In anticipation of the birth of their second child, the Colombian singer and her husband, FC Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué, launched their second “world baby shower” on Monday via Facebook. Participation in the couple’s non-traditional version of a shower requires no gift shopping — just a donation of funds and supplies to children in need through the emergency relief organization UNICEF.
In a video on Shakira’s Facebook page, the couple asked for donations to UNICEF in lieu of gifts to celebrate their second pregnancy and encouraged other expecting parents to do the same as they are able.
“There are millions of kids in the world who die daily from preventable causes, and with your help we want to change this permanently,” she wrote in the Facebook post. “Every baby deserves to have the best possible start and because we all can and should help.”
“Thanks to social media, and companies like Facebook, we all have access to a platform where we can make our voices heard and do good for others,” Shakira said via email. “We hope this campaign will continue long after our baby is born and encourage other parents to share their joy and pay it forward by helping less fortunate children around the world.”
The post utilizes Facebook’s call to action button, which it launched in December, allowing Page administrators who upload videos to choose from options like “shop now” or “contact us.” With the UNICEF campaign, Shakira and Piqué are among the first to utilize the button’s new “donate” option, which Facebook rolled out without fanfare last week.
Once users click through, they can donate gifts for the children UNICEF works with globally, such as midwifery kits that include medical equipment to enable safe delivery of 50 babies, measles and polio vaccines, blankets or baby scales.
“We’re excited Shakira is introducing her global fan base to the Donate call-to-action option and applaud her for being on the forefront of promoting social good,” said Naomi Gleit, VP of product at Facebook.
In January of 2013, Shakira and Piqué held their initial virtual baby shower directly on UNICEF’s website to celebrate the birth of their first child, Milan. According to numbers provided by Facebook, that campaign allowed the NGO to vaccinate 80,000 children against polio, provide nearly four tons of therapeutic food to children suffering from malnutrition, and approximately 1,000 anti-malaria bed nets and nearly 200,000 oral rehydration salts sachets.
In a statement via email, Paloma Escudero, UNICEF’s director of communication, praised the new partnership’s potential for “immense impact.
In parts of the developing world, very basic items can mean the difference between life and death for a mother and her newborn,” she said, calling the use of Facebook’s new Donate functionality “a fantastic way for fans and parents-to-be to join in the World Baby Shower and help us offer children a healthy start in life.”
With over 106 million fans, Shakira is the most-liked person on Facebook and was the first person on the platform to reach the 100 million milestone. Piqué, for his part, has over 16 million fans.
The social network’s founder and CEO also appears to have a soft spot for the singer. On Thursday, Mark Zuckerberg announced an initiative that will bring the free Internet.org app to Colombia, allowing limited Internet access for customers on a particular cellular network. When asked about the South American nation’s culture, he said, “I’m a big fan of Shakira. I’m a really big fan.”
She responded with a Facebook post thanking him for bringing the project, which has already rolled out in Tanzania, Zambia and Kenya, to people in her home country.
Celebrities appear to be increasingly experimenting with Facebook as a means to promote charitable causes, making the Donate button a natural next step for the platform. Evangeline Lilly, Miley Cyrus and Ian Somerhalder, among others last year, all enticed fans to donate to their preferred nonprofits by offering chances to win big prizes. They supported diverse causes like early literacy, teen homelessness and the environment.