Birth Registration: The First Step in Ending Statelessness
NAIROBI, 23rd September 2015 – The Nubian Rights Forum (NRF) in collaboration with UNHCR and the Department of Civil Registration have organized a 3-day mobile Birth Registration Campaign in Kibra, Nairobi. Today, the registration was conducted in three sites; D.C. Grounds in Makina, Kamukunji Grounds and AMREF Grounds in Laini Saba.
“The birth registration exercise is not limited to Nubians only. It is process that is open to all children and residents of Kibra. It is a universal right,” said Sultan of Nubian Rights Forum.
The Mobile Birth Registration exercise is a deliberate strategy in the context of marginalized and minority communities towards ending statelessness and in line with the right to nationality under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The Nubian Rights Forum plans to facilitate registration of 2000 children within the three days from 21 – 23 September 2015. Birth Certificates will be issued after 2 weeks.
Paralegals from Nubian Rights Forum are playing a critical role in educating members on the legal documents and assisting them to obtain identity documents with a focus on birth certificates, national identity cards, passports and death certificates. “One of the challenges we face as paralegals is illiteracy among members, they do not understand the procedures for obtaining the birth certificate” says Comfort, a law student and volunteer with Nubian Rights Forum. Namati and the Open Society Justice Initiative have partnered with NRF to establish a network of community-based paralegals in the Nubian Community in Kibra.
A birth certificate is a civil document which every child born in Kenya (regardless of nationality) is required to have. Birth certificates are critical while applying for identification documents and also to access basic services e.g. enrolment into institutions of higher learning, accessing financial services and health services in some circumstances.
By Wanja Munaita, UNHCR
Page 1 of 8
-
Innovative projects in Kalobeyei impact lives of refugee and host communities
29 Jan 2020The Natukobenyo fresh vegetable market, run by refugee and host communities, is just one of the various projects funded by the European Union in Turkana West.
-
Education scholarships give ‘wings’ to two refugees dreaming of becoming doctors
8 Jan 2020For the third year running, refugees have been awarded the ‘Wings to Fly’ scholarships to pursue secondary education.
-
Refugee athletes impress at Kenya Cross-Country Event
27 Dec 2019“I want to train hard and qualify for the 2020 Olympics,”
-
A thousand babies delivered successfully at refugee settlement’s health clinic
18 Dec 2019Refugees and local communities alike benefit from free healthcare at a hospital in Kenya’s Kalobeyei settlement.
-
Refugee from DR Congo curves his niche as a Taekwondo athlete
10 Dec 2019“Gaston may be new to Taekwondo, but he has proved that with practice and dedication, one can excel in it and win medals.”
-
Somali Refugee in Dadaab hopes to use education received to contribute in rebuilding his country
28 Nov 2019“Education, for some people is the norm but for me, it is everything.”
-
Refugee and Kenyan girls top 2019 National Music Festival
29 Oct 2019“Our school has become popular due to poetry. Now people know that out of a camp there are people and there are girls with power, who are empowered by their own spirit and have nurtured talents.”
-
Vodafone Foundation Sponsored Instant Network Schools are Transforming Refugee Lives in Kenya.
18 Sep 2019Closing the gap in refugee education is becoming more urgent and UNHCR has called for partners and Governments to step-up their support to refugee children education.
-
LuQuLuQu’s Step for Safety Returns to Nairobi
11 Sep 2019“Kenyans have responded to the LuQuLuQu campaign’s call for action energetically.”
-
Cash for shelter programme empowers refugees and their hosts in Kenya
3 Sep 2019Cash assistance in Kenya’s Kalobeyei settlement allows refugees to build their own homes with materials bought from the local community.