Excerpt from the musician Shakira’s speech about the Barefoot Foundation, an

organization that promotes education in her home country of Colombia.

This is such an exciting day for us because it marks the beginning of a new era in my

home country Colombia. Most of you may know me as an artist, as an entertainer, and

that’s indeed my calling and what I’ve been doing since I was 13 years old, but I never

would have imagined when I started out that my work as an artist would end up being

the vehicle for me to serve my greater purpose in life of working towards eradicating

poverty through the power of Education.

As a Colombian citizen inequality as a concept that sadly one becomes very familiar

with at a very young age. It’s a country like many others in Latin America where a few

have a lot; a lot have almost nothing and where if you’re born poor, you will almost

certainly die poor. Where people don’t access equal opportunities, and because of that

generation after generation, after generation live trapped in the same vicious cycle fed

by prejudice and inaction.

Growing up in my country when I was around eight years old, I remember I saw kids

my age who, instead of being in school were already working in the streets, were

barefoot in the park. Kids like me whose reality was completely different than mine

only because of the circumstances into which they were born.

It was really hard for me to accept that to accept that something so unjust didn’t have a

solution. There had to be something that could be done. So I often asked myself why

the adults, around me were so resigned to the fact that these kids who were just like me

or even their own children we’re living in a parallel reality so different and so cruel. As

Kofi Annan put it, poverty is intolerable in a world of plenty, so as soon as I had some
success, the first thing I wanted to do was to invest as many resources I could into what

later would become the most meaningful project of my life, working for children. So I

set out to find a team, a team of people who dream big and worked hard and thought

like me to help me right the wrongs that I had witnessed throughout my entire

childhood, and that’s when our foundation The Barefoot Foundation, ‘Pies Descalzos

Fundacion’ was born.

Over the next three years, we pledge to get fifty-four thousand kids who are out of

school or at risk of drop out into the educational system. Ultimately, more than two

hundred ninety-five thousand people will benefit from this project, including children,

teachers, families, and community members. New schools and classrooms will be

built, school kits and uniforms will be distributed; children will be enrolled in school,

feeding, and transportation programs. Teachers will be trained in strategies and how

to identify those students who are at risk so they can receive psycho-social support,

and we are extremely confident that this partnership is only the beginning and will be

the model to replicate throughout my country until not a single child is out of school.

This is our responsibility...Thank you...This is our responsibility to our children and

our debt to fulfill for the generations to come.

Thank you very much.

Excerpt from Michelle Obama’s 2020 speech to the Girl Up Leadership Summit

attendees. Girl Up is a campaign supported by the United Nations that gives girls the

chance to create service programs and build leadership skills to support other girls all

around the world.

Hi, everyone. I wish we could be together sharing hugs and laughs in person, but I am

so thankful that Girl Up has found a way to keep us connected and celebrate the power

of girls all over the world.

Over these past few months, there’s been so much uncertainty. You all are dealing with

serious loss in your own families and abrupt changes to your daily lives, especially

when it comes to your education. But you all have shown incredible resilience in

difficult circumstances before. Your determination over so many years has already

helped countless girls create a brighter future for themselves and their families. And

this pandemic has only shown that your efforts are even more important right now.

We know from past crises like Ebola, that the struggles that many girls already face are

worsened in times like these: violence at home, child marriage and teen pregnancy,

economic hardship, and caretaking responsibilities within families. Challenges like

these are made even more stark in times of crisis; and that, of course, includes

education.

The Malala Fund predicts that when students are eventually allowed back into their

classrooms, an additional 10 million girls of secondary school age could remain out of

school. And we can’t let that happen. We can’t let these girls be forgotten during this

crisis. The stakes are just too high. Because when we give girls the chance to learn, we
give them the opportunity to fulfill their potential, build healthier families and

contribute to their country’s economies for generations to come.

That’s why we started the Girls Opportunity Alliance at the Obama Foundation.

Because we believe that the millions of adolescent girls around the world who aren’t in

school today can make a profound difference for their families, their communities, and

our entire world; but, only if they have the opportunity and the education to get it done.

I know that all of you believe that too. And that’s why we are excited to work

hand-in-hand with each and every one of you. And you can start by joining me in

spreading the word about global girls education with the hashtag

#GirlsOpportunityAlliance.

I’ve already seen your ability to create change all over the world. Girl Up clubs have

stepped up in incredible, inspiring ways during the pandemic from making face masks

for their communities in Mexico, to setting up online learning platforms in Malawi.

With every action you take, you’re proving that you’re not just the leaders of tomorrow,

you’re already the leaders of today.

So thank you again. Thank you for everything you’re doing. I can’t wait to see how

you’ll come together to change the world and help all girls fulfill their boundless

promise. Have a great summit. See you.