Cinro* plays with his son Cade* in their home.

By Fatuma Arte & Hassan Abdi

Cade had always wanted to be a doctor when he grew up. The 12-year-old dreamed of how he would help sick people in his village when his dream came to pass. Unfortunately for Cade, his dream was diminishing before his very eyes.

Until October 2022, Cade lived with his mother and his siblings in Somalia. His parents had divorced, forcing the little boy to take on more “manly” responsibilities, as he was the eldest son in his family. He did not go to school because his days were spent helping his mother sell grocery at their little shop in the small village where they lived. He envied his age mates who went to school and always wished he could join them.

Cade had always heard about Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya. He knew about it from friends who had been there and always spoke about their experiences there. They told him how children his age got an opportunity to go to school. This made Cade wish he could go to the camp and experience what the other children spoke of – he saw this as a lifeline for himself.

When his neighbor told him they were moving to the camp, the 12-year-old jumped at the opportunity and requested his mother, *Halima, if she could allow him to go with them. Because she wanted a different life for her son, Halima agreed to let Cade go with the neighbors.

Cade arrived in the camp in November 2022 with his neighbor’s family. They settled at the Dagahaley Camp as they awaited registration by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

The young boy was identified as an unaccompanied minor by Save the Children’s child protection community workers stationed at the profiling center. Because the family that came with him had no means to support him, Cade was registered at Save the Children’s child protection information management system (CPIMS+) and was supported with child protection services including placement of the child under foster care , provision of  case management services, counselling,  cash transfer support, non-food items (NFI) support and referral for school enrollment.

The foster family welcomed Cade into their home and provided a safe living environment as we initiated a tracing request to see if we could find a relative within the camp.

After living with the foster family for 8 months, Cade’s father was found living in one of the camps  called ‘’Ifo’. After conducting Best Interest Determination (BID) for family reunification to inform on the best option to follow on the change of care arrangement for the child, it was recommended that the 12-year-old be reunited with his father.

“I want to be a doctor when I grow up and treat people. I will finish school and join University and become a Doctor just like my friend Dr Abdi in Dagahaley camp who is working at MSF hospital.

I want us all to be together, my father, my mother and my other siblings.”

“In Somalia I my mother and I worked at the small shop we had.  We ate because she worked and bought something. Sometimes I missed my father and I would ask my mother to call him, but she won’t allow us to talk to him because he abandoned us then.”

"When I was leaving home , I was  crying because I loved my mother.”

“I feel bad when other children hug their fathers and mine I did not know where he was then.”

‘’Now I am happy, thanks to Save the Children and partners for facilitating my reunion with my father.’’ Says Cade.

Cade* and his father Cinro* were successfully reunited through a facilitation exercise by Save the Children and the Government of Kenya’s Department of Children Services.

“My family and my wife’s family do not get along, that is why I ran away from Somalia. I am hiding here for safety purposes”

“I love my children and I will do everything for them, I have asked on several occasions the mother to follow me in the camp but she fears her brothers. I am happy I found my son, thanks to Save The Children.

“This tracing exercise is really good because it reunites families.” Says Cinro*.

Thanks to the intervention of Save the Children, Cade and his father were reunited. Children like Cade are identified in the camp almost every 3months and are placed in the alternative care arrangement after conducting suitability assessment to decide on the best care arrangement available.

The young boy was identified as an unaccompanied minor and was registered at Save the Children’s child protection information management system (CPIMS+). We supported him with child protection services including placement of the child under foster care , provision of  case management services, counselling,  cash transfer support, non-food items (NFI) support and referral for school enrollment.

Save the Children through SCI Italy prioritized child protection and education activities to address some of the gaps faced by children and families in refugee camps. These interventions targeted children through direct services provision by reaching out to children directly as well as family and community levels. The project aimed to address immediate needs of children and communities affected by the drought and displacement through protection and education services.

The project dubbed, “Expanding access to child protection services and education for unaccompanied, separated and vulnerable children in Dadaab Refugee Camp, Kenya”, targets new arrivals at the camp with a special focus on women, girls, boys, youth and persons with disability.

The main objectives of the project are to ensure refugee children are protected from violence, abuse and exploitation and communities have access to emergency lifesaving assistance and to enhance access to quality education by addressing barriers that hinder refugee children.