Marta

17-year-old mum, Marta, is no stranger to the challenges life can throw at you from time to time.

Her own mother was just a teenager when she had her and, feeling unable to care for her, abandoned her, leaving Marta with her grandmother who has raised her as her own. Without either her mother or her father around, Marta never received her birth certificate and as a result wasn’t able to access some of the most basic opportunities many children do, one of which was her education. Only able to enrol in school for three years, Marta was soon spending a lot of time out on the streets helping her grandmother sell snacks and wash clothes to earn enough money to get by.

“Before I had my birth certificate, life was so difficult. I had some really tricky moments because I was always scared and feared the authorities and police would stop me and ask for my documents. I was scared of having to tell them I didn’t have them and that I wasn't registered.” Marta

The horror of the streets

Being on the streets exposed Marta to some of the challenges that are so common in El Salvador. Living in a violent community where gang members controlled the streets, the challenges soon caught up with her and she had her daughter who is now 8 months old.

During the first few months of her pregnancy, Marta was unable to get prenatal support because she had no birth certificate. Only at six months in did she start attending appointments, thanks to her pastor’s wife at church, who encouraged her to seek medical advice for her pregnancy.

Hope for an official identity

It was during one of these appointments that she became aware of the birth registration programme run by Toybox’s part in El Salvador, Viva, through a registration day and a recommendation from one of the doctors supporting Marta. Viva staff explained to Marta that they would be able to help her and her child get their official identities and birth certificates and as a result, they kept in touch with her until her daughter was born on 28th February 2021.

Because she was only 17 and didn’t have a birth certificate, Marta and her daughter were kept in a special area of the hospital for young, unregistered mothers until her grandmother was able to complete the necessary processes and procedures for her to be released to go home. Part of this was getting a DNA test to prove they were related.

“There was one point in the process where I lost faith – I didn’t believe I was going to get my birth certificate, but thanks to God, that didn’t happen.” Marta

Birth certificates through the generations

Fortunately, the DNA test proved their relationship as grandmother and granddaughter and this opened the door for Marta to register her daughter. With the relevant witnesses and proof of her being the mother, Marta named her daughter Ariela – a name that she would have for the rest of her life.

In July 2021, a family judge ruled that Marta’s mother was officially disappeared and she finally received the surnames of her grandmother on her ID card that recognised their relationship and Marta’s official existence. Another two months later, in September 2021, Marta finally received her own birth certificate, nine months after the process began.

“I feel so happy because for me, it was something I never allowed myself to imagine. When I said to my nan that I could go to the local authority buildings to collect it, it was incredible. I cried all the way there from my house. I said to my nan that I never imagined it would happen to me. As soon as I saw it, I felt so good about myself.” Marta

A dream come true - and a future to look forward to

"Now I’ve got my birth certificate, I’m going to keep moving forward and I want to go back to school and continue studying. I want to find a job, help my baby grow and develop and travel to countries that I’ve never been to. My dream is that my daughter can achieve everything she wants to, that my nan can continue to live well and that I can be the best example for my daughter.”

Marta's advice to other children who are not yet registered in El Salvador is simple. “Keep the faith and never lose it. One day you will have it and like me, the moment will come, and I have faith for you. Always have faith and one day you will have it just like me.”

Birth certificates can change children's lives - now and in the future. To find out how, click here.

You can also hear Marta explaining how much having her birth certificate means to her, in her own words by visiting Toybox's YouTube channel.