The year when Badar was born, war broke out in Somalia. Badar was less than one year old when his mother Nafiso had to run away from Mogadishu. It took over two decades for the Somali family to be reunited through REFUNITE. This is their story.

 A Somali Family Finds Connection After The War

The year when Badar* was born, war broke out in Somalia. Badar was less than one year old when his mother Nafiso* decided that their home in Mogadishu was not safe and that her only choice was to ran away. Nafiso had to leave the rest of her family, including his younger brother Aadan*, behind.

Through the stories that Nafiso would tell him, Badar grew up learning little by little about his family. Nafiso often recalled life before the war and her childhood in Mogadishu. Before her death, Nafiso asked Badar to look for her brother, his uncle, Aadan.

Badar is 25 years old today. The first time he heard about REFUNITE it was through other Somali who had been separated during the war and were looking for their families. One day he decided to register on to the platform and search for Aadan. He knew that some people in his community had found their missing loved ones through the family tracing platform and this kept his hopes alive.

In July 2017, Badar was contacted by someone who claimed to be his uncle.  “I first recognized the name, then I saw on the profile that the tribe also matched” said Aadan. After over two decades, Badar and Aadan started to piece together the story of a family that was torn apart by war. Aadan had also lost contact with another of their relatives, Khaadro*, and thanks to Badar he managed to reconnect with her too.

“These days, we are in touch and we often speak on the phone. I am happy I have found my nephew and I hope for a better life for me and my family”.

*For security reasons, all names have been changed to protect the identities of the interviewees.

25th August 2017.