Global pop icon Shakira made a surprise visit to the earthquake-stricken province of Choco in western Colombia, pledging to reconstruct at least 10 schools and restore a local technological university damaged by a devastating 7.4-magnitude tremor.
The initiative is supported by key international partners, with advocacy group Global Citizen and live entertainment company Live Nation each committing USD 500,000 toward the educational recovery efforts.
Shakira’s visit to Quibdo, the capital of Choco, comes in the wake of the powerful earthquake that struck western Colombia on August 10, claiming at least 287 lives, destroying over 26,000 dwellings, and affecting more than 265 educational institutions.
Touring damaged facilities alongside philanthropist Howard G Buffett, whose foundation is collaborating on the rebuilding initiative with Shakira's Fundacion Pies Descalzos (Barefoot Foundation), the singer emphasised the critical need to restore schooling promptly.
"What worries me the most is that schools are not rebuilt once this emergency is over," Shakira told reporters. "Every day that children don't go to school is a day they miss out on their future."
Also read: Colombia earthquake kills 224, hundreds still missing
Choco, one of Colombia's poorest regions, has seen over 3,100 homes destroyed following the natural disaster. The region faces significant logistical hurdles during relief efforts, with minimal road infrastructure connecting its predominantly Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities to the rest of the country.
Shakira's Barefoot Foundation has operated in Choco for over two decades, managing educational programmes and facilities across the province.
The effort forms part of a broader mobilisation by international organisations and prominent Latin American artists to aid recovery following recent seismic events in South America.
Shakira is also scheduled to perform alongside artists such as Maluma and Sebastian Yatra at a major benefit concert in Bogota to raise further relief funds.
Shakira shared a message on August 10 about the situation in a post on X. In Spanish, she wrote, "Beloved Colombia, my heart is with everyone who felt this earthquake today and with the families who are going through moments of anguish. In times like these, we Colombians know how to come together and support one another. All my strength and love for my homeland. Let's embrace tightly and stay tuned to the instructions so we can help as soon as possible."
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