Shakira announced a plan to build 10 new schools in Colombia’s earthquake-hit Chocó department and an initial $1.25 million commitment to help restore damaged educational facilities.
The announcement followed her Aug. 17 visit to Quibdó, the department capital, where she toured damaged schools and met students.
“What worries me the most is that schools are not rebuilt once this emergency is over,” Shakira told journalists, according to the Associated Press.
According to Global Citizen, the funding includes $500,000 from the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, a matching $500,000 from Live Nation and $250,000 from CAF, the development bank of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Philanthropist Howard Buffett, Warren Buffett’s son, joined the visit.
The Live Nation announcement said the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Fundación Pies Descalzos will build the 10 new schools. Shakira also committed personal resources to reconstructing the Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó Diego Luis Córdoba.
The Colombian Geological Service placed the magnitude-7.4 earthquake’s epicenter in San José del Palmar, Chocó.
In an update with a 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19 cutoff, UNGRD, Colombia’s disaster management agency, reported 319 deaths, 4,469 injuries and 260 missing people. It listed 30,803 homes destroyed, 151,995 damaged and 3,513 educational facilities affected nationwide.
This is a developing story. Virginia Times will update as information becomes available.
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