Desmond Tutu was born on October 7, 1931 to Zacharia and Aletha Tutu. He was born Klerksdorp, South Africa and had relatively unstable health until the age of two. He grew up in an industrial town with no indoor plumbing or electricity. As a child he had quite a good sense of humor, but also a bit of a temper. At 14, he contracted Tuberculosis and was admitted to an isolation hospital. There was a good chance that he was not going to survive. This was the first time religion began to become a big part of his life. In recalling his hospitalization, he has said, “I can’t explain it adequately but a wonderful calm descended over me and it was as if God was assuring me, what I don’t know”. Desmond Tutu considers this his first experience in which he truly trusted God.

Religion has guided him and is a huge part in his role as a leader and humanitarian. He was Archbishop of Cape Town until 1996. Since then, he has worked as a global activist for democracy and human rights. In 2006 he launched a global initiative to register all children at birth. Unregistered children don’t officially exist which makes them vulnerable to trafficking and disasters.