Shakira to Rebuild University and Fund Ten Schools in Earthquake-Hit Chocó

Colombian superstar Shakira has pledged to personally lead the reconstruction of the Technological University of Chocó, which sustained damage from a recent earthquake. In a significant philanthropic effort, she is collaborating with American philanthropist Howard Graham Buffett to establish ten new schools within the Chocó department.

During a visit to Quibdó, the capital of Chocó, Shakira emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, "Every day that children do not go to school, is a day we pause their future, and we cannot allow that." Buffett, son of Warren Buffett, is supporting Shakira's Pies Descalzos Foundation in this initiative.

Further bolstering the reconstruction efforts, the Global Citizen movement will contribute $500,000, and concert promoter Live Nation will provide another $500,000, totaling $1 million for the rebuilding of schools destroyed by the earthquake. Shakira also issued an appeal to the governments of Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom, alongside the private sector and other foundations, to join in the recovery efforts for Chocó.

Shakira described the Chocó department as carrying a "historical debt" and warned against the emergency fading after the initial attention subsides. The earthquake, measuring 7.4 magnitude, has resulted in at least 13 deaths in Chocó, displaced thousands, and caused extensive damage to hundreds of homes and buildings. Shakira expressed concern that many affected individuals and children might be forgotten once the state of emergency is lifted.

She also highlighted the 22-year work of the Pies Descalzos Foundation in Chocó, which has helped approximately 400 students graduate, with 70% pursuing higher education. Shakira and Buffett visited affected areas in Quibdó, including the Carrasquilla Industrial Technological Institute, the department's largest school, where they met with children and the governor of Chocó, Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi.