Shakira has promised an opening donation of $1.25 million to restore schools affected by the recent earthquake in her home country of Colombia. She revealed the contribution while making an unannounced trip to one of the areas suffering the greatest damage.
The Colombian singer visited Quibdó, the capital of Chocó, on Monday, Aug. 17. Almost 200 educational facilities have reported destruction since the magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit western Colombia on Aug. 10 and claimed hundreds of lives. Shakira inspected damaged classrooms and spoke with teachers and pupils before meeting Chocó governor Nubia Carolina Córdoba and Quibdó mayor Rafael Bolaños to discuss what assistance the community requires.
Several organisations are contributing to the $1.25 million package. Shakira and Live Nation are providing $500,000, the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund is giving another $500,000 and CAF, the development bank serving Latin America and the Caribbean, is adding $250,000. Shakira’s Fundación Pies Descalzos, also known as the Barefoot Foundation, will distribute the money to repair schools and help students return to their lessons.
Howard Buffett joined Shakira during the trip and has previously worked with her on educational programmes across Colombia. The philanthropist also confirmed that his own foundation would independently fund repairs at 10 more schools in Chocó. “When she calls, I come,” Buffett said during the visit.
For Shakira, the initiative is focused on protecting the future of children in the region after the immediate crisis has passed.
“What worries me the most is that schools are not rebuilt once this emergency is over,” she told journalists. “Every day that children don’t go to school is a day they miss out on their future.” Her organisation has served communities in Chocó for over 20 years and currently manages two schools there.
“It’s a place I love, a place where I’ve seen our students grow in our classrooms,” she said. “I really want to see it rebuild again.” Shakira also explained that she intends to personally concentrate on restoring a technological university located within the province.
Chocó ranks among the most impoverished and remote parts of Colombia. Covering an area comparable in size to Switzerland, many of its communities rely on rivers and roads without pavement for travel, making emergency assistance more challenging. Shakira’s donation joins several other responses from Latin American musicians following the tragedy. Marc Anthony and Chayanne appeared with dozens of performers at a benefit show in Miami over the weekend to raise support for earthquake victims in Colombia and Venezuela. Karol G also promised to equal contributions made by fans to her Con Cora Foundation during three concerts at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles.
Shakira has combined her achievements as one of Latin music’s most successful performers with decades of charitable work in Colombia. Her Wyclef Jean collaboration “Hips Don’t Lie” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006 and became one of the century’s biggest selling songs. She also holds the record among women for the most No. 1 hits on Latin Airplay, with 21. In July, she led the halftime performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, while Billboard selected her as its first Latin Woman of the Year in 2023. She established Fundación Pies Descalzos in 1997 to provide more Colombian children with access to education.
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