He's making a list, checking it twice... Around this time every year, Santa is checking his list to see who's been naughty, who's been nice. Without this list, how could he know where every child lived and what they needed for Christmas? This is the same question which national governments face when they plan the delivery of basic services (health, education, etc.); how can they know what services children need, and how many children need these services, without an up to date list?
In Zimbabwe, this list is no where near complete. 51% of children under the age of five are not registered. This means they are not counted by the government and do not have access to basic services such as education and health.
This Christmas, ZET isn't asking for presents, but a simple donation of 10 which will enable a child's birth to be registered and ensure that their life is counted (by the government and by Santa!).
The project works very closely with a number of local organisations, such as Child Protection Committees, schools, churches, and relevant government departments. As such, we are building the capacity of other organisations to deal with these problems when the project comes to an end. In addition, by raising awareness in schools, and by allowing children to participate actively in the project, the issue of lack of birth registration should not become a problem for future generations.
