30 July 2007
Maputo — One of Mozambique's most prominent NGOs, the Community Development Foundation (FDC), has expressed serious concern at barriers put in the way of programmes to mitigate the effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
According to the FDC director for HIV/AIDS programmes, Eduardo Cipriano, speaking in Maputo on Monday, one of the barriers is that officials in many of the provinces are still charging for the registration of orphans.
The birth of a child is registered free of charge within 90 days of the birth. But many parents fail to take advantage of this, and officials in the public notaries' offices are demanding the money when children are registered late - even if they are orphans whose parents have died of AIDS.
The cost of registration is 50 meticais (about two US dollars), and in a country where over half the population is living on less than a dollar a day, many orphans and their carers cannot afford this sum.
"This is one of the constant barriers we face in implementing our programmes", said Cipriano.
Even worse is the demand by community leaders for money before they will issue a certificate of poverty. In theory, the poor are entitled to free health, eduation and other services - but to benefit from this they need a poverty certificate.
Cipriano said a difficulty has been created by some community leaders who are charging for this document.
The FDC is now putting presure on the Mozambican state to provide free secondary education for poor children. Primary education for this group is already free of charge, and the FDC does not want to see their schooling interrupted because of financial problems.
"There are children who are not going to school this year because of this problem", said Cipriano.
On its own initiative, the FDC has contacted some school directors and ensured places for orphans and poor children in secondary education. But the organisation wants the Ministry of Eductaion to issue a legal document that would formalise the situation, and ensure that such children have their secondary education guaranteed.
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