Nghe An border commune gives gifts to newborn citizens

Mai Son commune office staff give a gift to a newborn citizen through his father. Photo: BT Lan

From May 1, 2018, Mai Son Commune Office, Tuong Duong District will give congratulatory letters and gifts to newborns when registering their births and to couples who come to register their marriages.

The greeting cards were designed by the office staff themselves. They were accompanied by small gifts suitable for the new citizens such as hats, diapers, and clothes for newborns, etc., sent by benefactors or purchased by the office staff themselves.

The commune office staff also enthusiastically instructed the people to preserve the original birth certificate. Because, for a long time, people did not understand the role of the original birth certificate, so they often lost or damaged it.

Ms. Bui Thi Lan, an officer of Mai Son Commune Office, said: "Since the program was launched, more than 10 children have received gifts and congratulatory letters, but the effect of this activity is huge. This activity encourages mothers and fathers to be more aware of registering their children's births."

Mai Son is a border commune with 532 households and 2,573 people. The commune has 4 ethnic groups: Kinh, Thai, Mong, and Kho Mu. In particular, the level of education and awareness of the people in the commune is generally limited. People's lives are still difficult. Many parents do not take birth registration seriously for their children. That leads to children under 6 years old being late in getting health insurance cards to ensure other social benefits.

Despite annual propaganda, many parents often wait until their children reach kindergarten age (3 years old) to register their births.

Congratulatory letter and gifts from Mai Son commune to the newborn citizens. Photo: BT Lan

Not only that, when getting married, couples also take marriage registration lightly. This affects the monitoring of marital status, demographics as well as the activities of individuals in the area. Especially the situation of early marriage among ethnic minorities such as Mong and Kho Mu in the area is still complicated. Also from the program of giving letters and gifts, couples have become more aware of registering their marriage with the commune government.