Shakira arrived in Quibdó on Monday (August 17) to inspect schools damaged by the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Colombia on August 10.
According to Colombian news outlet Noticias Caracol, the 49-year-old superstar toured some of the destruction in the city, which serves as the capital of Chocó province. The Associated Press reports that more than 40 schools in the region collapsed, while hundreds of others were affected by the earthquake.
“The thing that worries the most is that, after this state of emergency ends, all of the schools will go without being reconstructed … and that our children will not be able to return to school,” Shakira said in Spanish, per Noticias Caracol.
The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer then pledged to “construct 10 schools” in Chocó, a project she plans to carry out alongside her Pies Descalzos Foundation and Howard Buffett, who has been involved in several social infrastructure initiatives across Colombia.
As for funding, Noticias Caracol and the AP reported that $1 million had been raised, including $500,000 from Global Citizen and another $500,000 from Live Nation. However, AP News reported a total of $1.25 million, including an additional $250,000 pledge from CAF Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean. The outlet also noted that Global Citizen’s contribution came through the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.
“There is not a way to alleviate the pain of so many, there are no magic solutions,” Shakira added, per the AP. “But what there is, is commitment to be here alongside those from Chocó, to not abandon El Chocó like it historically has been abandoned, until every Colombian and every person from Chocó can return to their normal lives like they deserve and all the children can return to their schools and dream of the futures they deserve.”
According to Colombian authorities cited by the AP, the 7.4-magnitude earthquake killed at least 287 people across the region on August 10 and destroyed more than 26,000 homes.
