Eglan, Ayan, Fesal, Umalhaer and, front, Farhan and are all smiles now the family is back as one with their mother, middle, Habon. Picture: Megan Rogers.
By Callan Date
A NARRE Warren mother has been reunited with two of her children after not seeing them for more than eight years.
Somalian born Habon Mohamed laid eyes on her young daughters Eglan and Umalhaer last month after they were flown to Melbourne from Kenya.
The two girls, aged eight and 14, understand little English but the language of love is evident during their interaction with their newly found family members.
The tale of separation is told full of heartache by Habon – who was orphaned herself soon after birth.
She details the nightmare life she has so far endured – including being shot in the leg after war broke out in Somalia – and how she came to be away from two of her five children for so long.
“My children were taken away from me. They were abducted,” Habon said.
She said her ex-husband’s brother and sister tricked her into believing the family was going to relocate to America from a refugee camp.
“They told me to go shopping for new clothes because they didn’t know my size. They said they would mind my children.”
A few hours later and Habon’s life was turned upside down forever.
“They had stolen my children. I did not know what to do and I starting to feel very sick.”
Habon was on medication for six months while she tried to deal with the abduction of her children.
Things started to look up for Habon though when, with help from the Red Cross and local police, she was reunited with three of her children.
The family were then granted refugee status as women at risk and travelled to Australia to start a new life in 2003.
“I was very happy to come to Australia. So very happy but still sad because I was not with two of my children,” Habon said.
The family relocated to Tasmania but finally settled in Narre Warren in 2005.
She said a meeting with a neighbour, Janny Dijkman, enabled the process of being reunited with her missing daughters to start.
“Janny helped me out a lot. We worked together to find where my children were.”
The girls were being used as goat farmers throughout Ethiopia, Habon said.
“A friend of mine in Kenya helped to arrange for them to be brought back to Australia.”
The family of six was finally reunited after eight long years of separation in early March.
Time that pushed Habon to the limits but it was all worth it, she said.
“We are hoping to settle down as one family now.
“It won’t be easy but we will help each other and work it all out.”
