SHAKIRA ISABEL MEBARAK:
Shakira was born on 2 February 1977 in Barranquilla, Colombia and is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time. She has received numerous awards, including Grammy Awards, Latin Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe.
In 1997, Shakira founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation, a Colombian charity with special schools for poor children all around Colombia. It was funded by Shakira and other international groups and individuals. The name of the foundation was taken from Shakira’s third studio album, Pies Descalzos, which she released in 1995. The foundation’s main focus is on aid through education, and the organization has schools across Colombia that provide education and meals for thousands of children.
In 2011, she was appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama to the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics – a four-person group that advises the president and Education Secretary.
On 27 April 2014, she was honored with the Hero Award at the Radio Disney Music Awards for her Fundación Pies Descalzos work.
From 2012 to 2015, she was listed among world’s top 100 most powerful women in the world by Forbes and in 2017, she was listed as one of the world’s greatest leaders by Fortune.
