Key Takeaways
Shakira announced an initial $1.25 million commitment to rebuild schools in Colombia's Chocó department after the August 10 earthquake, where nearly 200 schools reported damage.
The Howard G. Buffett Foundation is joining separately, funding the reconstruction of 10 additional schools in Quibdó and surrounding rural areas.
Fundación Pies Descalzos will lead the rebuild in coordination with local authorities, working in a department where the state has been thin for decades.
Shakira visited Quibdó alongside philanthropist Howard Buffett and representatives from Fundación Pies Descalzos and CAF, the development bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, to meet families and educators hit by the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Chocó on August 10. She met Chocó Governor Nubia Carolina Córdoba and Mayor Rafael Bolaños, and then announced the money.
The initial $1.25 million breaks down as $500,000 from Shakira and Live Nation, $500,000 from the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, and $250,000 from CAF, according to the Global Citizen announcement. The Howard G. Buffett Foundation is adding the reconstruction of 10 more schools on top of that, including sites in Quibdó and rural areas. Nearly 200 schools across the department reported damage, and the Technological University of Chocó was hit hard.
Why Schools and Why Now
The reasoning is practical rather than sentimental. After a disaster, a classroom is one of the few places that gives children a routine and a safe roof, and the longer they stay out of one, the more likely the interruption becomes permanent. Chocó is one of the poorest regions in the hemisphere, which is the same reason the World Food Programme moved food and cash assistance in fast when the quake hit.
Pies Descalzos has worked in Colombia for 25 years and built or improved 22 educational spaces, so this is an existing operator scaling up rather than a new organization standing itself up in a crisis. That distinction matters more than the headline number. Money moved through a group already on the ground, already a grantee of the Education Fund, and already accountable to the same communities, is money with a much shorter path from pledge to poured concrete. It is the opposite of the pattern in cases like the DOJ's $4 million donor fraud case against the SPLC, where the distance between the donation and the destination was the whole problem.
"Chocó is not alone. Colombia is not alone," Shakira said, calling on other funders to join. Variety reported the visit and the commitment. The Education Fund, which is trying to mobilize $100 million globally, has an open call for Colombian nonprofits working on education for ages 5 to 18.
People Also Ask
How much did Shakira donate to Chocó?
An initial $1.25 million, made up of $500,000 from Shakira and Live Nation, $500,000 from the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund and $250,000 from CAF. Organizers describe it as a first commitment, not a final one.
What is Howard Buffett funding in Colombia?
The Howard G. Buffett Foundation will fund the reconstruction of 10 additional schools in Chocó, including in Quibdó and surrounding rural areas, separate from the $1.25 million.
How many schools were damaged in the Chocó earthquake?
Nearly 200 schools across the department reported damage from the August 10 quake, along with the Technological University of Chocó.
Who is running the rebuilding effort?
Fundación Pies Descalzos, Shakira's foundation, will lead it in coordination with local authorities and school communities. It has worked in Colombia for 25 years and has built or improved 22 educational spaces.