Shakira Quietly Helps Hundreds of Children in South America, and Now We Love Her Even More

At a very young age, Shakira learned what it meant to live in Colombia. She saw the people living in poverty and despair, children who couldn’t go to school but instead would wander around the streets barefoot, falling into the hands of addiction. Shakira promised herself that one day when was successful she would transform the lives of those children.

Here at Bright Side, we believe that children are our future and we appreciate every effort toward the betterment of their lives, especially by those who have everything but still remember what it means to lead a humble life.

Although she has been funding and donating for the welfare of the society for much of her life, it was in 1997 when she first launched the Pies Descalzos Foundation (Barefoot Foundation). The sole purpose of the foundation is to help poor and impoverished children.

Education is not just a child going to school and burying themselves under piles of books. This education is more of an overall development of a child. It’s the process of shaping a blank mind that could later be capable of making decisions by understanding the social enigma that without guidance one can be led to a dark future. Education is not only a key to the betterment of underprivileged children’s lives but also to society as a whole.

The Barefoot Foundation basically helps children who face some sort of havoc in their lives every day in the form of poverty or violence in any form. Currently, the foundation supports 6 schools run by Barefoot Foundation in the various regions of Colombia. More than 6,000 children receive a proper education, nutritious meals, and psychological support services from the schools. Such work ultimately benefits around 30,000 children, their parents, and their community. They also provide similar services in the Haiti and South Africa regions.

Almost every child goes through various types of exploitation in poor regions and each of them hopes to do something better with their lives. The moral obligation of these organizations is to give a glimmer of hope before it's too late. A child living in a harsh environment would require special assistance and better teachers, neither of which make a difference if they have an empty stomach to sleep with every night.

Shakira said: "We built the schools where the government was absent and children did not have access to quality education. The results were immediate, jobs were generated, malnutrition plummeted and the students responded very well academically.”

The Barefoot Foundation stands for 2 things here - the name of the record that made Shakira an international star and also the acknowledgment of the fact that there are thousands of children out there living in conditions where they can't afford shoes, education or much food.

The organization is supported by the contributions made by the famous singer and some national and international companies who care about social responsibility. The foundation partners with UNICEF and their campaign for education.

Here at Bright Side, we encourage you all to donate what you can to the cause, here. No matter if it's the effort of a celebrity or people like us - it's all for a good cause.

What do you think about Shakira's efforts to help children? Share your opinion with us in the comments.