Registration Insolvency and Trusteeship Agency (RITA) has launched and implemented of the under-five aged birth registration Initiative and issued with free of charge birth certificates to that group age. The program has improved and eliminated previous challenges  faced many newborns and left unregistered, for example of reasons were the distance from remote areas where people lives to the District Commissioners offices as well as registration service  fees, but through this initiative has made some improvements which resulted to increase the enrollment and children issued with birth certificates.

The registration and issuance of birth certificates for children under the age of five is being implemented by RITA in collaboration with the directors of all Councils in each Region, here it should be noted the District offices are responsible for the registration of children and other above five aged groups and District Commissioners are still custodian of all government activities in all Councils within the  District including the Registration of Children under five years of age.

The key principles of this Initiative are as follows: -

1. Removal of registration fees, this means that such certificates are issued free of charge.

2. Delegation of powers from central government to local governments to facilitate moving services closer to where citizens live, so registration centers are Ward executive offices and health facilities that provide maternal and child care.

3. Use of information and communication technology ICT, the use of mobile phones in registering and sending all registration information from each registration Centre where they are sent directly to theRITAHeadquarters data center.

This Under five Birth Registration Initiative was officially launched in Mbeya Region since 2013 and later implemented in 20 other regions of Mainland Tanzania which including Mbeya, Songwe, Mwanza, Iringa, Njombe, Geita, Shinyanga, Mtwara, Lindi, Mara, Simiyu, Ruvuma, Dodoma , Singida, Morogoro, Pwani, Tanga, Kilimanjaro, Arusha and Manyara.

 

The statistical data provide us the real picture of success due to increasing the number of birth registration, according to census figures of 2012 showed that, only 13% of citizens were registered and issued with birth certificates, the implementation of new birth registration system has changed the figures to total of 5,939,509 children registered and given the free of charge birth certificates hence increase percentage to 55.

 

RITA is collaborating with various National and international stakeholders including the Ministry of Constitution and Legal Affairs, Ministry of Health, Office of the President PMO-RALG, Department of Immigration, National Identification Authority NIDA and Development Stakeholders which is the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), The Development Agency of the Peoples’ of Canada and Mobile Phone Company TIGO.

NB: The Regions that implement this Initiative already and if the child is under the age of five the certificate will be issued free of charge, in case the parent or guardian is lost or damaged his or her certificate, will have to consult the Office of the Director of Council where he or she lives and pay shs.5000 / = as second copy charges and be given another certificate of the same information. 

Events of Under-Five Birth Registration Initiative in 26 Regions.  Click