Shakira finally got out of Barcelona! The global singer and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador is in the US this week, and she has been pretty busy. Just yesterday, Shakira gave a speech for the event "Meeting of the Minds," an event to kick off UN week ahead of the General Assembly and the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals, which she co-hosted with UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake.
Shakira has been passionate about ECD for some time now. At the age of 17, she founded the Barefoot Foundation to create schools and promote education in her native Colombia. To this day, the Barefoot Foundation has opened four schools in Colombia and helped build and renovate schools in other countries. "More than 100 million children are out of school and 159 million boys and girls under 5 are physically and cognitively stunted due to a lack of care and proper nutrition. Every year that passes without us making significant investment in early childhood development and initiatives that address these issues, millions of kids will be born into the same cycle of poverty and lack of opportunity.
The singer was also asked about the Syrian refugee crisis. Shakira looked emotional while stating: "We need to come together and we need to demand a just exit to this humanitarian crisis, because the refugees deserve to have a home." She also acknowledged how racism plays a significant role in the crisis.
The event brought together private and public sector leaders to discuss ways of increasing investment for Early Childhood Development and included speakers such as Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
Shakira will also be singing in front of the UN General Assembly this Friday, as part of a meeting to ratify the UN's sustainable development goals. She'll be singing John Lennon's 'Imagine' (ugh).
In other news, Shakira surprised everyone by performing at the Target's Fall National Meeting in Minnesota. Shakira and Target have been partners since she released her album 'Shakira' in 2014. She performed her iconic Spanish classic Inevitable (to the complains of some unappreciative fans), her moderate hit Can't Remember to Forget You, and the song Hips Don't Lie.
Sources: 1, 2, 3
Oh well, at least she's doing something meaningful with her time other than stalking Camp Nou. When will your pop faves.