Shakira has won and lost my heart a couple of times over the past few years (Platinum blond? Really? Why?), but she
definitely won it again with this:
Colombian pop star Shakira was in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday... to lobby Congress to endorse bipartisan legislation that would help pay for education for the 72 million children worldwide who are too poor to go to school...
Shakira is the chairwoman of Education Action Week, which is organized by the Global Campaign for Education. But her work on behalf of the poor is not a new passion. Thirteen years ago, she started the Barefoot Foundation, which aims to help impoverished Colombian children and those who have been displaced by violence.
When reporter Robert Siegel asked her why this issue has been so important to her for so long, she replied:
I grew up in a country where unfortunately education is sometimes seen as a luxury, as a privilege, and not as a human right... This always bothered me. So this is personal to me. In the developing world, people who are born poor will die poor, and that is because of the lack of opportunities, opportunities that come from education. Education can actually save lives.
If you still can't forgive her for her current English-language radio plays, listen to her whole interview with Siegel, in which she also brags on herself for being a big nerd.
Shakira has won and lost my heart a couple of times over the past few years (Platinum blond? Really? Why?), but she definitely won it again with this:
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3 comments:
That is so awesome! Good for Shakira!
Yeah, and she was really eloquent and super charming during this interview. If you listen to the whole thing (available for streaming at the top of the article), you can tell that she and Robert Siegal were mutually star-struck - they have a cute little moment of happy awkwardness at the end of the interview. I think that Shakira can be a great spokeswoman for this important issue.
Ooooh, this is indeed awesome! And, just like that, Shakira is back in my heart. =)
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