'Slumdog' surge in Indian child sponsorship

February 28, 2009 02:06:04 PM

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Anti-poverty charity ActionAid said Friday there had been a surge in Indian child sponsorship enquiries in Britain since Oscar triumph of "Slumdog Millionaire".

The charity said it was having to rush the contact details of scores of Indian children to its offices in Britain.

It normally fields around 500 enquiries a week for child sponsorship, but the number of enquiries has soared to 1,400 on the back of "Slumdog Millionaire"'s accolades.

"We're calling it the 'Slumdog' effect," said fundraising director Richard Turner. "We haven't seen such a high level of interest in one country for a long time."

"Slumdog Millionaire", a rags-to-riches tale of children from the slums of Mumbai, won eight Oscars on Sunday, including the best picture academy award.

"Child sponsorship has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and is one of the most rewarding ways of giving," said Turner.

"Sponsors' money helps towards securing a decent education, better health care and economic security for children and the communities in which they live."