Strengthening Equal and Inclusive Access to Birth Registration in Haiti

The project seeks to improve access to quality birth registration services for all Haitians by strengthening the institutional and legal framework of Haiti’s vital statistics system and of other ministries concerned. The project focuses on the inclusion of women and vulnerable groups and on eliminating differences based on gender economic condition or place of residence. Acquiring a legal individual identity promotes better inclusion of Haitian women and girls and optimizes their perspectives for personal economic and social development. The project activities include: (1) legal and policy reforms; (2) strategic planning of vital statistics; (3) capacity building and awareness activities; (4) incorporation of birth registration into other services such as health and education; (5) registration of births in the communities and social mobilization campaigns for registration. The project uses innovative methods such as the use of SMS messaging technology and relies on the development of on-line birth registration systems. The project’s activities focus on the departments of Artibonite (Saint-Marc Gonaïves Gros Morne and La Chapelle) Centre (Belladère Thomonde Thomassique and Cerca-la-Source) and Grande Anse (Les Irois Anse-d’Ainault and Dame-Marie).

The expected results of this project include: (1) improvement in the quality of birth registration services; (2) improvement in access to vital statistics services for groups at risk of exclusion from the system in particular women girls rural populations and people in emergencies; (3) increase in the demand for birth registration services through better information and awareness.