Colombian singer‑songwriter Shakira made an unexpected trip to Quibdó, the capital of the Chocó province, on Monday to assess damage from the August 10 earthquake and to announce a concrete plan for rebuilding the region’s educational infrastructure.
Commitment to schools and a university
While touring damaged classrooms and hugging students, Shakura said she will personally help rebuild a minimum of ten schools in the hard‑hit area. She also pledged to devote resources to restoring a local technological university that serves the province’s youth.
“What worries me most is that schools are not rebuilt once this emergency is over,” she told reporters. “Every day that children don’t go to school is a day they miss out on their future.”
Partnerships and funding
Shakira will work with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, led by Howard Buffett, son of philanthropist Warren Buffett, to coordinate the reconstruction effort through her Fundación Pies Descalzos (Barefoot Foundation). Buffett said, “When she calls, I come,” underscoring the long‑standing collaboration between the two philanthropies.
The rebuilding plan is backed by pledged contributions of $500,000 each from the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund and Live Nation, plus $250,000 from the CAF Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean. These funds are earmarked for school reconstruction and for getting children back into classrooms as quickly as possible.
Scope of the disaster
The 7.4‑magnitude quake devastated western Colombia, killing at least 287 people and destroying more than 26,000 homes. Official reports list over 265 educational sites in Chocó as damaged, with the province’s remote geography—rivers, unpaved roads, and limited communication—complicating relief efforts.
Chocó, home to roughly 600,000 residents, is one of Colombia’s poorest regions and is largely populated by Indigenous and Afro‑Colombian communities. Poverty rates remain high, and many families have been displaced by the disaster.
Shakira’s long‑term involvement
Shakira’s Barefoot Foundation has operated in Chocó for 22 years, running two schools that have graduated hundreds of students. The singer emphasized that her commitment is not a temporary response but a sustained effort to ensure the province does not remain abandoned.
“There is not a way to alleviate the pain of so many, there are no magic solutions,” she said at a large high school in Quibdó. “But what there is, is commitment to be here alongside those from Chocó, until every Colombian and every person from Chocó can return to their normal lives and all the children can return to their schools and dream of the futures they deserve.”
Regional and international response
Shakira’s announcement follows a wave of support from Latin American artists. On Sunday, Marc Anthony, Chayanne, and dozens of other performers participated in a Miami benefit concert for earthquake relief in Colombia and neighboring Venezuela. Colombian singer Karol G also pledged to match fan donations to her Con Cora Foundation, and Maluma, Sebastián Yatra and others are slated to perform at a benefit concert in Bogotá.
Earlier this month, Shakira announced that the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund would contribute $500,000 to education recovery efforts in Venezuela after twin earthquakes struck that country in June.
Looking ahead
The combined efforts of Shakira, her foundation, and partner donors aim to rebuild critical educational facilities, restore hope for families, and lay a foundation for long‑term development in one of Colombia’s most vulnerable regions.
Original reporting: 40/29 / KHBS (NW Arkansas) — read the source article.
