2009 September

Shakira Talks About the Barefoot Foundation on CNN's Situation Room December 16, 2009

CNN's Wolf Blizter talks to singer and education advocate Shakira about the Barefoot Foundation and our work to ensure that every child has the right to a quality education.

Shakira Addresses the Oxford Student Union

Date: December 7, 2009
Shakira addressed the famed Oxford Union about the importance of assuring quality education is available to each child around the world:

"I was born and raised in a country marked by civil conflict, social strife and inequality. Growing up in the developing world, where education is perceived as a luxury and not as right; where children beg for an education and parents are desperate to provide it; where if one is born poor, one is destined to do die poor.

But the good news, is that there is an exit strategy to break the cycle of poverty in which millions are trapped because of lack of access to education. From the moment I turned 18, I decided to establish my own foundation in Colombia. And since then we have been working on providing high quality education, nutrition for children and occupational training for their parents, building schools that also work as community centers for families that have been displaced by violence that have lost everything they had."

Si Se Puede: Shakira Calls for Universal Education in the Economist

By Shakira
Nine years ago, at the Millennium Summit at the United Nations headquarters in New York, heads of state from around the world agreed on the Millennium Development Goals to reduce global poverty. One of the key goals was to ensure that by 2015 every child, boys and girls alike, would be able to complete primary school. This means that all those finishing primary school in 2015 will be entering school in 2010. It’s a daunting challenge, but if the G8, the G20 and other nations join together to establish a Global Fund for Education, we can make real progress towards this deadline... Published November 13, 2009

The Barefoot Foundation on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Shakira spoke about her work with the Barefoot Foundation on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Shakira explained why we focus our work on education saying "I grew up in the developing world and I grew up seeing so much social injustice and inequality. I know for sure that education is the way to close that gap, it is the way to fight poverty."

The Barefoot Foundation on The View

Shakira appeared on ABC's The View on November 16, 2009. She talked to the ladies of The View about the importance of universal education and the work of the Barefoot Foundation.

The Barefoot Foundation Launches its Holiday Campaign

The Barefoot Foundation has launched a holiday campaign to give each of its students the supplies they need in the coming school year. For just $25, you can give a child the gift of learning. Donate today and help make a child's dreams come true this holiday season.