Photo Series Reveals Millions Uncounted Without Birth or Death Records

The Story

A photo project titled “The Uncounted” by Colombian-American photographer and filmmaker Juan Arredondo documents people who lack life cycle records such as birth or death certificates. Arredondo traveled to six countries to explore the importance of these documents and the impact of their absence. The photos are part of the Photoville exhibition in Brooklyn, New York, which was open through May 30. According to Arredondo, each year nearly half of all deaths and 25% of all births go unrecorded worldwide. One photo from Bangladesh shows mothers holding newly issued birth certificates after a government registration drive, which enabled them to enroll in a food assistance program. The project was produced in collaboration with the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative, Vital Strategies, and the CDC Foundation.

Key Facts

• The project is called “The Uncounted” and was created by Juan Arredondo.
• It focuses on people without birth or death certificates, or whose documents are inaccessible.
• Arredondo traveled to six countries for the project.
• The photos were displayed at the Photoville exhibition in Brooklyn, New York, through May 30.
• Statistic from Arredondo: each year nearly half of all deaths and 25% of all births go unrecorded worldwide.
• A photo from Bangladesh shows mothers with newly issued birth certificates enabling enrollment in a food assistance program.
• Jennifer Ellis leads the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative and noted that unrecorded deaths leave health systems without data to prevent future losses.
• In Zambia, data analysis found that 75% of children born with HIV and untreated would die by age 5, leading to a policy change that raised testing and treatment rates from 3% to 85%.
• The project was done in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative, Vital Strategies, and the CDC Foundation.

Conflicting Reports

No conflicting reports identified in the source article.

Still Unclear

No open questions identified in the source article.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Juan Arredondo: Colombian-American photographer and filmmaker, creator of “The Uncounted”.
• Jennifer Ellis: leads the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative.
• Diane Cole: author of the article for NPR (not a subject).

Sources: NPR