I believe education is the key. As an activist and a child of the developing world, I witnessed education's power to transform lives.
Education is literally the difference between success and failure, or even life and death for many children.
We can work together across countries and cultures like never before through the Internet and social media. Everyone can make a difference, whether it is by building a school, sponsoring a child's education, volunteering at their local school, or working to hold leaders accountable for their promises.
I always had the intuition, even as a little child, that I was called for a big project.
The first years of a child's life are too important for a child's future - their development, earnings, behavior, and health - for anyone to ignore.
My main hope for my children would be that whatever profession or calling they choose in life, that they pursue it with passion.
A poor child who receives high-quality early childhood development is 40 percent less likely to need special education, twice as likely to attend college and dramatically more likely to survive childhood.
I'm proud that I've been able to work with other artists to make sure that the smallest voices - the voices of our children - have a chance to be heard. Artists can reach, inspire, and motivate young people and leaders in a powerful way.
The goal of my philanthropic work has always been to make sure that every child has a chance to live up to his or her potential. That means our work won't be done until every child has access to quality education from early childhood to adulthood.
The schools play an important role when it comes down to protecting children against violence.Violence is one of the principal reasons why children don't go to school. It's also one of the causes of the alarming school dropout rates.
Europe is a very different place from my native country of Colombia and my children are growing up in a very urban setting which is nothing like when I was growing up and would be able to play barefoot in the street. But we have a very good life.
I want some day to be able to love with the same intensity and unselfishness that parents love their children with.
I'm a firm believer that education is the most efficient tool we have to make people aware and make our children aware, and to protect them from the scourge of the century, which is AIDS
I just want to grow old with a man who takes care of me, and I want to eventually have kids and want them to be good children to me. Just want to be treated nice and have respect.
Education spurs growth and unlocks potential. After all, a single year of primary education creates a 10 to 20 percent increase in a woman's wages later in life. Education lowers the risk of disease and decreases the likelihood that a child will fall into violence and crime. And a child born to a literate mother is 50 percent more likely to survive past age five. No country has achieved sustained growth without at least 40 percent literacy for its adults.
I've met dedicated people from all sectors of society who are committed to giving children the tools they need for a better future. I'm always impressed by the passionate young leaders I meet. As the pace of change accelerates, so do the challenges we face. However, the chances to solve them increase too.
We have to demand that governments live up to their promises and make education a reality for every child.
I don't think I would want my children to enter into my profession. There's a lot of stress and so much competition. There are easier things you can do with your life.
By giving every child a fair start, we are improving our collective future, including the private sector's ability to find talent in a very competitive global marketplace.
I think that we see war as a virtual thing and we even get to believe that bombs fall on top of cardboard cutouts and stuff like that. They don't. They kill real people, real children, real mothers and millions of innocent people.
