TACOMA, Washington — Education is an important aspect of a child’s development. A good education will open doors and give children the opportunity to accomplish things otherwise impossible. However, education is not a paramount concern when families are struggling to survive. Currently, 72 million children do not have access to education around the world. Furthermore, girls’ education is often not valued as highly as a boy’s education, and therefore, girls are forced to drop out and assume the role of a homemaker. As a result, many celebrities are fighting for education around the world.
While foreign governments are working to improve their schooling conditions, many simply do not have the financial resources to do so effectively. This is where philanthropic celebrities fight for education and change the course of a child’s life. Here is a list of five celebrities fighting for education for children all around the world.
Five Celebrities Fighting for Education
- Shakira: Shakira is a Columbian-American singer who fights for education. She founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation in 1997 after seeing the lack of education in Columbia. Her foundation works to provide greater educational access and overall quality of life to children in Columbia. Since the foundation’s inception, it has created multiple schools as well as improved and standardized education in Columbia. These schools have also won awards for high test scores and have honored recipients of Shakira’s advocacy work. Shakira is also a supporter of UNICEF and advocates in the fight for education globally.
- Pink: Pink is a pop musician known for her spunk and individuality. She is a UNICEF ambassador and a strong supporter of UNESCO. These organizations fight for education for all children regardless of race, gender or socioeconomic status. With UNICEF she promotes “Kids Power” which encourages kids in the U.S. to exercise and in turn provides children in poverty globally with food. This initiative allows children to focus less on surviving and more on learning and enriching their lives. Pink brings awareness to the greater need for education through her various social media platforms and her concerts.
- Dolly Parton: Dolly Parton is a world-renowned country singer who is passionate about the fight for education. She founded The Imagination Library in 1995 in Tennessee and since then it continued to expand into countries across the world. The Imagination Library is a program that mails free books to children until they are five years old. Parton began the organization after seeing how illiteracy affected her father and her goal is to ensure all children learn to read. Children of all income levels have received more than 100 million books through this program. Dolly Parton advocates for this program through concerts and fundraisers.
- Angelina Jolie: Angelina Jolie is a movie actress known for her philanthropic endeavors. She is an advocate for education reform around the world and keeping all kids in school. She is an executive producer of an upcoming project with the BBC called My World. This feature is in conjunction with UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition and will discuss the importance of children returning to school after the COVID-19 pandemic. Jolie is working to ensure children still have access to proper information and educational resources during this time. Furthermore, Jolie funds a primary school for young girls in Kenya to close the gap in education between girls and boys. She is helping children all around the world have the resources to change the world.
- John Legend: John Legend is another musician fighting for educational change. In 2007, Legend founded the Show me Campaign. The charity works to provide practical solutions for children and families in struggling communities throughout Africa. Legend’s goal in forming this charity was to keep children in school by improving the conditions and amenities at schools. The Show Me Campaign provides free meals, safe water and WASH services for schools. That way children can focus on the actual learning aspect. He continues to raise money and awareness about the need for education around the world through charity events, speaking tours and his concerts.
These celebrities fighting for education are changing the lives of numerous children throughout the world. Their continued advocacy is allowing children to change the world and have an overall higher quality of life. Furthermore, these celebrities’ efforts inspire their fans and followers to be supporters of these causes, which will continue to do great things.
– Allison G. Caso
Photo: Flickr