Every year on her birthday, Shakira asks her fans to raise money for a charity close to her heart and this year, she’s doing it all over again.
The superstar who turned 43 on February 2 – the day before that epic Superbowl performance with JLo – has asked her followers to contribute to an organisation called First Step Big Step:
“Hey guys, I hope you’ll help me raise awareness and maybe even some money for my birthday this year,” she writes in a Facebook post.
“The funds raised through First Step Big Step, will go directly to my own charity – Fundacion Pies Descalzos – which I launched in 1997 and which works to ensure that thousands of underprivileged Colombian children get the quality education they deserve.”
Called the Barefoot Foundation in English, Shakira’s charity has opened five schools across Colombia including two in the singer’s home town of Baranquilla, providing classrooms and meals to over 4,000 children.
Support for the foundation comes from Shakira herself as well as donations from multinational corporations and of course her millions of fans around the world.
At the time of writing, her 43rd birthday fundraiser has received donations from more than 300 fans, raising just over $11,000 for her foundation so far.