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Shakira uses fame to help kids
17/05/2008 09:36 - (SA)
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| Colombian singer Shakira at a press conference ahead of Concert For The Children, in Mexico City. (Luis Acosta, AFP)
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Los Angeles - Shakira is using her fame as a top-selling artist and
hip-swivelling dancer to help poor Latin American children but
she also has her heart set on a new role - mother to her own
children.
"I want two," Shakira told Reuters on Thursday at an event
to promote her charity, the Alas Foundation (which stands for
Latin America in Solidarity Action when translated into
English) that was set up in 2006 to help needy Latin American
children.
But asked when she would like to start a family, she
laughed nervously and said: "That's a good question."
Shakira, 31, has been dating Antonio de la Rua, the son of
a former Argentine president, for nearly eight years, with
swarms of photographers constantly tailing the celebrity couple
looking for hints about a possible wedding.
Shakira is the biggest-selling Spanish singer of all time,
having sold more than 50 million albums in English and Spanish
worldwide, and wants to use her fame to raise awareness about
the extreme poverty affecting millions of Latin American
children.
Capitol Hill
Recently she visited British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to
talk about third world education and also went to Capitol Hill
in Washington to urge US Congress to approve more spending to
help send the world's poor children to school.
"There are 40 million children in Latin America who have no
access to any kind of development programme, who receive no
stimulation, nutrition or education and need to be nurtured and
taken care of," she said in an interview with Reuters.
"Artists have a tremendous power to communicate, to reach
people, to woo, to inspire. It's an important and fundamental
part of my life to be able to use my public profile to make
certain issues visible, issues that are more important than my
own career, that are more urgent and need immediate attention."
Her own charity, the Pies Descalzos Foundation, has been
raising money since 1997 for some of the poorest children in
her home country, Colombia, where the singer is widely admired.
Dressed in a grey vest, black denim pants and high-heeled
boots, the petite singer said that regardless of her commitment
to help those in need, she did not plan to quit singing.
Massive, free concert
"It is very important to continue making music and continue
doing my job," said Shakira, whose name means "thankful" in
Arabic. "This is the life that I have to live and so far it
hasn't been bad."
On Thursday, Shakira announced that Carlos Slim, Mexico's
richest man, and Howard Buffett, son of US investment guru
Warren Buffett, had pledged nearly $200m between them to
the Alas Foundation.
Shakira and Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz will perform in
Buenos Aires on Saturday along with other Latin American
artists in a massive, free concert to raise awareness of about
the 32 million children living in poverty in Latin America.
A simultaneous concert, fronted by Spain's Miguel Bose,
will take place in Mexico City's main square downtown.
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