Give 200 orphans in Zimbabwe access to education

Our UK based team recently had the pleasure and the heartache of visiting our projects around rural Bulawayo. Whilst there they were privileged to meet a family who have been going through significant hardship. With both parents having mental impairments the family has been surviving only with the support of the local community. The three children needed birth certification and the mother having lost her own documents then presented to the hospital but could not remember when she had given birth and their records could not be found. The two eldest, also living with mental impairment, have dropped out of primary school as a birth certificate is required for completing exams. With limited ability to earn the family has been doing odd jobs around the neighbourhood where some are very supportive however others have exploited them paying only $1 for washing clothes when the proper rate is $10. With the support of ZET and Trinity Project, the local Child Protection Committee, an ex-local councillor and other well-wishers we were able to secure birth certificates for all the family and the hope is that the youngest child will be the first in the family to complete primary school.

Our team also visited a community dialogue attended by around 40 women where issues of birth registration were discussed with a view to increasing uptake of this vital service. Even amongst the group in attendance over half the children there (brought along by mothers and grandmothers) were unregistered. A number of perceived challenges and misconceptions were addresses including issues as basic as; who is eligible to register a child, what happens when a parent has migrated to South Africa, what if a mother doesn’t have her own documents and under what circumstances can a grandparent register a child. From this community forum an action plan is created aiming at addressing issues and ensuring registration is treated as an essential part of life. Failure to do to so renders their children permanently vulnerable so is a message that communities must and do respond to.

We thank anyone who has kindly donated to help get our work this far.

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With a new year comes new hope and the promise for more than 200 children to get access to birth registration. In the coming months we will be rolling out a range of new activities designed to drastically change the landscape of birth registration not only in the areas where we work but nation-wide. One activity we’re happy to talk about is Community Dialogues and the Community Action Plans which come from them. These forums are a great way to get the key people in an area together with the general population, to identify complex local issues and address them directly. Whilst we work for national change this part of the programme recognises that one size does not fit all.

Now for a CASE STUDY – Michaela’s Story

For unregistered children like Michaela advancing through life can bring with it a series of challenges. Her story is very common yet through your support ZET can help children like Michaela overcome these challenges and go on to live rich and independent lives. Here is Michaela’s story.

When she was young, Michaela’s mother left her and because her parents had not registered her birth she had no birth certificate. She was unable to access her grade 7 exam results, prematurely ending her education and leaving her at risk of poverty.

Through careful negotiation, ZET was able to liaise between educational partners to release her exam results and get her into secondary school. In addition ZET was pleased to secure the release of her birth confirmation certificate from the clinic where Michaela was born and subsequently worked with her relatives over great distance to secure her an official birth certificate. This work is complex and time-consuming, often navigating administrative blockages, neglect and misunderstandings to reach the family members Michaela needed to sign her documentation. Through your generosity Michaela, aged 18, is now in a non-fee paying school and says:

“Even in the darkest of moments, I knew that hope was never lost. My journey has taught me that no matter how difficult the circumstances may be, there is always a way forward. I will never forget the kindness and support that I received. ZET helped me find my way to my own identity and I will always strive to help others. With determination and courage, we can all achieve our dreams, no matter what challenges we face."

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone out the in the world of GlobalGiving. You are great!

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