Tau

16-year-old Tau was born on the streets of La Paz, Bolivia, after her father and mother met while living there when they were just teenagers. After many years on the street, Tau’s birth gave her parents a reason to move off the streets to look for a room to live in. Her mother, Vanesa, shares that to get by, they sold sweets in public spaces and on public buses but life was hard and they often relapsed and ended up back on the streets, sniffing glue and drinking.

“It is not easy to leave the street because there are friends there and you become dependent on the consumption of inhalants and alcoholic beverages.” Vanesa - Tau's mother

Tau’s father was particularly affected by his addictions, which often left him abusive towards Tau, her mum and her younger siblings. One day in 2021, Vanesa had had enough and left the house with her children. Initially, the streets looked like the only place they had to go, but fortunately, they were able to find a space in a municipal shelter for victims of domestic violence. As the oldest child, Tau has worked with her mother since she was seven years old, selling medicinal candies, as well as washing clothes for dozens of people, and cleaning houses, to cover their daily expenses of food, education, rent and basic services, such as water and electricity.

“The biggest challenges of being on the streets is surviving day to day, suffering the cold of the streets, being hungry, being victims of abuse, trying to sell on the streets and people not buying and getting away from the consumption of alcohol and inhalants. Children also feel unsafe because of the danger and insecurity on the streets – and child abduction,” shares Tau.

In addition to all this, being born on the streets meant that none of Tau’s family had never had their birth certificates which created further challenges in their lives.

"Many doors were closed to us, for example, support from the Children’s Services. We couldn’t settle in a house because my mother was asked for identity documents to rent a room – for a while we had to live in a shelter run by the municipal government for victims of domestic abuse for fear that my father would find us and hurt us. We had no money to pay for our identity documents – this was what prompted us to ask for support to process our identity documents as we did not have the resources to do it on our own."

In December 2021, Tau’s dreams of her and her family being officially registered came true thanks to the support of Alalay, Toybox’s partner in Bolivia, and the local social services

“With my identity documents, I feel excited. I am part of society, I have a nationality, I can enter different public spaces such as museums, libraries, have access to health services and education. I can get my identity card, get my high school diploma and I can go to university to fulfil my dream.” Tau

"At the project I’ve learned that with identity documents it is easier to do many things through the Government Children’s Services regarding the situation with my father as he had threatened that if he found my mum he would kill her. With our ID documents, my mum was able to file a complaint with them and the police.

We’ve also re-entered school and now I am studying with my brothers and sisters. I have just one more left to complete before I can graduate. Education is the most important thing because it will help me to fulfil my dreams of one day becoming a professional, to have a job and economic stability. Alalay have also taught us to be more independent and responsible – we value all the support they give us.

I am happy because I can identify myself and enter different places such as museums and libraries. It will also help me get my Bachelor’s degree and go to university. Having a birth certificate means having an identity, being part of society, knowing where I was born and who my parents are. I am happy to have it.”

Now, Tau currently lives with her mother and her 4 siblings in El Alto, Bolivia. They rent 2 rooms in a remote area thanks to some additional support from Alalay with the first three months of rent and some basic furniture to get them set up. Without a birth certificate, Tau’s mum wouldn’t have been able to sign the lease, meaning the family would likely have had to turn back to the streets. Now though, they are optimistic and happy to have somewhere to call their own, as well as attending other various workshops with Alalay about rights, health, wellbeing and entrepreneurship.

"I love to paint, draw, play football and study. I feel good supporting my mother with her selling, washing the clothes and cleaning houses to support my siblings. In the future, I dream of becoming a professional. I want to study civil engineering and have a job with economic stability so I can buy a small house where we can live peacefully without difficulties. I also want to support my siblings to get ahead in life and keep moving forward in the right direction," says Tau.

“I am determined to put a lot of effort into my studies because I know that this is the only way I will be able to have better job opportunities and a better income to support my mother in raising my siblings.” Tau

To learn more about how you can help more children like Tau get their birth certificates, visit www.toybox.org.uk/christmas