Tanzania registers births by mobile phone
The new system being rolled out across the country over the next five years allows a health worker to send the baby's name, sex, date of birth and family details by phone to a central data base and a birth certificate is issued free of charge in days.
DAR es Salaam – Tanzania has launched a nationwide drive to help parents register their children’s births by mobile phone so the government can better plan health, education and other public services.
The country has one of the lowest rates of birth registration in eastern and southern Africa. Around 80% of Tanzanians – and more than nine in 10 under-fives – do not have birth certificates, according to the 2012 census.
Child’s rights campaigners say ensuring every child’s birth is registered is key to safeguarding basic rights and access to healthcare, education and justice. Birth registration also helps protect children from exploitation including child labour, child marriage, trafficking and early recruitment into armed forces.
Last month world leaders agreed to ensure universal birth registration under ambitious new global development goals (SDGs).
Most parents in rural areas of Tanzania do not register their children because of the steep cost, long distances to registry offices, cumbersome process and lack of awareness of the benefits.
Parents have to pay $1.6 if they request a birth certificate within 90 days of a child’s birth, or $1.8 afterwards, as well as travel costs – a high price in a country where many rural people live on less than $1 a day.
The new system being rolled out across the country over the next five years allows a health worker to send the baby’s name, sex, date of birth and family details by phone to a central data base and a birth certificate is issued free of charge in days.
The initiative – already operating in 10 of the country’s 26 regions – is run by the government registration agency RITA, Unicef and telecommunications company Tigo.
Source: News24
