Since 1986, Adelaide resident, Gutwech Dunay (29), had not heard from or seen his family. After fleeing Sudan due to internal conflict he travelled to Ethiopia where he lived for five years before making Australia his new home. His family was unaware of his whereabouts or his fate.
In 2000, Gutwech moved to Adelaide where he has been living for nearly four years with still no communication, well, that is until now.
After a series of attempts to contact his family and friends back in his hometown, Gutwech heard about the Red Cross Message service offered by Australian Red Cross and decided to try it.
“I heard about the message service and thought that I would give it a try. I didn’t think that I would hear from my family again, but was hopeful that this service would offer some relief as I had no other means to communicate with them,” said Gutwech.
Two months had passed when he received a telephone call from a Red Cross representative informing him that he had received a reply to his message.
“I was overjoyed and so excited to have received a message from my family. It was such a long time since I had been in contact with them and it was such a relief for me and them!”
His family informed him that his brother had left to search for him in Ethiopia.
“After I heard that my brother was in Ethiopia looking for me, I telephoned my friend and asked him to look for him. About three weeks ago, I received a call from my brother and we talked for about two hours, trying to catch up on lost time.”
Gutwech's brother's search is now over knowing that Gutwech is safe and well living in Australia so will now return to his family in Sudan.
To mark National Missing Persons week (1-7 August), Australian Red Cross highlights the International Tracing Service which seeks to locate missing relatives and restore family links severed due to war, internal conflict and natural disaster.
Every year Australian Red Cross handles thousands of cases involving people desperate to restore family links, many of which have successful outcomes. Most people who are reunited with loved ones experience joy, contentment and relief, like Gutwech Dunay.
Last year Australian Red Cross, South Australia opened 227 new cases for people desperate to restore family links.
In the same period, 206 Red Cross Messages (RCM) were distributed helping people in South Australia to maintain contact with loved ones overseas.
RCMs are unsealed letters containing family news in areas where the postal service is not operational, or where family members are detained in relation to a conflict and have no other means of communication.
“Whether it is an earthquake, cyclone or a humanitarian crisis such as the current situation in Sudan, people whose families have become separated can contact the Red Cross to assist them in tracing their loved ones,” said Mr Dale Cleaver, Executive Director, Australian Red Cross, South Australia.
If contact with a family member or a relative has been lost due to war, conflict or natural disaster, write to the Australian Red Cross Tracing Service telephone freecall 1800 246 850 or for more information visit www.redcross.org.au
AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW
- Dale Cleaver, Executive Director, Australian Red Cross, South Australia.
