WASHINGTON DC, 22. February, 2010: Grammy Award-winning artist Shakira and World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick Monday launched a 300 million US dollar (1,6 milliarder DKR) joint initiative aimed at expanding development programs for young children in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The “Early Childhood Initiative: An investment for life” seeks to focus cost-effective policies and resources in the region, while mobilizing public support to improve opportunities for its young citizens and thereby help overcome deep inequalities, said Zoellick.
He spoke during a signing ceremony of the partnership agreement between Shakiras ALAS Foundation, Columbia Universitys Earth Institute and the World Bank, held at the Banks Washington D.C. headquarters.
Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs provide children with adequate nutrition, healthcare and stimulating environments from the moment of conception through age six –a period of development crucial for achieving a child’s full potential.
The initiative will help expand ECD programs in a region where 9 million children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition and 22 million lack access to early basic care.
– If we want to build a better world, we have to give child-ren the chance to improve their lives, no matter where they are born or how difficult their circumstances. By giving every child a fair start in life, we are improving our collective future, Shakira told the audience of 100 VIPs.
The Colombian artist is a leading activist for children and the founder of ALAS -a coalition of Latin American artists and business leaders promoting the adoption of comprehensive ECD programs in the region.
The initiative will provide over the next two years 300 million dollar in loans, grants and trust fund resources, as well as technical support, towards the design and implementation of ECD policies in Latin America and the Caribbean. It will also expand a learning community of practitioners to exchange knowledge and experiences.
– ALAS – and Shakira in particular – have made an enormous contribution to placing young children at the heart of the public policy priorities in Latin America , said Zoellick.
Zoellick and Shakira explained that investments in ECD programs are among the most effective –and cost-effective– a country can make as participating children demonstrate improved health and academic outcomes, while showing higher productivity and income in later years.
They noted that delays in early childhood interventions are difficult and costly to reverse later in life, as the Bank’s recent publication The Promise for Early Childhood Development in Latin America illustrates.
One of the initiatives first programs will be a partnership with Mexico’s state agency CONAFE to provide training for parents and caregivers to improve their competencies and practices in caring for children 0-4. The initiative will focus on the poorest 172 municipalities in Mexico, located primarily in its southern states.
In addition to providing funds to participating countries, the Early Childhood Initiative will work with the ECD Secretariat for Latin America and the Caribbean, a project of ALAS, the Earth Institute, and the governments of Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Panama, Paraguay and Argentina, to develop best practices and identify promising pilot projects for children under 6.
This work will be presented at the UNs Millennium Development Goals Summit in September and the XX Ibero-American Summit of the regional Heads of State in November in Mar del Plata, Argentina.
Over the last 20 years, the World Bank has been helping governments from over 50 countries invest in Early Childhood Development.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, the Bank has financed over 30 ECD projects, including technical assistance, research and program funding. At present, private and public investments in ECD initiatives range from less than 1 percent to roughly 12 percent of the total educational expenditures of countries in the region, according to World Bank estimates.
Background:
* In 2009, ALAS, in a partnership with the Earth Institute at Columbia University, created the ECD Secretariat for Latin America and the Caribbean with delegates from international organizations and representatives of the governments of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Panama and Paraguay.
Last December, Shakira addressed the XIX Ibero-American Summit alongside economist Jeffrey Sachs. Together they secured a commitment to make early education a central topic of this years Summit in Mar del Plata, Argentina. (www.fundacionalas.org)
* Shakira founded the ‘Fundación Pies Descalzos’ in 1995. Today, it supports 6 schools in Colombia and over 6.000 students and their families with nutritious meals, education, and psychological support services, all of whom have been affected by poverty and population displacement.
In 2008, Shakira founded the Barefoot Foundation, a U.S. 501(C)(3) dedicated to universal education. In January 2010, the Barefoot Foundation and Board Member Howard Buffett announced plans to build a Barefoot School in Haiti to support recovery efforts. (www.barefootfoundation.com)
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
