Shakira to rebuild university and ten schools damaged by earthquake in Chocó

Colombian superstar Shakira announced a significant commitment to rebuilding educational infrastructure in the Chocó department, a region impacted by an earthquake on August 10, 2026. The singer will personally spearhead the reconstruction of the Technological University of Chocó, which sustained damage from the seismic event. This initiative is part of a broader effort to address the educational needs of the region.

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I am going to dedicate all my personal efforts to rebuilding the Technological University of Chocó (...) Howard is going to help us with the Pies Descalzos Foundation to build ten new schools in Chocó, that's why it was so important to bring him, that's why it was so important to come today.

In collaboration with American philanthropist Howard Graham Buffett, Shakira's Pies Descalzos Foundation will also fund the construction of ten new schools in Chocó. "Every day that girls and boys do not go to school is a day we pause their future, and we cannot allow that," Shakira stated during a visit to Quibdó, the departmental capital, with Buffett. The partnership aims to provide essential learning environments for children affected by the disaster.

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Every day that girls and boys do not go to school is a day we pause their future, and we cannot allow that.

To bolster these reconstruction efforts, Shakira revealed that the international movement Global Citizen will contribute $500,000, and the entertainment company Live Nation will add another $500,000, creating an initial fund of $1 million for affected school infrastructure. The singer also issued an appeal to the governments of Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom, as well as the private sector and other NGOs, to join the recovery and aid initiatives in Colombia's Pacific region.

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The territorial entity carries a 'historical debt' and warned that institutional attention should not be suspended after the immediate response phase.

Shakira emphasized that the region carries a "historical debt" and warned against the cessation of institutional attention after the immediate emergency response. The earthquake left at least 13 dead, thousands displaced, and hundreds of buildings damaged or destroyed. She expressed deep concern that many people, especially children, could be forgotten after the state of emergency passes. Shakira highlighted the 22-year work of her Pies Descalzos Foundation in the area, which has graduated nearly 400 students, with 70% pursuing higher education.

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What worries me most is that after the state of emergency passes (...) so many people are left forgotten and affected and our children cannot return to school.