- Title: Shakira urges Davos elite to nurture future leaders
- Date: 17th January 2017
- Summary: DAVOS, SWITZERLAND (JANUARY 15, 2017) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM CONGRESS CENTRE COUNTRY FLAGS OVER CENTRE/ SIGN READING (English): "ANNUAL MEETING 2017" DAVOS, SWITZERLAND (JANUARY 17, 2017) (REUTERS) EMPTY CHAIR/ SIGN NEXT TO CHAIR READING: "SHAKIRA"/AUDIENCE SEATED SHAKIRA COMING ON STAGE AND SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (English) COLOMBIAN POP-STAR, SHAKIRA SAYING: "But I think that it's (Crystal Award) mostly a reflection, I hope that it's a reflection on the global understanding of the importance of investing in the early childhood development. I hope that it means that the issue is becoming top of mind for everyone." INTERVIEW IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) COLOMBIAN POP-STAR, SHAKIRA SAYING: "I decided to create my own foundation when I was only 18 and since then we've been working on education, trying to provide high quality education, so it is a challenge and it comes with many obstacles that we had to overcome and we have to still overcome on a daily basis. We work in areas where, very remote areas where literally there's nothing. Sometimes we encounter tremendous lack of infrastructure, no potable water, in many cases no electricity, no paved roads. It definitely means that we have to work twice as hard in order to offer quality education. But not only that, also the kids we attend to, most of them belong to families that have been directly affected by violence, that have lost even family members, so you can imagine the challenges that we encounter when we try to provide that education." INTERVIEW IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) COLOMBIAN POP-STAR, SHAKIRA SAYING: "Offering food in our schools is such a key, vital element in order to keep the kids in school. So little by little we were introducing other elements that were improving what we were offering, the kind of education that we were offering. You know, involving the parents, training the teachers and also even making available sport facilities to the rest of the community." SHAKIRA SPEAKING SHAKIRA AND INTERVIEWER STANDING UP AND GIVING HIGH FIVE
- Embargoed: 31st January 2017 16:11
- Keywords: Shakira World Economic Forum Davos UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador underprivileged children education Colombia
- Location: DAVOS, SWITZERLAND
- City: DAVOS, SWITZERLAND
- Country: Switzerland
- Topics: Education,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0015ZGZ6MF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Music star Shakira, attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday (January 17) called for more efforts to feed, educate and care for underprivileged children.
Shakira, who was given a Crystal Award in Davos for her humanitarian work, is the founder of the Pies Descalzos Foundation, which works to provide underprivileged children in Colombia with access to quality education.
Speaking at a panel held at the sidelines of WEF after receiving the award, Shakira said she hoped the award will promote the cause she has been campaigning for.
"I think that it's a reflection on the global understanding of the importance of investing in the early childhood development. I hope that it means that the issue is becoming top of mind for everyone," Shakira said.
Talking about the foundation she had set up in her native Colombia, Shakira said poverty and lack of infrastructure meant the foundation had to work twice as hard to provide quality education.
"But not only that", she said "Also the kids we attend to, most of them belong to families that have been directly affected by violence, that have lost even family members, so you can imagine the challenges that we encounter when we try to provide that education," she said.
The World Economic Forum also gave awards to violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, who runs a foundation providing scholarships for young musicians, and actor Forest Whitaker, who has worked as a global advocate for peace, focusing on empowering youth as leaders and entrepreneurs in communities touched by violence and poverty. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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