Shakira Pledges $1.25 Million to Rebuild Schools in Colombia's Earthquake-Hit Chocó Region
Shakira has pledged an initial $1.25 million to help rebuild 10 schools and a technological university in Colombia's Chocó region, eight days after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the country on 10 August.
The singer made a surprise visit to Quibdó, the capital of Chocó province, where nearly 200 schools reported damage from the quake. She was accompanied by Howard Buffett, son of Warren Buffett and a longtime donor to Colombia who has previously helped Shakira set up schools in the region. Rolling Stone
The pledge, channelled through Shakira's Fundación Pies Descalzos (Barefoot Foundation), draws on three sources. Shakira and Live Nation contributed $500,000. The FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund committed another $500,000. CAF, the development bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, provided $250,000. Rolling Stone
Shakira's foundation has operated in Chocó for more than two decades and currently runs two schools there. She said she plans to dedicate her personal efforts to rebuilding a local technological university in the region, alongside the school repairs aimed at getting children back into classrooms.
The Colombia pledge follows a similar commitment Shakira made after twin earthquakes hit Venezuela in June. On that occasion she announced the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund would commit $500,000 to education recovery there. Newsday
For a region where nearly 200 schools are reported damaged, the immediate priority is clear: getting students back into classrooms before the academic year loses more ground. Shakira's foundation, with its two-decade history in Chocó, is one of the few organisations with existing infrastructure on the ground to act quickly at that scale.
The money is an initial pledge, not a final figure. Reconstruction across 10 schools and a university will cost considerably more. But it puts a line in the sand from a high-profile figure with a proven track record in the province, and it draws in institutional partners — a global football body, a regional development bank, a concert promoter — whose involvement extends the reach well beyond a single celebrity donation.
