Born in Zimbabwe to Zimbabwean parents but stateless for 19 years
Published: 29/May/2023
Source: New Zimbabwe
“SHE was born in 2003 and only got a birth certificate at the age of 19 after a long battle.”
Smangele Ndebele (50) a Child Care Worker (CCW) and foster mom in Tsholotsho’s Mvundlana village, narrated a sad story of one girl who had been for long deprived of basic needs due to statelessness.
Ndebele is one of the care workers who were identified and trained by the government in partnership with UNICEF to help mobilize stateless community members to acquire legal identification.
She described how difficult it was to get what many Zimbabweans may take for granted: a birth certificate, for a vulnerable girl in her community.
Without one, a child in Zimbabwe cannot access basic needs like health care, register for examinations, get donor aid and obtain education or funeral policy legally.
Read further: https://www.newzimbabwe.com/https-www-newzimbabwe-com-born-in-zimbabwe-to-zimbabwean-parents-but-stateless-for-19-years/