Miguel’s first vaccines and birth certificate in one day

MOCÍMBOA DA PRAIA, Cabo Delgado - At just 15 years old, Margarida Luís* already knows the challenges of being a mother in a community far from basic services.

Two months ago, she gave birth to her first child, Miguel Lucas. He was not born in a health facility, but at home with the help of a traditional birth attendant.

“The hospital is very far from here, and I did not have money to pay for transport. So, my son was born at home,” says Margarida.

Without the means to travel to the nearest health facility, Margarida spent the first two months of Miguel’s life without taking him for a health check-up or for the vaccines recommended after birth.

Margarida studied until Grade 5. Today, she spends most of her time working on the family farm and helping to support her family.

The opportunity to change Miguel’s situation came when an integrated mobile health and nutrition team visited their community. For the first time since her son was born, Margarida was able to take him to receive health care.

“I was very happy when I heard that the mobile team was coming to our community,” she says. “I wanted my son to be checked by the nurses and to receive his vaccines.”

During the visit, Miguel received the BCG vaccine, which protects against severe forms of tuberculosis, as well as his first doses of the polio and rotavirus vaccines.

“Now I feel much more relaxed because my son has started his vaccinations,” Margarida says. “The mobile team will come back next month, so I do not have to worry about how to get to the hospital, which is very far away.”

But this was not only a vaccination day. The mobile outreach team also gave Margarida access to another essential service: birth registration.

She took the opportunity to officially register Miguel’s birth.

“I was also able to register my son. I am happy because now he will have his official documents,” she says.

For Margarida, it was a special day. In one place, she was able to secure two basic rights for her son: access to health care and birth registration.

Miguel received the vaccines he needed to begin protecting himself against preventable diseases. He also received official recognition of his birth, an important first step in accessing other rights and services throughout his life.

“I am very happy because I was able to take care of my son’s health and register his birth,” Margarida says.

Without a birth certificate, many children can face difficulties accessing essential services as they grow, including health care, education and social protection.

By combining health care, vaccination and birth registration, mobile outreach teams help ensure that more children can access their rights from the very beginning of life, including in remote communities.

With financial support from the Eastern and Southern Africa Humanitarian Fund (ESA HF), UNICEF continues to work with government partners to bring essential services closer to families living in challenging situations.

Every child has the right to grow up healthy. Every child also has the right to be officially recognized from the start of life.

* All names in this story have been changed to protect identities.