Hilde Schwab: Shakira receives the 2017 Cristal Award for her leadership in advancing early childhood education.
Of course, we all know Shakira as one of the most successful Latin singers with over 60 million albums, sold numerous MTV, Grammy, and Billboard Music Awards for songs and albums that are on the playlist of people around the world.
At the same time, Shakira is a passionate advocate for education, particularly early childhood development.
In 1997, at age 18, she founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation, which develops support programs to improve the education, nutrition, and health of the most vulnerable children in her native Colombia.
Shakira was appointed the UNICEF goodwill ambassador in 2003, advocating to ensure that all children have access to quality education and encouraging the investment in early childhood development.
In 2011, President Obama appointed Shakira to his Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.
Shakira, would you please join me on stage?
Shakira: Thank you so much.
Thank you for the honor of this award and for the opportunity to speak to you all.
Today, we know more than ever about the early years of child development, especially that of the brain, the brain of a child who's nourished and nurtured read to, and played with.
