United Nations honor Shakira and her Barefoot Foundation

Colombian Pop star Shakira was presented with the United Nation’s Social Justice for Peace award at a ceremony in Switzerland Wednesday for her organization, the Barefoot Foundation, which provides nutrition and education for as many as 6,000 children in Colombia.

Shakira had this to say, after receiving the award:

“It’s not too late to keep our promise to our children, but we must act now. Together, we can make education and decent work for all a reality. [Witnessing sub par conditions] shaped my dream and my vision of social justice: to see a world where every child can live a dignified life with the opportunity to reap the benefits of a good education and a chance to pursue their dreams.”

Shakira is also a founding member of the ALAS Foundation which promotes public policies for children in Latin American and the Caribbean, as well as being a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Felicidades a Shakira on her humanitarian efforts! She and Juanes definitely hold down their homeland!

MANGO to sell Waka Waka T-shirts

We’re pleased to report that Shakira has partnered with MANGO – one of Spain’s largest fashion companies with over 1,400 stores in 100 countries – to design a collection of African-inspired t-shirts to be sold during the World Cup Tournament.

Designed to represent the spirit, vitality and energy of the host continent of the FIFA World Cup, profits from the “Waka Waka” t-shirt campaign will benefit early childhood education initiatives in South Africa.

A total of four t-shirts, two for women and two for men, with the slogans “Waka Waka” and “This Time for Africa” have been designed for the occasion and will be sold in MANGO stores worldwide beginning the 10th of June. The t-shirts will be priced at 18€ and 19€, respectively.

Proceeds from the t-shirt sales will support the Barefoot Foundation, founded by Shakira, to expand early childhood education initiatives in South Africa, where 1 in 10 children suffers from severe malnutrition, and where HIV/AIDS accounts for 35 percent of deaths in children under five. The money will go directly from Barefoot Foundation to those South African schools that are selected to receive funding from this campaign.