| dc.description.abstract | ABSTRACT: Birth registration is a crucial instrument to generate accurate demographic data, which is essential for government to plan and meet the needs of its citizens. This study was conducted to find out the factors for low birth registration in rural Areas, A case of Utengule Usongwe ward in three villages namely; Mbalizi, Ihombe and Utengule Usongwe in Mbeya District. Specifically the study examined the community’s level of awareness on birth registration, determined the current practices of community and find out constraints that affect birth registration in the areas. Both probability and non-probability sampling procedures were used. For probability technique simple random sampling, and non-probability sampling, purposive samplings were used, respectively. Data collections methods used were interviews, focus group discussion and documentary reviews. Descriptive statistics was used in data analysis to calculate percentages and means. The study revealed that majority of respondents had knowledge on birth
registration. However, current practice of birth registration is very low because few respondents with knowledge on birth registration have registered their members and they use birth certificates to obtain services such as school enrolment and work issues. Also the finding shows that there are different constraints that hinder birth registration in the area, which includes long distance from home to the office offering the service, bureaucracy and high costs. Furthermore, the findings revealed that, the government has not yet established the infrastructures in rural areas to ensure that there is systematic registration of vital events. It was recommended that, to ensure the improvement of birth registration in rural areas there is a need for RITA to improve infrastructure in rural areas to increase registration. | en_US |
