American Red Cross International Services

The family messages transmitted by the Red Cross can be very brief, but the three short words "I am alive" may be all that is needed to ease the minds of distraught loved ones half a world away.

Armed conflict and natural disaster leave millions of people around the globe in urgent need of humanitarian assistance every year. Adding to the physical losses, the confusion and chaos surrounding war and natural disasters often separates families when they need each other most. Tragically, when families and loved ones are separated by war or disaster, their suffering is greater. But, through the strength of the global Red Cross and Red Crescent network and the assistance of local tracing volunteers around the world families reconnect.

American Red Cross International Family Tracing Services accepts tracing cases and traces sought persons when:

• Families have been separated as a result of either armed conflict or disaster.
  
• As much as possible, families should have tried normal channels of communication before requesting
  
  The American Red Cross cannot accept requests when there is insufficient information to conduct a search; or when it is for genealogical research; or tracing regarding legal matters such as wills, child custody etc.; or the tracing of birth parents or third party requests.