Multiple award-winning Ghanaian musician Kuami Eugene has joined a UNICEF Ghana-led advocacy campaign aimed at promoting universal birth registration. The initiative, which took place in Bepoasi, a remote farming community in the Eastern Region, sought to ensure that no child is left without an official record of birth. The campaign included a registration exercise and a community durbar focused on the importance of birth registration.
Bepoasi, located in the Ayensuanu District, is home to more than 3,000 people, many of whom are engaged in farming. UNICEF Ghana and its partners underscored the need for universal birth registration as a critical part of ensuring that every child is formally recognised and accounted for. The team received a warm welcome from residents, with Kuami Eugene's presence adding excitement to the registration exercise and community durbar.
For children born without official birth records, the consequences can extend far beyond the absence of a document. A lack of registration can create barriers to accessing essential services and exercising basic rights, including education and other public services. The campaign forms part of broader efforts to ensure that children are not left without the legal identity and documentation needed to access essential services and opportunities.
Speaking during the visit, UNICEF Ghana and its partners urged parents, caregivers, and communities to register every child at birth. A representative of the Births and Deaths Registry, Edward Abrahams, highlighted the long-term importance of the exercise and called for sustained support to extend birth registration services to communities across the country.
The UNICEF Ghana-led team was led by its new Representative, Andy Brooks. The team engaged with residents, emphasizing the importance of birth registration in ensuring that every child has an official identity from the very beginning of life. Kuami Eugene used the platform to support the call for parents and communities to prioritise the registration of children at birth.
The message from the community engagement was clear: an unregistered child risks becoming an invisible child. UNICEF Ghana and its partners are urging parents, caregivers, and communities to register every child at birth and help ensure that every child in Ghana has an official identity from the very beginning of life.
The campaign is part of UNICEF Ghana's efforts to promote universal birth registration and ensure that every child has an official identity. The initiative aims to reach remote and underserved communities, where access to birth registration services is often limited. By partnering with influential figures like Kuami Eugene, UNICEF Ghana hopes to raise awareness and drive action on this critical issue.
Key points
- Universal birth registration is critical for ensuring that every child has an official identity and access to essential services.
- The campaign aims to reach remote and underserved communities, where access to birth registration services is often limited.
- UNICEF Ghana is urging parents, caregivers, and communities to register every child at birth to prevent children from becoming invisible.
