During the celebration of Cartier’s LoveDay, the prestigious boutique joins ALAS in its effort to mobilize Latin American society towards the implementation of early childhood development public policies by donating 10% of all the sales of the LOVE collection from the boutiques in Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Panamá, Guayaquil and Puerto Rico to Operation Smile. Operation Smile is a nonprofit organization that with its voluntary medical network improves the lives and social integration of children with facial deformities such as cleft lips and cleft palates. This initiative is celebrated in an event at the Cartier Boutique in Ciudad de Panama with the participation of Stanley Motta, member of ALAS Board, Juan Antonio Pungiluppi, ALAS Executive Director, Christophe Maincourt from Cartier, and Beth Marshall and Arlene Arias from Operation Smile. This union is just another effort where ALAS and the private sector join to benefit the region’s early childhood.
Álvaro Uribe, President of Colombia, and the National secretary of Education, Cecilia María Vélez, presented April 22nd the Educational Policy for Early Childhood, Under an Integrated Attention, with the purpose of guaranteeing the right to an early education with quality to children younger than five, especially for those that belong to poor and vulnerable families, as well as generating strategies that encourage their permanence and continuity in the educational system.
“We are convinced that this policy will allow the country to offer better development opportunities for all since the first years of life, and to contribute to the construction of an equal and inclusive society”, stated the Secretary of Education during her speech. The President, after reassuring all the political willingness in the coverage of integrated education to early childhood, recognized that the government is aware that the “attention to the mother during her pregnancy and the early attention to the child is the first step that has to be taken in order to eradicate factors of exclusion and to be able to build equality in the right moment”.
With this policy the government expects that by 2010, 60 new centers with early childhood integrated attention will start working, and that 400.000 new children younger than five will have access to early education under an integrated attention.
ALAS applauds the Colombian government on this initiative, and feels deeply identified with its efforts to work for the interests of the country’s population younger than six.
During the Summit of secretaries of Education from Latin America and the Caribbean, organized by the Organization of American States last April in Lisbon, the educational authorities established the objective to provide education to more than half of the children from the region between the ages of three and six for 2015, and to all of them (100%) by 2021. They also agreed that by 2015 between 10% and 30% of the children younger than three should participate in educational activities, and that by 2021, between 20% and 50% should be receiving education. Today, there are more than 55 million kids younger than five in Latin America and the Caribbean, from which 22 million don’t have access to education and health care.
The plan for early childhood, which is framed under the educational goals for 2021, promotes early childhood development by articulating nutrition, disease prevention, immunization and psychomotor development policies with school education. Malnutrition affects 9 million children younger than six, and its consequences are directly related with learning disabilities.
ALAS applauds this important initiative, in the frame of its strategy to promote Early Childhood Development in Latin America and the Caribbean through with the Early Childhood Interamerican Program, in association with The Earth Institute at Columbia University and the Iberoamerican Secretary. In this Program ALAS will gather top experts with countries’ educational authorities to present an Early Childhood Education Plan at the next Ibearoamerican Summit in Estoril, Portugal.
Gobota, Colombia - next week october 13th the EDUCATION MINISTER OF COLOMBIA, ANTIOQUIA GOVERNOR, MEDELLIN MAYOR OFFICE, ICBF Family Institute of Colombia, UNICEF, Iberoamerican States Organization and EXITO FOUNDATION open to the general public the IX INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON EARLY EDUCATION
On September 24th, Shakira, Alejandro Sanz and Jeffrey D. Sachs along with Heads of State from Mexico, Argentina, El Salvador, Panama and Paraguay got together on September 24th at Columbia University where they discussed the importance of comprehensive Early Childhood Development In Latin America. Feeding, educating and taking care of our kids is our biggest motive. (this video contains the first part of the event in English)
Thank you for being part of ALAS. The concerts have been the biggest social awareness movement of Latin America, it is estimated that our cause has reached 200 million people.
We want society to know that nourishing, and educating our Latin American children, since they are born until they start primary school is the State’s duty and responsibility. Those years are so crucial because that is when their brain and talents are developed. By following this principle, they will be brighter students, and most likely have better jobs when they grown up. Millions of children under the age of 6 in Latin America, lack good nutrition and education, and because of this, the opportunity they have to succeed in the future are minimal. Therefore, our next objective is to meet the presidents who have been showing interest for those matters and motivate them to act and do more. It is a great effort, but many developed countries have done it because they know that generates a successful country as a whole. It is important that our presidents surround themselves with specialists who can design plans to look after those children because the State has to guarantee the same opportunities to all.
For this reason, on September 24th we are making history. We will discuss with 5 Latin American presidents the best ways to develop their plans on early education, we will invite them to listen to the most renowned specialists and we will propose them specific goals so they can work together and let society know about the great effects of nourishing, educating and healing children from 0 to 6 years. The predisposition from the presidents already exists, because they know that this is a benefit for all. We have the confidence that we will change Latin America’s history if we decide to do it.
We are joining forces to mobilize and motivate everybody to act on behalf of our children. And we are achieving this thanks to your support and interest. So please help us to pass ahead this idea, tell your friends everything you know and forward this email. The more people we reach regarding Early Child Development, the biggest will be the State’s effort to accomplish its duty.
