Macon Reporter

Dalton City United Methodist Church issued the following announcement on Aug. 20.

Imagine being a grandparent suddenly thrust with the responsibility of caring for your grandchild. You want to love, feed and educate that child. However, because of circumstances beyond your control, you don’t have a copy of the child’s birth certificate.

You soon discover that, in Zimbabwe, a person without a birth certificate does not exist before the law and is in danger of remaining on the margins of society.

“We have many children and adults living in our community with no birth certificates and this is a problematic situation,” said Luisa Mutasa, connectional ministries outreach coordinator at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Harare. “When a person does not have a birth certificate, there is no proof of age, no proof of biological parentage, no identification and no passport.”

St. Paul is “known as a church involved with people’s lives and social struggles,” said the Rev. Juliet Mwarumba, pastor in charge. “We believe God's love for the world is an active and engaging love, a love seeking justice and liberty. We cannot just be observers.”Living out those words, the congregation is helping people to obtain birth certificates. So far, they have assisted 150. Social workers were invited to the church to teach the community about the importance of obtaining a birth certificate and the procedures to follow.

The church and society committee engaged the registry office on how best to help those who find it difficult to get birth certificates and national identity cards. The registry office allocated a space for the church to bring five families per week. The church provided transportation and registration fees as needed.

St. Paul is in ministry in the oldest suburb of Mbare. Most residents live below the poverty line. Seeking economic stability, many young people migrate to other countries. Others remain in Zimbabwe, engaging in prostitution and increasing the likelihood of contracting HIV/AIDS and other illnesses that can lead to death or severe disability. As a result, many elderly people must care for grandchildren.

“It is not an easy process,” said Phyllis Mavhiri, whose requests for a birth certificate for her grandchild were repeatedly rejected.

“Both parents passed away, and I had no birth record or witness to birth. This made it very difficult to convince the registry office that we are not stealing a child.

“I cried when I finally obtained a birth certificate for my grandchild,” she said.

Without a birth certificate, a child might not attend school. To enroll in a government school and write national examinations, a child must have a birth certificate. Although some private schools might allow children to enroll without that documentation, national examinations at all stages are only reserved for people with birth certificates.

“My grandchild failed to get a place at the government schools because he does not have a birth certificate,” said Anna Chireshe. She often lies awake at night, worrying about her grandchild.

Without a birth certificate, a child cannot receive social services or food aid.

Failing to register a child’s identity has far-reaching consequences that affect generations. For parents to obtain a birth certificate for their child, they must produce a national identification card. These cards are only issued to people with birth certificates. Lacking the documents creates a cycle of people existing as strangers with no identity.

“Without an identity,” said Mwarumba, “one cannot open a bank account or a mobile bank account. Neither can they open an account with any shop … be certified or licensed in any area, (or) get a passport or driver’s license.”

As Zimbabwe evolves into a cashless culture, people who have no identity documents will be pushed further to the edge of society. “Nowadays,” said Mwarumba, “we rarely get cash in our hands. All transactions are done electronically, making it very difficult to live without an account.”

Documents proving one’s identity also are key when searching for a job. One cannot be employed without identification.

“The church supports the basic rights of all persons to equal access to education, medical care and employment,” said Mwarumba. “These rights are infringed the moment the parent neglects to obtain a birth certificate.”

If children are left in the custody of relatives, the caretakers should produce a birth record or witness to the birth, a marriage certificate of the children’s parents and death certificates, if they are available.

When a child is born out of wedlock and the father refuses to accept paternity or to register the child’s birth, the mother can register the child in her surname. However, many women are reluctant to give their children their own surnames because of the sociocultural implications.

Thanks to one caring United Methodist congregation in a city of 1.5 million, people are envisioning a future with hope.

source_link

https://www.umnews.org/en/news/church-helps-children-adults-obtain-birth-certificates

Source: Dalton City United Methodist Church