Billboard Latin Women In Music - Backstage© GettyImages

Shakira says her dream is to ‘make more schools’ for kids ahead of her recognition at Premios Juventud

Her organization has made an enormous effort to provide education and resources to children since 1997.


Daniel Neira - Los Angeles
Senior WriterLos Angeles
JULY 14, 2023 2:37 PM EDT

Shakira is set to receive a very special recognition, not just for her undeniable impact from her successful music career, but also for her continuous support to young children when it comes to their education, with the help of her charitable Barefoot Foundation organization, which is focused on transforming the lives of kids who live in poverty and need access to education and resources.

The Colombian singer will make an special appearance at Univision’s Premios Juventud in Puerto Rico, becoming an ‘Agent of Change’ at the highly anticipated awards.

 © Premios Juventud

The singer revealed in a new interview with host Alejandra Espinoza, that her dream “is to be able to continue growing and make many more schools, get more resources from both the government and the private sector, and that every day more people understand that education is really that ‘Agent of Change.’”

© GettyImages

Shakira highlighted the importance of education for new generations, as her organization has been making an enormous effort to provide aid to children since 1997. “We have also seen it, I have seen it with my own eyes, since we started working with the foundation, we have accompanied children who live in conditions of extreme poverty and conflict and they are children who today are already adolescents, who have graduated and they’re in college,” she said.

“They’ve transformed their lives and they have left or at least manage to have the opportunities or the tools to get out to, break that vicious circle of poverty,” the singer concluded. The organization also provides job opportunities to teachers and parents, and gives students the opportunity to succeed in the arts and technology.