57,402 babies registered

This is the number of birth certificates registered thanks to a «Slumdog Millionaire» actor, who donated his entire salary to the cause.

Anil Kapoor, the actor who played the host of «Who Wants to be a Millionaire?» in the movie that won big at the Oscars this year, has donated his entire salary to the NGO Plan India. Last year, this charitable organization registered a total of 111,279 births – 57,402 of which were possible thanks to Kapoor.

In India, almost 36% of children do not have a birth certificate, which amounts to around 9 million undocumented children. Official documentation is mandatory for receiving food, health care and schooling, and, once they are adults, guarantee residents the right to vote or buy property. A birth certificate also helps protect children from child trafficking, sexual exploitation and child labor. Without this document, a child practically doesn't exist, because it has no way of proving its identity, its nationality or its age.

According to the United Nations, worldwide some 48 million children are not registered at their birth. Since 2005, the NGO Plan International has managed to registered around 5 million babies globally so far.

Click in the link below to visit Plan's site.