Name: Shakira's Foundation Helps Feed & Educate Displaced Colombian Kids | Letterman
Uploaded: 2022-02-02T13:00:23.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Shakira's Foundation Helps Feed & Educate Displaced Colombian Kids | Letterman' from Letterman on Comedy Buff. Published 2022-02-02. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Shakira's Foundation Helps Feed & Educate Displaced Colombian Kids | Letterman' from Letterman on Comedy Buff. Published 2022-02-02. Transcript available.

- Shakira, welcome back to the show.
- Thank you so much for having me.
- I must say, that was delightful and delightful.
- I mean, I would appreciate it.
- Tell us about yourself.
You're a Colombian, from Colombia.
What was life like growing up there,
and what is it like now?
- Colombia is a beautiful country of great contrast,
beautiful people. - In the Andes, isn't it?
High in the mountains?
- We have the coastal area, which is where I come from,
and also the mountains.
And half of the country is jungle.
55% of the country is jungle.
And it's a country that has been living in conflict,
and a social conflict, for 40 years, almost, yeah.
And I think Colombians have been living on this conflict
with much passiveness for the past decades,
but now we're kind of waking up
and really pronouncing ourselves.
And the youth, especially,
is being very participative and active, yeah.
- And now, I think I'm right about this,
it's fall here.
Is it spring now in Colombia?
Is that what it is?
- You know what?
We don't have seasons just like we do here in the U.S.
- You're closer to the equator.
- Milder seasons, yeah, exactly.
- And tell me about the Barefoot Foundation.
What is that, who started it, and what is it doing?
- I started it when I was 18 years old,
after the first big international success I had with my album,
"Pies Descalzos," in Latin America.
And since then, we've been working on providing high-quality education with
food,
which is a very important component to our programs.
In areas where there's a huge lack of government presence, and especially the
population--
- This is in Colombia?
- Yeah, and the population that we serve is mostly families and children who
have been displaced by violence.
- Colombia, after Sudan, is the second country in the world with the second
largest number of displaced people due to violence and conflict.
- Is that right?
I would not have thought Colombia was large enough actually to factor in there,
but it's the second largest number of displaced humans because of violence.
- Yeah, and the thing is that we don't have the refugee camps, so it's not very
obvious for a lot of people,
but there are millions of people and families, peasants and children who have
lost it all.
- Is it possible to make a difference?
Are you seeing a difference now, or is it still in such a nascent stage?
- I believe so, and I believe that education is the right tool that we can
count on to fight poverty,
to eradicate it from the face of Earth.
It's the best strategy we can count on.
- Well, somebody explained to me at one time, in a situation like this,
the best way to get kids to school is to make sure they're fed at school,
and that will get them to school, and they'll be nourished and then educated as
well.
- It's the best incentive you can offer a parent, you know,
to make sure that that child also will be able to learn and absorb the
knowledge,
because no kid can learn with an empty stomach.
- Well, good for you. That's very gratifying.
Very nice.
This is the November 23rd.
Just cancel your Thanksgiving plans and head to the store and pick up a copy of
the Shakira She-Wolf.
- Thank you very much. Great pleasure. - Thank you, Dave. Nice to see you.