MADRID, Jun 10, 2010/ — MANGO and International performer Shakira will launch a capsule collection of solidarity t-shirts inspired by the singer’s official FIFA World Cup anthem “Waka Waka”.
The design of the t-shirts represents the spirit, vitality and energy of the host continent of the FIFA World Cup and profits from the sales of the “Waka Waka” t-shirt will be donated to initiatives for elementary education in South Africa.
One of the principal schools to receive the profits, and which has the support of UNICEF, is the South Africa East Observatory School, which cares for children who have been orphaned or displaced by war.
The school has approximately 560 children, 60% of whom are orphans due to civil war, while 20% have lost one of their parents as a result of the AIDS epidemic.
This school offers a combination of a quality education with social support and a daily school nutrition programme, reflecting the commitment of UNICEF and the Barefoot Foundation towards children’s nutrition and general education programs. Once this project has been completed, any additional funds from this campaign will be donated to other school projects in South Africa.
“The true spirit of this World Cup involves making a lasting contribution”, Shakira says.
“We can add to the legacy of this historic moment a platform committed to providing quality education for the children of South Africa and to ending poverty and inequality wherever they exist”.
A total of four t-shirts, two styles for women and two styles for men, bearing the printed slogans “Waka Waka” and “This Time for Africa”, have been exclusively designed for the occasion.
The t-shirts will go on sale at all MANGO retail locations, as well as on www.mangoshop.com beginning June 10. They will be priced at $39.90 for the women’s style and $22.90 for the men’s.
All proceeds will be donated directly to the Barefoot Foundation, which will allocate the funds to selected schools in South Africa. The Barefoot Foundation, founded by Shakira, will use the funds to extend child education initiatives in Africa, where 1 out of every 10 children suffer from severe malnutrition and 35% of all deaths from AIDS correspond to children under the age of five.
Shakira will sing the official FIFA World Cup anthem, “Waka Waka” (This Time for Africa) on June 10 in Johannesburg during the official opening concert and at the closing ceremony on July 11.
“Waka Waka” is featured on the album “Listen Up!” – the Official FIFA World Cup record and profits from the record will be donated to FIFA’s “20 Centres for 2010”, an initiative which aims to create social change through sport and the construction of twenty “Football for Hope” centers for public health, education and football training in Africa.
