Colombian superstar Shakira has pledged to help build at least 10 new schools in a remote and severely affected region of her home country following last week’s devastating earthquake that killed hundreds of people and damaged thousands of educational facilities across western Colombia.
The globally acclaimed singer made the commitment Monday during a surprise visit to Quibdó, capital of the province of Chocó, where she toured damaged schools, hugged students and posed for photos with them.
“What worries me the most is that schools are not rebuilt once this emergency is over,” Shakira told reporters. “Every day that children don’t go to school is a day they miss out on their future.”
She was accompanied by Howard Buffett, son of billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett and a longtime donor to Colombia who has previously helped Shakira establish schools in the country. The Howard G. Buffett Foundation will work with Shakira’s Fundación Pies Descalzos, or Barefoot Foundation, on the project.
“When she calls, I come,” Buffett said during the visit. Shakira also announced $500,000 commitments from Global Citizen and Live Nation to support the initiative.
The magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck a large part of western Colombia on Aug. 10, killing at least 287 people and destroying more than 26,000 homes, according to authorities. The government has reported 194 people missing, while other civilian-run databases put the number at more than 4,100.
The quake’s epicenter was in Chocó, one of Colombia’s poorest regions. According to the latest report from the regional government Monday, at least 3,100 homes were destroyed and more than 265 educational facilities were affected.
“It’s a place I love, a place where I’ve seen our students grow in our classrooms,” Shakira said in a video posted on X by Colombian news outlet La FM. Her foundation, which works to improve educational access for young people in Colombia, has operated in Chocó for 22 years and runs two schools from which hundreds of students have graduated, she said.
“I really want to see it rebuild again,” she said.
Aid organizations have faced difficulties assessing the full extent of the damage in Chocó, an area roughly the size of Switzerland where communications are challenging. The province has limited road connections with the rest of Colombia, while many towns and villages are accessible mainly by rivers and unpaved roads.
About 600,000 people live in Chocó, most of them in poverty, according to figures released last year by Colombia’s national government. The province is largely home to Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities.
“There is not a way to alleviate the pain of so many, there are no magic solutions,” Shakira said during a visit to a large high school in Quibdó.
“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,” she said.
The Grammy-winning singer, known for hits including “Whenever, Wherever” and “La Tortura,” as well as the 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem “Dai Dai,” has long supported education initiatives. She told reporters Monday that she planned to devote all her “personal efforts” to rebuilding a local technological university in Chocó.
Shakira, 49, has drawn significant attention to both her music and philanthropic causes. She headlined the halftime show at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final in July and performed in May at Brazil’s Copacabana Beach before an estimated crowd of 2 million people.
Following Venezuela’s twin earthquakes in June, Shakira announced that the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund would provide $500,000 for education recovery efforts there.
Her latest pledge is among several commitments by prominent Colombians and other Latin American artists to support earthquake relief efforts in Colombia and Venezuela. On Sunday, Marc Anthony and Chayanne joined dozens of other artists at a benefit concert and live fundraiser in Miami for the two countries.
Colombian singer Karol G pledged to match fan donations to her Con Cora Foundation during her three-night performances at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles last weekend. She is also scheduled to join Maluma, Sebastián Yatra and others at a benefit concert in Bogotá on Sunday.
The Colombian Football Federation and South American Football Confederation jointly pledged $1 million last week to Colombian First Lady Ana Lucía Pineda’s “Colombia, one heart” recovery fund.