An Interview with Shakira: Global Advocate for Early Childhood Development and Education

In advance of the Sixth Summit of the Americas to be held this weekend in Cartagena, Colombia, I interviewed international recording artist and philanthropist Shakira, who is a leading champion for early childhood development and universal education. In addition to serving as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Shakira is founder of the Barefoot Foundation and ALAS. A native of Barranquilla, Colombia, Shakira has released 9 studio albums and sold over 60 million records worldwide.

ALAS is a non-profit organization founded on December 12, 2006 in Panama City. ALAS is a group of Latin American leaders who work together to ensure that children from 0-6 years of age reach their full potential. The aim is to promote integrated educational programs and quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) to generate changes in public policies.

Rahim Kanani: Tell me a little bit about the founding of Fundación ALAS back in December 2006. How did it come about, and how did you get involved?

Shakira: The Alas Foundation was born as a consequence and a continuation of what we are doing with Pies Descalzos. I started the Pies Descalzos foundation in Colombia when I was 18 and since then I have been very involved in the crusade for education. As we had been very successful with Pies Descalzos during all these years working for underprivileged children and families building schools and community centers we decided to form ALAS back in 2006 to raise awareness on the importance of investing in early childhood development.

Alas specifically focuses on promoting Early Childhood Development’s strategies creating plans and commitments from private companies and governments.

Rahim Kanani: As you survey the landscape of childhood education and development in Latin America, what are some of the key challenges we should be paying particular attention to?

Shakira: Over the past few years there’s been a lot of progress in Latin America in early childhood education. We’ve seen an increase in the number of programs directed at children between 0 and 6 years old but it is still not enough and 35 million children from lower income communities can’t access high quality early childhood education programs in the region today. So, the key challenge is to make sure that all kids have the opportunity to benefit from these programs in those first years, the most determinant of their lives as their brains and bodies are forming as well as all their cognitive, motor and social skills are developing.

We have to keep working to build more centers, to train more teachers, and to involve more parents in their children’s education. But we not only need more programs, we need better ones. We have to make sure that our children are getting the best possible education from the very start. We need to provide higher quality and innovative early childhood development programs all throughout Latin America.

Rahim Kanani: What are some of the educational programs and initiatives undertaken by Fundación ALAS to further these issues in the right direction?

Shakira: For the past few years we’ve been working alongside national and local governments as well as local private organizations in order to increase the number of programs available. We currently have programs in place in Colombia where this year we are building 13 new centers in conjunction with the local government, and in Mexico, starting with 3 this year for a total of 10. And in Argentina, we are making sure that the new centers being built are up to par and that the teachers receive the best training available.

We believe that by setting a good example in the kind of programs we implement and the good results that will follow, we will make excellence the standard of early childhood development programs in Latin America and inspire governments and generations to come.

Rahim Kanani: With the Sixth Summit of the Americas being held in Colombia this weekend, how will you spotlight childhood education and development as a critical issue for the region?

Shakira: The Summit of the Americas is an excellent platform to raise awareness and secure commitments from heads of state and different sector leaders regarding Early Childhood Development. In the past, we’ve always had a great response from all those involved.

This year, we are have set several goals for us. We intend that the participating heads of states to renew their commitment to make early childhood development a priority. We also aim to at getting the private sector involved in this cause. We believe that the future of our nations is such an important undertaking that it cannot be left in the hands of a few. Providing all Latin-American children with the education and early childhood development that they need is in the best interest of all so it has to be a priority for all of us, not only the government and civil society, but also the business sector.

Rahim Kanani: Recently, Fundación ALAS partnered with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to launch the ALAS-IDB Awards to recognize innovation, investments and excellence in programs that benefit children under 6 years of age in Latin America and the Caribbean. How did this partnership come about?

Shakira: This partnership came about through a shared vision for the future of Latin America. Both, the IDB and Fundación ALAS, believe that our region has shown great potential, not only for sustainable economic growth, but also for leadership in the international arena. We both believe that Latin America is going through a period of growth and stability, and that it is exactly in fair weathered times that we need to think about what we want our future to be and what we need to do to achieve it.

Both, the IDB and Fundación ALAS, believe that the future of prosperity and equality that we hope for, has to start today with higher investment and higher quality in Early Childhood Development programs throughout the region. We want to make sure that children today have all the tools they need to help us build that shared vision of a better future.

We know that there are organizations doing excellent work in early childhood all throughout Latin America, and we want to take this opportunity to give them the recognition they deserve and the encouragement they need to keep going. We want to let them know that their efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Our goal with these awards is to recognize what’s been accomplished and promote even further innovation, investment and excellence in early childhood development programs. And we really hope the Summit of the Americas is the perfect platform to raise awareness about this important issue.

Rahim Kanani: With more and more celebrities using their attention and influence to advocate for positive change, what kinds of leadership lessons have you learned with regard to moving the needle on important social issues?

Shakira: I believe that every single one of us, celebrity or not, has a responsibility to get involved in trying to make a difference in the world. Our generation faces many challenges, some of which were passed on to us by the past generations, but it’s up to us to find solutions today, so that we don’t keep passing our problems on. I think that the most important thing I’ve learned is that people don’t just believe in causes because someone tells them to; but the motivation and passion needs to reach them in order for them to react. And that is why I think that people have responded so well to both Pies Descalzos and ALAS. All of us involved are very passionate about education and Early Childhood Development. We are eager for a future without so much poverty and inequality, and we are fighting very hard to make it happen. That kind of determination and passion is what moves the needle on important social issues whether it comes from a celebrity or not.