A mother's long-awaited reunion with her children in Hungary

IOM Budapest together with its partners successfully conducted another family reunification to Hungary: after 3 long years of living apart, a mother of two was finally reunited with her children.

The action reunited two Cameroonian sons, aged 6 and 9, with their mother, Marie, who has been living in Hungary for 2 years now. Marie applied for family reunification last November, but the process was not easy: the boys had to travel all the way to Nigeria, to the closest Hungarian Embassy, to submit their application. Eventually, after months of waiting, worry and hope, their request was approved by the Hungarian Authorities this June.

The plane landed at Budapest airport last Friday, and while the boys cannot wait to see their new home, learn Hungarian and make new friends, Marie is excited to finally have her sons around.

IOM organized the family’s flight bookings, tickets and “fit-to-travel” medical exams and also accompanied the children from Cameroon all the way to Budapest and provided assistance at the airports while transiting and at arrival in Budapest. This family reunification could not have been realized without the help of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and Kalunba Nonprofit Ltd that has also been providing accommodation for Marie and her sons.

The travel from Cameroon to Hungary took place within the framework of IOM Budapest’s family reunification project. The project is co-financed by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund of the European Union and by the Hungarian Ministry of Interior.

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For further information on IOM’s assistance with family reunification, please clilck here.

***Names in the story are changed for protection reasons.