For every child in Lake Chad Province, a birth certificate
"I know the importance of birth certificates for my children, and I also ensure that they receive all their vaccinations."
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It's an important day for Ndjangatta and her son!
In the new one-stop birth registration office, located inside the provincial hospital in the city of Bol, Lake Province, Ndjangatta, 23, has just received the birth certificate for her son Gabohina, born 3 months ago.
Ndjangatta gave birth at home. When she went to the hospital maternity ward for a consultation, the midwife, while explaining the vaccination schedule, told her why it was so important for her child to have a birth certificate, and that she would get it for free in the new office located inside the hospital. As soon as she returned home, Ndjangatta informed her husband so they could come without delay to register the birth of their child.
"I learned why it was important for my child to have a birth certificate. When he grows up, he will have it and be ready."
The one-stop birth registration office was established in November 2023 in the provincial hospital in Bol. Set up by UNICEF, with financial support from the European Union, in collaboration with the government and the National Agency for Secure Documents of Chad, it provides free birth certificates within minutes to children born at the maternity ward, children who come for routine vaccination, and unregistered children identified by community health workers.
Fatimé El-Hadj Mahamat, 25, oversees the birth registration office in Bol hospital. Every morning, she goes to the maternity ward to check if there are any newborns.
At the maternity ward, I collect the birth declaration form filled out by the midwives. This allows me to see if there are any newborns and thus contact their parents to register their children.
In addition to her morning visits to the hospital maternity ward, Fatimé also goes to the health center in Bol every Friday.
"At the health center, children come every Wednesday and Thursday for routine vaccination. Those who do not have a birth certificate are registered by health workers in the birth declaration vaccination form, which I receive every weekend."
Fatimé also stays in touch with the community health workers working in health centers in surrounding villages, allowing her to receive birth declarations from them.
Once she has all this information, Fatimé can contact the parents to explain the importance of birth registration and register their child as soon as they are given a name.
Some parents however do not understand the importance of birth registration, despite awareness-raising efforts, and refuse to collect their children's birth certificates. Fatimé is happy to address that challenge.
"In my family and in my neighborhood, whenever there is a baptism or a ceremony, I talk to the people to educate them. I love this work; my motivation is that every child should have a birth certificate."
Boukar Lol, 40, arrived enthusiastically at the office to collect the birth certificate of his second child, who was born at the hospital.
It was at the maternity ward that I was told about the one-stop office. For my first child, I went to the town hall. With this office, it's more convenient. All my children have birth certificates because it's a very important document.
This enthusiasm is also shared by Abakar Boukar, 25, a community health worker, who came to collect his daughter’s birth certificate.
I know the importance of birth certificates for my children, and I also ensure that they receive all their vaccinations.
Since its opening, the one-stop birth registration office in the city of Bol, established by UNICEF with the support of its partners, has provided free birth certificates to more than 130 children in the Lake Province. An important document that allows them to access social services, including health, education, and justice.
