UNICEF and Canada support birth registration campaigns in Mozambique
"Now, with my birth certificate in hand, I can continue my studies.”
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Sofala, Mozambique – "After being out of school for a long time, in 2022 I was able to go back to school. I feel happy to continue my studies, and in the future, I want to become a nurse to take care of the health of my community," said the 19-year-old Anora, who until the age of 18 never had an identification document.
Access to birth registration is one of the enormous challenges faced by girls and young women in situations of social vulnerability as well as communities that are distant from this service in Sofala province. Birth registration is a fundamental human right and allows for access to basic services such as health, education, and social protection.
"I was born in Nhamatanda district and lost my parents very early. At that time, I was left in the care of my aunt. Those were very challenging years, mainly because my aunt was a person with a disability. She did everything so that we would have the basics for survival despite the stigma, prejudice, and discrimination we suffered in the community," said Anora.
Anora's studies were in danger of being interrupted due to the lack of birth registration. She was allowed to be enrolled in the adult literacy course without any identification document under the condition that she would present it before the final exams. Anora only got the document due to birth registration campaigns in her district.
I am very happy now with the birth certificate in my hand, I can continue my studies that would be interrupted for lack of this document.
“I am very happy now with the birth certificate in my hand, I can continue my studies that would be interrupted for lack of this document.,” said Anora with a smile on her face.
The birth registration campaigns were organized by the National Directorate of Registries and Notaries throughout Mozambique, in coordination with the Provincial Directorates of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs, which has a strong component of social mobilization for the adherence of the population to the civil registry services, which helped register over 450,000 people and issue more than 35,000 death certificates in the period from April 2022 to March 2023. The initiative is supported by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Government of Canada.
The lack of an identification document constitutes a denial of the human rights of children and adolescents and of the community.
