By activating rapid child protection mechanisms and mobilising community networks, Save the Children managed to locate Olinda*’s mother within just five hours. This successful outcome demonstrates the impact of coordinated humanitarian action and the vital role of Child-Friendly Spaces in ensuring no child is left to face a crisis alone in northern Mozambique. A response largely made possible by the crucial support of the EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid.
Save the Children has been working tirelessly in Erati, Nampula, to support displaced children who, due to the emergency context, have been separated from their families. Among the various cases handled, the story of Olinda*, a girl just 3 years old, stands out.
Last Tuesday, Olinda* was brought to the Child-Friendly Space in Erati by members of AMUE, who informed the Save the Children team that she had been found alone and without any family supervision. Our team immediately activated child protection mechanisms, launching the family identification and tracing process.
We conducted a mapping exercise across several sites for displaced families in Nampula, working in close coordination with local community leaders and mobilising existing protection networks. Thanks to this swift and coordinated action, Olinda*’s mother was located just five hours later.
The mother, who is also a minor, was being hosted at the home of a friend of her father. The household is currently shared by three families: the homeowners, the mother’s parents and siblings, and Olinda*’s mother with her two children.
The reunion was a moment of profound emotion, relief, and hope, reaffirming the vital importance of safe spaces, community-based work, and rapid responses in displacement contexts. Save the Children remains committed to protecting children, strengthening family reunification mechanisms, and ensuring that no child is left to face an emergency alone.
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