Trinity Project
Less than half of all Zimbabwean children under the age of 5 have a birth certificate. A child without a birth certificate is prevented from fulfilling almost a third of the 30 guarantees set out in the U.N’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Without a birth certificate, a child cannot enrol in school, sit formal examinations, or take part in extra curricular activities such as music or sport. In later life, without a birth certificate individuals cannot participate in society as a full citizen, as they are barred from running for public office or voting in elections.
Trinity Project is unique in that it recognises that the reasons for non-registration have strong socio-cultural roots. The project works to raise awareness of the social customs and traditions which inhibit registration, and it provides free legal services and advice to ensure that every child can access identity documents and grasp their fundamental right to education.
Between 2013 & 2014 this project benefitted from funding from the UK Government's Department for International Development (DFID). During that period we reached over 19,000 people through our awareness campaign, and directly assisted over 150 children to successfully acquire identity documents and inheritance.
Too often boys and girls in the developing world are unable to go to school because they don't have the right legal documents, I am delighted that DAD funding means that the Zimbabwe Educational Trust can provide free legal services that will help children get the documents they need.
Lynne Featherstone - International Development Minister