Stories of transformational change

“We mainly relied on begging and the occasional support from well-wishers to get by.”

“The most important thing is that I now have education and health.”

“I feel more hopeful about the future.”

“Now I go to school every morning with my two brothers.”

“Birth registration is necessary for us - we must make it so that we can study and make our future!”

“It was difficult for many years without my identity documents. I didn't understand why I didn't have my birth certificate.”

“I want to be a police officer when I grow up”

“If I were the President, I would like to give birth registration to all street children and give them free education.”

“I go around with my mother all day. At the savings group, I love playing with toys and drawing.”

“I lost my ID card when I was getting on the bus, but I didn't think anything of it until I had my daughter.”

“My parents didn’t get my birth certificate for me when I was little – I think just because they didn’t want to.”

“You’ve helped us, you’ve supported us, and even though we’re still going through the process, you don’t give up on the people who need help.”

“When we moved from Nepal to India, we didn’t think about not having the right documents. But when we got here, we couldn’t enrol in school.”

“Not having my birth certificate made me feel like a refugee in my own country.”

“I lived in fear with my siblings… we were afraid that we would be separated from our mother.”

“School is very important because it will help me to excel in life.”

“We were hopeless since life was difficult and we had no one to turn to for assistance. We felt nobody cared.”

“The cold of the streets was the worst thing – it makes you feel like all your insides are frozen.”

“The biggest challenge on the street is surviving day to day.”

“I didn’t have a birth certificate because my mum didn't pursue the case when I was little.”

“I am a citizen of Nepal, entitled to receive services from the government for children.”

“I didn't have anywhere else to go but the street.”

“With street life, even if you want to do good, leave it behind or get a job, you can't find it quick enough which leads you back to the street.”

“I used to feel scared that when I was older, the police would arrest me if I didn't have my birth certificate.”

“Before I had my birth certificate, life was so difficult. I had some really tricky moments because I was always scared.”

“With our identity document, I now go to school and my parents have stable jobs.”

“With my ID I go to school, I have friends and I want to buy a house for my grandmother and my sisters.”

“I miss Kindergarten, playing with my friends”

“I am so happy my mother is back with me and that we can be together. I love school and want to be a teacher one day!”

“Carlos is one of the estimated 670,000 children in El Salvador whose birth was not registered.”