Ricky Martin, Penelope Cruz, Kolkata streetkid

Latino hipswinger Ricky Martin is only the newest celeb to endorse the foundation, set up 13 years ago by a Spanish pop star and named after a Kolkata street child, Sabera Khatun.

The foundation counts Cruz as the president of its US branch, and Melanie Griffith as the co-president. Martin, in fact, was in Kolkata in connection with a CD which features several musical artists and whose proceeds will go the NGO.

Singer Ignacio Cano — better known as Nacho Cano — was so moved by the misery of ‘‘a young girl who was living in a rubbish dump’’ whom he saw while shooting for a documentary in Kolkata that he set up the NGO in her name.

Nacho, according to the foundation’s website, even took Sabera and her mother to Madrid with him. While Sabera’s mother returned, Sabera stayed on in Spain, where she’s said to be studying at college and learning all the skills needed to take over the Sabera Foundation’s Kolkata chapter.

The Kolkata arm of the operations are being handled at present by Carlos Duran, a Madrid-based construction company owner. Till date, the foundation has built a shelter home for 100 girls, two medical clinics where 300 patients are treated every month, three feeding support centres with 150 members, two cooperatives of designing and tailoring and a centre for disabled children.