams, faith, and the people she once loved.
One day, Fatuma asked two simple but profound questions: “If you got married, would you want your father or siblings at your wedding? If you died, would you want them at your funeral?”
At that moment, Deborah broke down in tears. The walls she had built for years finally came down. Through sobs, she told Fatuma the truth: her real name, her real home, and information about the family she once knew. Deborah shared that her family was Christian and she had attempted to further conceal her true identity by converting to Islam.
The Path to Home
With this revelation, GCA and the Social Welfare Department sprang into action. They took Deborah back to her community, where neighbors were stunned, many had assumed she was dead. Tragically, her father had spent years searching for her but had passed away just one year earlier. The weight of that loss hit Deborah hard.
Still, hope remained. GCA and Social Welfare Officers traced her older sister, and at last, Deborah was reunited with her family. She now lives with her sister, receiving the love and care she had been missing for so long.
Deborah’s story should never have happened.
A strong case management system could have found her family much sooner. But how many more children are like Deborah, growing up in orphanages with families who are searching for them?
Separation from family disrupts a child’s life, exposing them to trauma, exploitation, and abuse. But together, we can change that.
That’s why GCA is committed to training Social Welfare Officers in family finding, reintegration, and case management. We are equipping them with the skills needed to identify lost children, reconnect them with their families, and ensure no child is left behind. And the Social Welfare Officers we train are putting into practice what they learn~ there is progress being made!
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