Pies Descalzos Foundation
Encyclopedia
Pies Descalzos Foundation (Barefoot Foundation) is a Colombia
n charity founded by pop artist Shakira
in 1997. with the aim of helping poor and impoverished children.
The Pies Descalzos mission statement
is "The Barefoot Foundation work to ensure that every Colombian child can exercise their right to a quality education. Our model targets displaced and vulnerable communities by addressing their unique needs."
The foundations main focus is on aid through education, and the organization has five schools across Colombia that provide education and meals for 4000 children.
. The Foundation built two new schools, Escuela Las Americas and Escuela Siete de Abril. The schools brought change to two neighborhoods that had been devastated by displacement, homelessness and poverty. The two Pies Descalzos schools provided services for 990 children.
That same year, 'Pies Descalzos' initiated work in Soacha
, Cundinamarca
, a suburb on the outskirts of Bogotá
. According to the Colombian Social Welfare Network, Soacha
has one of the highest rates of incoming victims of displacement. Their work began at the Gabriel Garcia Marquez
and El Minuto schools in the Altos de Cazuca neighborhoods, providing opportunities for another 980 children.
The year 2004 was significant for the Pies Descalzos Foundation. They reached many of the goals they had set for the Foundation, working with children whose lives were disrupted because of the Colombian Armed Conflict. Many children were given access to an education, better nutrition, and a new sense of hope. The foundation also initiated a school cafeteria that was managed totally by the neighborhood moms.
and donations from national and international companies who care about social responsibility. They also work with multilateral corporations who endorse special projects and have formed alliances with government agencies. During February, 2008, Shakira auctioned some of her tour clothes and guitars on eBay
to support her foundation.
In February 2011, the FC Barcelona
Foundation and Pies descalzos reached an agreement for children's education through sport.
Shakira has been a great person to this foundation and has donated more than a million shoes to the children in Colombia.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n charity founded by pop artist Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
in 1997. with the aim of helping poor and impoverished children.
The Pies Descalzos mission statement
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
is "The Barefoot Foundation work to ensure that every Colombian child can exercise their right to a quality education. Our model targets displaced and vulnerable communities by addressing their unique needs."
The foundations main focus is on aid through education, and the organization has five schools across Colombia that provide education and meals for 4000 children.
2004 efforts
In 2004 the work of the Foundation turned to Shakira’s hometown of BarranquillaBarranquilla
Barranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
. The Foundation built two new schools, Escuela Las Americas and Escuela Siete de Abril. The schools brought change to two neighborhoods that had been devastated by displacement, homelessness and poverty. The two Pies Descalzos schools provided services for 990 children.
That same year, 'Pies Descalzos' initiated work in Soacha
Soacha
Soacha is the city of Colombia on the southern edge of Bogotá, the country's capital. It has an important industrial zone and is home to mostly working class families.-Demographics:...
, Cundinamarca
Cundinamarca Department
- Origin of the name :The name of Cundinamarca comes from Kundur marqa, an indigenous expression, probably derived from Quechua. Meaning "Condor's Nest", it was used in pre-Columbian times by the natives of the Magdalena Valley to refer to the nearby highlands....
, a suburb on the outskirts of Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
. According to the Colombian Social Welfare Network, Soacha
Soacha
Soacha is the city of Colombia on the southern edge of Bogotá, the country's capital. It has an important industrial zone and is home to mostly working class families.-Demographics:...
has one of the highest rates of incoming victims of displacement. Their work began at the Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
and El Minuto schools in the Altos de Cazuca neighborhoods, providing opportunities for another 980 children.
The year 2004 was significant for the Pies Descalzos Foundation. They reached many of the goals they had set for the Foundation, working with children whose lives were disrupted because of the Colombian Armed Conflict. Many children were given access to an education, better nutrition, and a new sense of hope. The foundation also initiated a school cafeteria that was managed totally by the neighborhood moms.
Funding
Support for the Foundation comes from contributions by ShakiraShakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
and donations from national and international companies who care about social responsibility. They also work with multilateral corporations who endorse special projects and have formed alliances with government agencies. During February, 2008, Shakira auctioned some of her tour clothes and guitars on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
to support her foundation.
In February 2011, the FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
Foundation and Pies descalzos reached an agreement for children's education through sport.
External links
- Pies Descalzos Foundation Official site
- Unofficial Photos (Spanish)
- Interview with Camilo Guerrero González, Fundación Pies Descalzos School Meals and the Barefoot Foundation
Shakira has been a great person to this foundation and has donated more than a million shoes to the children in Colombia.