Photo: RNZ/ Red Cross
Last year as New Zealand went into lockdown in March, Fatema Mohamed Sugule was only just beginning to slowly adjust to her new life in Auckland. During this year's lockdown she feels more ready to start a process that could restore a long-lost link. Hear her full story here:
Leaving Somalia with her aunt in 2010, Fatema spent four years in Yemen and subsequently Malaysia as a refugee while conflict and drought had Somalia in its grips.
Her mother had to stay back in Mogadishu, while her sister and father were killed in the conflict.
Over eight years on from leaving Somalia, Fatema was accepted in New Zealand's refugee quota and arrived in Auckland in November 2019.
She spoke to Voices in this episode from last year, about her time settling in and the role Red Cross volunteers played in her everyday life.
This week Fatema spoke to Voices without an interpreter. She's keen to get her English up to speed and be as independent as possible.
"Language is key here" she says.
And she's now also on another important mission.
Hear her full interview here:
Over the years she lost contact with her mother who'd stayed back in Mogadishu. After a year now of living in Auckland Fatema feels she's ready to start the process of tracing her mother.
"If she's alive, inshallah I'll get her. "
Through Red Cross, there's a big possibility Fatema will be able to contact her long-lost mother. Red Cross's Restoring Family links helps restore contact between refugees separated from loved ones during conflict and war.
Through their tracing message system messages can be sent to people who live in areas with no means of communication.
In 2011 for example, the year after Fatema left, about 254 people were located through requests from family members and more 16,700 Red Cross Messages were sent out.
From August until the end of that year, nearly 38,000 phone calls were made to relatives in Somalia living overseas.
Of those calls more than 4,700 were made by minors.
"Not only cases like Fatema's but people who've been looking for loved ones who were separated as far back as World War 2 approach Red Cross for help.
"When it happens, it's like a miracle" says Hamish Low of the Restoring Family Links programme by Red Cross.
Hear more on the programme and Fatema's story.
