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letter from Shakira

Welcome,

Thank you for all your support and love! As an artist, I am constantly looking for new challenges and ways to express myself. One way is through my music - another is by giving back and doing what I can to make our world a better place.

I want to share with you an issue that I am very passionate about. I believe that every child should have the right to follow their dreams and get an education. Growing up in Colombia, I saw that education can be a child's way out of poverty and a way to fulfill his or her potential. It is a basic right, but too often poor children are shut out.

Globally, 72 million children don't attend primary school and another 226 million aren't in secondary school. In addition, hundreds of millions of children attend some inadequate version of school but can't access the type of quality education that they really need to succeed...either the teachers don't consistently show up or there aren't enough books or the kids are too hungry to focus on their lessons.

We know how to address this. Governments must abolish school fees, hire more qualified teachers and provide textbooks and meals in schools. Most important, they must decide that a child's poverty is not an excuse - that they will educate all children regardless of what family or neighborhood they are born into. And they must prioritize education funding in their budgets.

All I have to do is close my eyes and I can imagine the faces of the homeless children that lived in my neighborhood when I was a little girl. They had no hope. Many of them sniffed glue or took drugs to forget the hunger and the cold. But I have also seen how education can alter the course of a child's life forever.

Check out some of these links to learn more about education and how you can help. It's amazing how much difference each person can make, so I hope you will join me in supporting every child's right to a quality education!

Besos,
Shakira

barefoot foundationnews

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 / 10:50 am

Launch of the First Things First initiative

Here's a video from the launch of the First Things First initiative in Colombia last week. The initiative's main objective is to combine efforts of technical, administrative and financial cooperation around the development of children under the age of 5, initially via the construction and operation of 13 new centers, which will give comprehensive care to almost 6,000 children.

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Monday, April 16, 2012 / 8:33 am

Presidents Obama and Santos and Shakira speak at Summit of the Americas

(For subtitles, click CC at the bottom right of the player)

At the Summit of the Americas in Colombia yesterday, Presidents Obama and Santos and Shakira spoke on early childhood education, Latino education and displaced communities. The leaders highlighted Shakira’s work supporting early childhood education and the futures of the children of the continent.

President Obama acknowledged Shakira’s work in early childhood education, saying, “When we look out to these children behind us, these beautiful children, they have a brighter future ahead of them. But that future will only be fulfilled if we're making investments in them every single day, as Shakira and the First Lady are working to do, as President Santos and I have to commit ourselves to do, but today is an important first step in creating that brighter future for them.”

Likewise, President Santos referred to the actions of his government in support of early childhood education, adding, “Today we are also carrying out a symbolic event with a policy that is a priority in my government, in which my wife has taken a special interest, and that is the policy towards early childhood education. I want to thank President Obama for being here for such an important event; and above all give thanks to these children behind me, to Shakira, and to my wife for her interest in these children who are the future of Colombia.”

In her speech, Shakira also reaffirmed her commitment towards early childhood and said, “I am committed to you in my capacity as member of the Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics in the US,” and added “it’s great news that your administration just committed 133 million more in early childhood development initiatives.”

About President Santos’s government and its fight for early childhood education, Shakira concluded, “I am delighted to work hand in hand with you on this new alliance for early childhood that we have announced here in Cartagena to build new centers for education together with your administration.”

Click into the story to read Shakira's speech in full.

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Sunday, April 15, 2012 / 2:21 am

Shakira singing the national anthem of Colombia

Here's Shakira singing the national anthem of Colombia at the opening of the Summit of the Americas yesterday.

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philanthropy links

The Pies Descalzos Foundation was founded in Barranquilla, located on the Colombian Caribbean coast, during the late 90’s when Shakira, only 18 years old at the time, decided to take up the social duty of collaborating on efforts to improve the education, nutrition and health of the most vulnerable: the children.

The organization consists of support programs for children and their families and offers real solutions to increase quality of life and give these kids and their families the opportunity to exercise their right to an education, which will later determine their growth and development in society.

The Barefoot Foundation is a U.S. non-profit, non-governmental organization created by internationally acclaimed recording artist and humanitarian Shakira.

Education is the key to a better world for everyone, not just underprivileged children. Education includes not just books and facts; it is also social and emotional growth. We help children exercise their basic right to an education, paving the way for their growth in society.

ALAS Foundation is a nonprofit organization created by the most prominent Latin American artists, business leaders and intellectuals to mobilize Latin-American society towards the implementation of integrated early childhood public policies.

9 million Latin American children younger than 5 years old suffer of chronic malnutrition and 22 million don't have access to education. Malnutrition and the absence of care in the early stages of life are the main mechanisms for the transmission of inequality. This is why experts agree that early childhood development is one of the most effective tools to end with the intergenerational cycle of poverty.

As Unicef's Goodwill Ambassador, Shakira has advocated for the importance of establishing political initiatives that put an end to the higher number of children without access to education. According to the international institution, UNICEF, over 120 million children around the world are without any formal education or schooling.