Chathurika Dineshi of Hasthipaura village in Aukana does not have a birth certificate, yet she celebrated her seventh birthday on the World Children’s Day (yesterday).
Dineshi who is living with her grandmother doesn’t have a birth certificate but a document issued with the help of a midwife provides evidence that she was born seven years ago. With the help of the same document she attends school. Dineshi’s mother died before her (Dineshi’s) documents pertaining to the issuance of the birth certificate were submitted. However as her father is a mental patient, she is still sans a birth certificate.
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The document from the midwife proving her date of birth.
Pictures by Sigiriya Special Corr.
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Dineshi is living with her grandmother R.G. Swarnalatha and her little brother. Swarnalatha said that her granddaughter’s birthday is noted as the October 5. “But my granddaughter was born on October 1,” Swarnalatha said. “However the birthday is noted in this document as October 5 which is incorrect. I thank those who supported us to get at least this document to prove my granddaughter’s age.”
Swarnalatha said that she was looking after the two children in spite of many hardships. She said that she did not have a job and earned a meager living by selling pieces of clothes to petrol sheds to wipe the workers’ hands. They were living in a small house constructed by the villagers. She added that the children starve most of the days. Dineshi has only one school uniform and attends school barefoot. “If the mother of the children was alive, their situation could have been better,” Swarnalatha said.
