"We can make it with our last name"

Marling an elementary school student is one of residents of Chinandega.  Her mother, Luisa, works as a farmer and raises her 10 children. She have benefited from the Nicaraguan Children Birth Registration project carried out by Plan in coordination with the Major’s office and the Department of Civil Status Registry.

Mrs. Luisa affirms that a year ago in July, the lives of her six younger children changed with the visit of a group of workers with the birth registration project and after listening to their explanation on the importance of the right to identity. Mrs. Luisa gave them the names, birth dates and information of her children that were not registered and therefore, had no birth certificates. However, it was a lengthy process.

Marling’s mother remembers that almost eight months elapsed after the Census, when two representatives from the Civil Status Registry arrived again at the community and informed that they would be receiving the documents necessary to issue the identification card. Among the requirements were report cards, vaccination cards and certificates from the Ministry of Health.

After providing the documents, a team from the Civil Status Registry told them that they would work in coordination with the Judge and would call the witnesses to continue with the proceedings for the Amended Birth Certificates.

“Marling got to third grade without a certificate. I had to make arrangements with the teachers,” recalls Doña Luisa, “but after I became aware of this project I had a lot of hope and faith that my daughter and her siblings would finally obtain their birth certificates.”

The start of this school year was very difficult for Marling. The school asked her parents for her birth certificate and she felt sad and wanted to cry. Some of the children’s mothers gave their birth certificates to the teacher but her mother could not. Now, thanks to this Project, she’s happy because she will soon have her own birth certificate. “I won’t feel sad anymore, nor will my younger brothers or my mother,” concludes Marling.

According to Mrs. Luisa, “as fathers and mothers, we should do everything possible when our children are born to register them immediately as it will cost a lot more after. If the fathers do not recognize them, then we will, as mothers, registering them with our last names.”

See our global campaign for birth registration

Back to the Americas home page