19 06 13 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies – Congo-Kinshasa: The Plight of Child Refugees in Democratic Republic of Congo

She didn't
know it, but rebel fighters had come to the village of Tongba Nzenge
in Central African Republic (CAR). Not knowing what to do, the teenager decided
to return home, but her mother, three brothers and two sisters were nowhere to
be found. Panicked, Patricia followed the crowd. "I followed all the
people from the village, hoping at each step to find my mother and brothers and
sisters," she says. "But until now, I have no news of them."

Her flight
took her and many others to the village
of Kambo in neighbouring
Democratic Republic of Congo. She clung to one woman in the group, who also has
children, in the hopes that the maternal warmth of this mother and the family
atmosphere would help her cope. This woman has taken Patricia in, sharing what
little rations she has, and Patricia now considers her an aunt. But the quiet,
small teenager remains on the outside looking in. "I'm tired of always
being told I am a person without family. When my aunt gives me food, the
children insult me and remind me that I'm not family. I think of my mother, and
how she would so willingly give food to passersby. I have no clothes, and have
worn the same thing since I arrived here."

Patricia is
among thousands of children who fled the conflict in CAR. The majority are with
their mothers, but some, like Patricia, are on their own, struggling to find
their way. The refugees have settled in the UNHCR camp, with host families or
simply on the banks of the Ubangi river. It is
here where the young women in particular, face the most danger, exposed to a
risk of rape and its repercussions.

With her
hair dishevelled, her face full of sadness, her eyes filled with tears,
Patricia yearns for the day when she will be reunited with her family. Until
that happens, she welcomes the thought of being placed with a foster family.
"I am ready to go, even now," she says.

The
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is responding
with an emergency appeal to support the Red Cross of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
as it assists 15,000 refugees with emergency relief, health care, and restoring
family links. The organization's efforts will focus on those refugees who do
not want to move to the official camps, but prefer to stay near the river and
their homeland. The appeal for 1.1 million Swiss francs is currently 34 per
cent covered.