World Vision assists Government during Birth Registration Exercise

Friday, January 22, 2016

About 1, 640 children have been registered for birth certificates in Luampa district of Western Province.

This was noted during the birth certificate distribution at zone office in Luampa district where a very good number of parents turned up to collect birth certificates for their children.

National Office Child Protection Coordinator, Lifuna Simushi said World Vision’s aim is to ensure that every child in the communities has a birth certificate.

“Birth registration is very important and as World Vision we are very happy that you have seen the importance of this exercise,” he said. “This document is a very critical that every child should have.

 And Western province provincial registrar Kennedy Chisumpa attributes the increase in registered children to the mass sensitization carried out by World Vision.

Mr Kennedy Chisumpa said in the past, the registration exercise was slow because community members were ignorant about the exercise but with the help of World Vision, coverage has increased.

“People have been very ignorant about the importance of the birth certificates for their children. But with the help of NGOs like World Vision, we have been able to sensitize a very good number of people and so far the coverage is good,” he said.

He stated that World Vision has also helped the Government to conduct the birth registration exercise by training care givers who sensitized community members about the importance of a child having a birth certificate.

“Our relationship with World Vision has been very good because through them we have managed to open up mobile birth registration points,” said Mr Chisumpa.

He said the exercise is an important tool because it has been able to help in some cases of child protection issues. “When a child is registered to have a birth certificate, he or she has a right to be protected from any injustices.”

“A good example of the child protection cases are cases of early marriages, we have been able to prove whether the person involved in the early marriage case is a child or not,” he said.

He has since thanked World Vision’s efforts in saving children’s lives. “I wish to encourage other Non-Governmental Organizations to emulate World Visions efforts in complimenting Governments efforts on child protection issues,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kenneth Kalengu one of the parents who came to the health center to collect eight certificates for his children and grandchildren said he was happy that his children now own birth certificates.

“I am very happy because my children and grandchildren will be able to enroll into grade one unlike before because they did not have certificates.