The activity which commenced on 4th October is being carried out in Upper River, Central River, North Bank and West Coast Regions respectively.
The activity is supported by UNICEF under the Italian Project through the Directorate of Birth and Death Registry. NCCE partnered with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education for the campaign.
The objective of the campaign is to improve the national birth registration rates of children in The Gambia especially those that are 0-5 years and also guarantee their legal identity at birth.
Ansumana Yabou, acting program officer for the National Council for Civic Education (NCCE) highlighted that without an official birth registration and certification, a person might not have access to key social services such as healthcare, education, social assistance, a job, among other benefits.
Mr Yabou cleared the mis-information which led to the low turn-out of birth registration in 2022 especially the under aged children hence the need for the birth registration.
He said the birth registration will begin on 16th October 2023 and last for two weeks.
Mr Yabou reminded the communities that birth registration is a continuous, permanent and universal recording of dates of birth.
Speaking at meetings held in Kaolong Ousman, Jahally, Kerewan Dumbo Kono and Santantu Bubu on Saturday and Sunday, he emphasised the importance of birth registration, saying it is the first right of a child.
He noted that it is a child’s right to a name and nationality as enshrined in section 29 of the 1997 Constitution of The Gambia, sections 7 and 8 of the Children's Act 2005 and Convention on Rights of the Child (CRC) under Article 7.
Sainey Camara, an education officer at the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) dilated on the same.
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