Grammy-winning singer Shakira has visited schools in Quibdó damaged by the powerful earthquake that struck Colombia on August 10, as she announced a series of education and rebuilding initiatives to support affected children and communities.
Shakira shared photographs and videos from her visit to schools in Chocó on Instagram and outlined the first phase of relief and reconstruction efforts being undertaken with the support of several organisations.
“Colombia is hurting, but Colombia is not broken. These past few days, I’ve seen something powerful — people showing up for each other, especially for our kids,” she wrote.
Shakira announced that the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund will allocate $500,000 in partnership with the Pies Descalzos Foundation to help children return to classrooms. The contribution will be matched by Live Nation, taking the combined funding to $1 million.
The singer also said she would commit personal resources towards rebuilding the Technological University of Quibdó, where many graduates supported by the Pies Descalzos Foundation pursue higher education.
In another major initiative, Shakira announced that the Howard G. Buffett Foundation would work alongside Pies Descalzos to build 10 new schools in Chocó.
She also appealed to registered non-profit organisations involved in supporting children affected by the disaster to come forward and participate in relief efforts.
The initiatives come as Colombia continues to deal with the extensive human and infrastructural impact of the August 10 earthquake.
According to figures cited on August 14 by David Tamayo, director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management, the death toll from the 7.4-magnitude earthquake had risen to 273. The disaster also left 3,824 people injured and 377 missing.
Tamayo said 12,584 homes had been destroyed and another 74,873 damaged. The earthquake also caused 172 buildings to collapse and affected 2,198 schools and educational institutions, 825 community centres, 216 health centres and five airports, Xinhua news agency reported.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and its partners have continued supporting the Colombian government’s response to the disaster. The UN agency said widespread damage to homes and public infrastructure had been reported.
Through her visit and the announced initiatives, Shakira has joined ongoing efforts to help restore educational infrastructure and provide affected children with safer opportunities to return to learning.
