Birth certificate’s keeping dreams alive

Antonio was living his dream of being a teacher for seven years.

But in 2002, the Government of Mozambique legislated that all citizens must have birth certificates in order to receive their salary. This put Antonio's dream in danger.

"I wanted to be a teacher, but didn't have a birth certificate," he says.

 In order to obtain his birth certificate, he'd need to travel 100 kilometres from his home to Morrumbala and pay a fee. His only means of transportation was on foot.

With no birth certificate, Antonio had no choice but to quit teaching and become a farmer. The challenges faced by not having a birth certificate didn't stop there however, as his children also needed them to go to school or receive vaccinations.

One of his older sons, Bartolomeu, also had to forfeit his dream – he had longed to follow in his father's footsteps and teach. When it came time to enrol in the sixth grade, he was turned away. He simply didn't have the documentation.

World Vision's staff in the Derre Area Development Programme saw the challenges facing citizens who couldn't obtain birth registration.

And thanks to child sponsorship donations, they were able to work with government officials to ensure that people in remote communities were able to obtain their birth registration cards.

Now, everybody in Antonio's family has their own birth registration card. They beam with pride, happy to be able to live their dreams.

And the help didn't stop there. Three of Antonio's children are World Vision sponsored children.

 Aconteceu, age 12, receives letters, cards and pictures from his sponsor.

"I get happy when I receive the letters," says Aconteceu. "I know my sponsor is there and he remembers about me."

Antonio knows the far-reaching scope of sponsorship support in his community. "I feel happy for that especially because I see the borehole being drilled, the school being built," he says. "I know this is part of the support we're all receiving from sponsorship."

(Source: https://www.worldvision.com.au/global-issues/work-we-do/poverty/birth-certificates-mean-no-more-lost-dreams )

 

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