Born in 2015, in the west Gojjam zone of the Amhara region, Alex used to live with his parents. His life, however unraveled at age 5, when financial instability resulted in his parents’ divorce . Later, his father married another wife. While living with his father and new stepmother, Alex was forced to look after his father’s cattle, faced maltreatment and received insufficient food compelling him to flee to the nearest town called Finoteselam.
As an unaccompanied child with no shelter or reliable income Alex started fetching water for hotels and restaurants and collecting used materials to earn money. Despite his efforts, he still faced severe food insecurity. His situation grew increasingly desperate, leading him to beg for food and eventually migrate further to the other towns; Jiga and Dembecha.
In November 2025, the Geneva Global Ethiopia (GGE) child protection team, operating under the European Union-funded I-HOPE (Integrated Humanitarian Operation for Protective Education) project, identified Alex wandering on the streets of Demebecha. The team immediately employed their standard protection protocols by notifying local police and the Woreda Office of Women, Children, and Social Affairs, and providing Alex with immediate food, shelter, and psychosocial support. A formal case management process began. Social workers from GGE, collaborated with local authorities to successfully conduct family tracing, and verify his maternal family connections.
After a supervised family reunification was carried out by GGE team, Alex was safely placed in an alternative care arrangement with his biological mother. Reuniting Alex with his family had a positive emotional impact on Alex. Being with is mother and sister he now has a strong support system to provide him with a secure childhood. His mother, who has been deeply devastated by his disappearance says,
“I am incredibly grateful for the intervention. Now that my son is home safely, I can finally sleep again.”
The team conducts routine a follow-ups according to the I-HOPE project’s case management system to ensure Alex’s safety and development. Alex’s journey from the streets back to his family is a powerful testament to the project’s mission that successful intervention through coordinated child protection measures can drastically alter a child’s life during a humanitarian crisis.