Major birth and civil registration project to reach thousands in Nampula
Published: 19/Jun/2015
Source: UNICEF
Four-year-old Mariza Iussufo is perhaps not fully aware of the life-changing event that happened to her today, when the enthusiastic crowd at Namachilo community suddenly turned silent as her name was called out. As she quickly replied “yes” with her tiny and delicate voice, her proud father lovingly nudged her forward to retrieve her birth certificate from the Nampula Governor’s representative. As she grows up and enjoys the benefits of the document she held in her hands, Mariza will surely one day understand that her right to be recognized with a legal name and nationality had just been fulfilled.
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With a total budget of $5.2 million, the project aims to provide birth certificates and national identification documents to 520,000 children and adults in the districts of Rapale, Ribaue and Mecuburi in Nampula Province. Less than half of children under the age of 5 in Nampula have birth certificates, with the figure dropping down to only 17 percent for the population aged 0 to 64. Because an ID card cannot be issued without a birth certificate, it is therefore assumed that 8 out of 10 persons in Nampula do not possess an ID card, which is generally required for employment
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