Shakira requires from Brazil's Rousseff to back tasks little people: Colombian singer Shakira met on Thursday with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff to seek support for the social work of a foundation started by the international superstar and other artists from Spain and Latin America.

"It was a very positive meeting" and the head of state was "very enthusiastic" about the work of the Alas Foundation ("alas" means "wings" in Spanish), Shakira told reporters. The singer is one of the sponsors of the organization, which focuses on projects benefiting children under 6. Shakira said she had received an "excellent impression" of Rousseff and added that for Brazil "it's a blessing, for the first time, to have a female president, since there's nobody like a woman to understand the problems of childhood.

The singer, who gave Rousseff an autographed acoustic guitar with the intention of having it auctioned to finance social projects, said that they had also discussed the possible support of the Brazilian government for the Alas Foundation. "Brazil is a leading country in the region and it would be very important to be able to work together so that Latin American children might have better opportunities," she said.

Shakira is in Brazil to give a series of concerts on her Pop Music Festival tour, the Brazilian phase of which began earlier this week in Porto Alegre, continues on Thursday in Brasilia and will conclude this weekend in Sao Paulo, where she is scheduled to perform before a crowd of about 70,000 in the Morumbi soccer stadium.