Fares is four years old. He came to SOS Children’s Villages Palestine through a mosque imam (a religious leader who leads prayers and provides guidance in a mosque), who found him alone and without parental support in January 2024.
Fares then spent one year and eight months under the care of SOS Children’s Villages, living in Mama Hidaya’s caravan.
During this time, the team at SOS Children’s Villages made attempts to reunite him with his family, especially since his full name was known. However, because of the harsh conditions of the Israel/Gaza war, they were unable to reach his relatives.
In the months that followed, Ibrahim, a social worker at SOS Children’s Villages Palestine, continued to try and trace Fares’ family, but with no success. Meanwhile, Fares continued to receive daily care, support, and attention from his caregiver, Mama Hidaya, in the camp.
A turning point
One day, when Fares needed urgent medical attention, Mama Hidaya and Ibrahim took him to the nearest hospital. There, Ibrahim asked the hospital administration to try to provide an address for his family. But due to repeated displacement, and the chaos caused by continuous bombardments, locating them was extremely difficult.
After many attempts, the hospital finally identified an address.
Ibrahim shared it with the Ministry of Social Development, which verified the family and Fare’s father’s identity, based on official documents he’d submitted.
A week later, the Ministry agreed to reunite Fares with his family. His father arrived at the camp with his sister. From a distance, Fares saw his father, and the reunion was heartwarming.
Watch the touching moment Fares reunites with his family and runs into his father’s arms:
Fares runs back into his father’s arms
“Despite his young age, when Fare’s saw his father, he ran to him quickly, even though he had been lost since he was about two years old,” says Wissal Edwan, Project Manager for Unaccompanied and Separated Children.
Before leaving together for their tent, the family received support from the team at SOS Children’s Villages, including infant formula, vegetables, summer and winter clothing for the child, and other essential supplies, many of which are extremely difficult for families to access in Gaza right now.
The team also provided ‘post-reunification’ care, which includes economical and psychosocial support, after Fares reunites with his family.
*The name of the child was changed to protect his privacy.