ALAS (Fundacion América Latina en Acción Solidaria) is a movement dedicated to the children in Latin America. The non-profit organization is founded by Latin America's most influential artists, intellectuals and business leaders, and strives to launch a new social movement that will generate a collective commitment to comprehensive Early Childhood Development programs for the children in Latin America.
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One of the well-known faces and founder of ALAS is the Colombian singer and UNICEF ambassador Shakira. Other known artists are Juanes, Alejandro Sanz and Miguel Bosé, among others. Honorary President is Nobel prize winner Gabriel García Márquez. Shakira's ex-fiancé Antonio de la Rúa is one of the Vice Presidents. De la Rúa recently rebutted the allegation that artists are leaving ALAS because of mismanagement.
Objectives
Latin America has 54 million children age 5 and under and no less than 32 million of them are currently living in poverty. A catalyst for change, ALAS will work to improve the children's lives by creating a social movement that delivers effective health, education and nutritional programs during their most influential years of development through comprehensive Early Childhood Development.
Mega Concerts
On 17 May 2008, for the first time, two concerts were held simultaneously in Argentina and Mexico. Shakira, Alejandro Sanz, Calle 13, Paulina Rubio, Gustavo Cerati and others artists performed in Buenos Aires, where 150 thousand people gathered. In Mexico City, Miguel Bosé, Ricky Martin, Chayanne, Lucero and Diego Torres were some of the artists on the stage list. Juanes did not participate in either concert. The Mexico concert was attended by no less than 200 thousand people. Both concerts were completely free and their only goal was to make the public aware of the problems around poverty of Latin-American children.
ALAS – IDB Award
The ALAS – IDB Award was created in 2011, as a result of the joint interest of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and ALAS Foundation in creating an initiative to identify, promote and stimulate good practices in ECD. This initiative is the first in the region and seeks to recognize high quality, suitable intensity and length programs and interventions that combine early education, psychosocial stimulation, nutrition, health and works with the family.