The civil registration for birth certificates and identity cards in the Zambezi Region is progressing well and has yielded positive results, especially for those who would not have any other means to reach the offices.

The civil registration outreach programme started in February and will continue until June unless there is a need to revisit certain areas that were not fully covered.

Dorothy Mubiana, the Civil Registration Deputy Director, explains the exercise:

"We have issued timely birth certificates and birth certificates for late registration, totalling 210,752 certificates. Additionally, we have registered 1,151 new identity cards for those applying for the first time, and 921 duplicate identity cards for individuals who have lost their IDs."

So far, the Civic Affairs Office has covered three constituencies: Kabbe South, Kabbe North, and Kongola Constituency.

However, there are unique challenges in some areas of Kongola:

"The challenge we encountered in Omega three was the lack of electricity, which prevented us from capturing IDs. In Chetto, we faced language barriers, particularly when it came to spelling names. However, with the help of the CDC and community leaders, we managed to successfully complete the exercise. In Masambo, we conducted birth registration and issued ID cards. We found that many adults in Masambo do not have national identity cards, so it seems we need to focus more on public advocacy, which is another activity in our plan."

The Civil Registration Deputy Director is appealing to the community to take advantage of this opportunity and register in large numbers.

Mubiana invited those who may not qualify for the documents to visit the registration points for further advice:

"If you were born in a hospital, please bring your hospital card. For individuals with national identity cards from another country, we accept them for registering your child. Birth registration is important for the child to have a name, receive immunisation, and even get married in the future."

Mubiana also advised that children with one foreign parent can be registered as long as the identity document of the parent is provided to the registration officers.