Twenty residents of Myrtle Way, located in the Old Passagefort community in Portmore, were handed a copy of their birth certificate.

The handover ceremony was held recently, where member of parliament for South East Catherine, Colin Fagan, issued the documents.

The initiative was a brainchild of Fagan, who saw the need after a health fair was hosted in the community by the Social Development Commission (SDC). The Registrar General's Department (RGD) facilitated the project and the funds came from the Constituency Development Fund.

The SDC and RGD partnered with Fagan to assist children who were unable to attend school because of non-registration of birth and other business-related purposes.

To witness the handover was Patrick Watson, manager of SDC in Portmore, who spoke of the need for the community to form a citizens' association in order to solicit assistance from government and non-governmental institutions with a view to upgrade their facilities.

Also in attendance was Joan Bennett, manager of the RGD in Portmore, who echoed the sentiments of Watson and encouraged parents to register their children as it is necessary for school and other important activities.

In the meantime, Fagan congratulated the parents for taking "an interest in their children" and urged them to pay more attention to their welfare and development.

He expressed how happy he was to partner with the other agencies in order to assist the individuals who were facing economic hardship and could not afford to pay for their birth certificates. A parent, Ann-marie Gayle, thanked Fagan the SDC and RGD officials on behalf of the recipients.