To relief the population who are suffering from the armed conflict that has been going on since 2016, this project was initiated to facilitate the establishments of birth certificates for children in the conflict zones.
This project was informed the economic crisis stemming from the armed conflicts and the needs for children especially those born within the crisis period to have an identity. The Birth certificate project was piloted in Bamessing – Ndop in Ngoketunjia Division of the North West region benefiting over 312 children.
The first activity of this project was awareness raising and sensitization. Our staff and some volunteers from the various villages were dispatched to the various communities to sensitize the population and educate them on the importance of children having birth certificates. Some of the benefits of children having birth certificates highlighted were;
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To give children an identity
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Facilitate the registration or enrollment of children in schools and other courses
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Facilitated the establishment of passports for children in future when they need to travel out of the country
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And above all a fulfillment of their human rights
Sensitization activities were done in health centers during post and pre-natal clinics sessions and in communities during gatherings. The parents acknowledged and appreciated the knowledge shared but expressed their fears of accessing the administrations due to threats from secessionists. They also expressed the economic challenges as many of them had lost their businesses and jobs and could hardly afford money to survive talk less of producing birth certificates for their new born babies.
At the level of the communities, some of the children did not have birth certificates because their documents had been burnt in their homes especially during military raids.
RegistrationDuring and after sensitization sessions, the children were registered for the establishment of the certificate. The registration was done using a form we designed – the birth certificate extract form. To fill this form, the identity cards of the parents were required.
During this registration process we also came across another effect of this crisis which is an increase in child-mothers. We came across young girls who had been sexually violated and had to bear children at their very young ages. Most of them appeared as single mothers. In such cases a representative from their family or their own fathers stood as the child’s father.
The registration process was also facilitated by the community school administrators. We made contacts with the schools administrators and they could sort out children who did not have birth certificates.
Establishment of the certificates
The establishment of the birth certificates was done at the level of the municipal councils. Using the birth certificate extracts the council staffs filled the birth certificate forms and the mayor signed. These were eventually handed to the beneficiaries in their communities.
