Exist to Exist - Birth Registration in Zimbabwe

Winter 2015 Global Giving Report

Happy New Year from us here at ZET! Thanks to your continued support - your funding is helping us to support our partners in the Trinity Project and they are making great progress. During this quarter, door-to-door consultations and home visits have been carried out in Nkulumane District, Luveve District, Emakhandeni District and Magwegwe District, and the Trinity Project Officers have managed to visit 235 parents or carers who were consulted about birth certificates. The Trinity Project’s Legal Advice Clinics are also up and running and helping people to gain invaluable support about the legal documents which can grant them an education – 3 legal advice clinics were held during the month of November, and although 39 parents or carers were reached, there is certainly more work to be done because of the prevalence of the birth certificate problem. Consultations about birth certificates are also sometimes done in the office and during this quarter, 108 partners or carers have visited the offices, which shows great progress in that our Trinity Project partners are able to make a different to some people’s lives in Zimbabwe.

The Trinity Project also is holding a new Kids Club Project thanks to your support with children between 5 and 18 – child participation is encouraged and children are taught on the importance of early birth registration and of birth certificates in order to help to stop this being a problem for the next generation – teaching children early why it is important for children to register with birth certificates is vital in helping the children themselves and their children. Currently, 456 attend the project which shows the way in which your donations are having a real impact on the ground, however the club requires more funding to be able to properly fund the club’s activities like football, volleyball, netball and drama. Our Trinity Project also teamed up with Vulindlela Orphanage Care Centre and held a Kids Christmas party that 300 children attended, as a consequence of your continued support – at the Children’s party, there was a poem citing competition, apple bobbing, musical chairs and quizzes – the children all had a great time! One of the most inspiring Poem’s written by the children is below, which really shows how the other work by the Trinity Project, such as the legal centre drops in, help to solve the issues concerning children:

 

ALLOW ME TO SPEAK
By Rivaldo Siziba Vulindlela

Allow me to speak
Because I must speak
Until when   shall I be deprived?
Of my right to have
A birth certificate

Oh birth certificate!!!
Oh birth certificate!!!

I am a child; I have the right to identity
I am an orphan; I have the right to identity

What will become of me without a birth certificate?
Oh birth certificate!!!
Oh birth certificate!!!

It is not my fault that I lost my Parents
It is not my fault to be in this earth

Hence it is my right to live and have a birth certificate.

Oh birth certificate!!!
Oh birth certificate!!!

 

Finally, Trinity Project has also been holding training workshops about the need for birth certificates - 144 participants attended aross 4 workshops, and in addition to this there were also 15 sensitisation meetings that targeted just children and taught them the importance of holding birth ceriticates.

It is clear that your support is helping the Trinity Project to challenge the generational issue of a lack of birth certficate regisetration in Zimbabwe meaning children are unable to gain orphan status, and consequently denied access to education. Your support is helping the Trinity Project to succeed so thank you again, but as you can see there are still areas where we need more help to continue this great work.

Could you spare just £12 to help the Trinity Project provide 2 legal clinics?