We hope we can count on you. This event will be live via Webcast on September 24th at 3p.m. (EST) from Columbia University with the special participation of:
Latin American Leaders: Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa, President of the United Mexican States Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner, President, Argentine Republic Elias Antonio Saca González, President, Republic of El Salvador Martín Erasto Torrijos Espino, President, Republic of Panama Fernando Armindo Lugo Mendez, President, Republic of Paraguay
Experts and Activists: Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, The Earth Institute at Columbia University Alejandro Santo Domingo Dávila, President, ALAS Board Shakira, Philanthropist and Activist, ALAS Alejandro Sanz, Activist, ALAS Luis Alberto Moreno, President, Inter-American Development Bank
For more information :
Latin Superstars Highlight Poverty Benefit - A lineup of Latin mega-stars including Shakira, Ricky Martin, Juan Luis Guerra, Alejandro Sanz, Miguel Bose and Los Tigres del Norte performed simultaneously on stages in Buenos Aires and Mexico City on Saturday, raising awareness for the needs of poor children in Latin America. Valeria Agis, Buenos Aires; Tere Aguilera, Mexico City
Latin stars sing for poor children at concerts- A lineup of Latin mega-stars including Shakira, Ricky Martin and Alejandro Sanz performed simultaneously on stages in Buenos Aires and Mexico City at the weekend, raising awareness for the needs of poor children in Latin America.
By Valeria Agis and Tere Aguilera, Reuters, 05-19-2008
Top artists unite in historic concerts to fight child poverty in Latin America - Colombian pop star Shakira, along with businessmen Carlos Slim and Howard Buffet, and other artists, presents the ‘Concert For The Children’ in Mexico City, Thursday. New York Daily News 05/17/08
Shakira, other Latin American stars sing for their cause — Not so long ago, Latin American artists who spoke up for social causes often risked prison, exile or far worse. What a difference a generation makes. On Thursday, a phalanx of Spanish-speaking pop artists headed by Colombian superstar Shakira and Spanish-Italian singer Miguel Bosé gathered here to promote a new initiative to aid Latin America’s millions of poor, malnourished and undereducated children. They were joined by the world’s second-richest man, a top U.S. philanthropist and an international mob of reporters drawn by a potent cocktail of celebrity, money and power, laced with an emerging social conscience.
By Reed Johnson, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Los Angeles Times 05/17/2008
Latin Stars Set For Charity Concerts - When 25 top Latin acts take the stage on May 17 in support of philanthropic organization ALAS, they will be bolstered by a financial commitment of more than $200 million from Mexican millionaire Carlos Slim Helú and philanthropist Howard Buffett.
On May 15, several prominent members of ALAS (América Latina en Acción Solidaria) gathered at a press conference in Mexico City to launch a major new initiative to address the needs of Latin America’s most vulnerable children.
Translated as “WINGS” in Spanish, ALAS was founded by Latin America’s most influential artists, intellectuals and business leaders to strengthen and expand both public and private sector support for Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs for the region’s children.
Investing in Early Childhood Development (such as health, education and nutrition programs) has proven to be one of the most effective ways to address the overall poverty that currently affects more than 32 million children in Latin America.
You may view the photos from the press conference below:
Big Stars Perform At ALAS In Mexico And Argentina! - Next week, on May 17, begins ALAS, El Concierto Por Los Niños, and we have the breaking news of the line-up that will take place in Buenos Aires and Mexico City! Starting with Mexico, fans over there will be graced with the presence of Aleks Syntek, Ana Torroja, Babasonicos, Chayanne, David Bisbal, Diego Torres, Emmanuel, Juan Luis Guerra, Juanes, Los Tigres del Norte, Maná, Miguel Bose, Ricardo Montaner, Ricky Martin, Timbiriche and Tania Libertad. This show starts at 5pm en El Zócalo a.k.a La Plaza de la Constitución where only 200,000 fans can come to the venue on a first arrival basis.
Winged Ambassadors - Live Aid. Live 8. For the past 20-odd years, pop stars with a conscience have been saving the world one mega-concert at a time. On May 17, in Buenos Aires and Mexico City, the most glittering stars of Latin pop will perform a benefit for ALAS — which, in Spanish, stands for Latin American in Solidarity for Action, and also conveniently spells out the word for “wings.”
ALAS will host two simultaneous concerts to help children in need - The Concert for the Children, scheduled for May 17th, will take place simultaneously in two locations: the Zocalo Plaza in Mexico City, and the Costanera Sur Reserve, in Buenos Aire.
ALAS Concert Gives Sanz, Calle 13, Ricky Martin , Shakira y Mas Wings - ALAS stands for América Latina en Acción Solidaria and the organization’s mission of strengthening and expanding public and private sector support for Early Childhood Development in Latin America is being supported by two free concerts on May 17th in both Mexico City and Buenos Aires, featuring the hottest names in la musica Latina. the list of participating artists reads like a who’s who of Latin music and is expected to grow in the coming weeks. Artists who have signed on so far are : Alejandro Sanz, Aleks Syntek, Babasónicos, Calle 13, Chayanne, David Bisbal, Diego Torres, Fito Páez, Gustavo Cerati, Jorge Drexler, Juan Luis Guerra, Juanes, Los Tigres del Norte, Maná, Miguel Bosé, Paulina Rubio, Ricardo Montaner, Ricky Martin, Shakira and Timbiriche.
