BOGOT脕, Colombia (AP) 鈥� Colombian superstar made a surprise visit to a hard-hit region of her home country Monday, announcing multiple commitments to rebuild schools and a university there after Colombia .
The globally recognized 鈥淗ips Don’t Lie鈥� musician toured damaged schools in Quibd贸, the capital of the Colombian province of Choc贸, an area where roughly 40 schools completely collapsed and hundreds more were affected.
“What worries me the most is that schools are not rebuilt once this emergency is over,鈥� Shakira told journalists after visiting with students, hugging and taking photos with them. 鈥淓very day that children don鈥檛 go to school is a day they miss out on their future.鈥�
She was accompanied by , son of billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett and . The Howard G. Buffett foundation will collaborate with Shakira’s Fundaci贸n Pies Descalzos, or Barefoot Foundation, to reconstruct 10 schools.
鈥淲hen she calls, I come,鈥� Buffett said during the visit.
The singer also said she would focus her 鈥減ersonal efforts鈥� on rebuilding a severely damaged technological university in Choc贸, and announced pledges of $500,000 each from the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund and Live Nation and $250,000 from CAF Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean toward rebuilding schools and getting children back into classrooms.
The 7.4 magnitude quake on Aug. 10 struck a vast swath of western Colombia, killing at least 287 people and destroying more than 26,000 dwellings, authorities said. The government has said 194 people are missing, while other civilian-run databases . Thousands of educational centers were affected.
The epicenter was in Choc贸, one of Colombia’s poorest regions and where at least 3,100 homes were destroyed, according to the regional government’s latest report Monday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a place I love, a place where I鈥檝e seen our students grow in our classrooms,鈥� Shakira said in a video posted on X by the Colombian news outlet La FM.
Her foundation, which focuses on educational access for youths in Colombia, has been in Choc贸 for 22 years, running two schools from which hundreds of students have graduated. 鈥淚 really want to see it rebuild again,鈥� she said.
Aid groups and officials are still assessing the damage in Choc贸, an area the size of Switzerland where communication and travel are challenging. The province has few roads linking it to the rest of the country, and its towns and villages are connected mostly by rivers and unpaved roads.
Most of Choc贸’s 600,000 inhabitants live in poverty, according to figures published last year by Colombia鈥檚 national government, and it is largely inhabited by Indigenous tribes and Afro Colombian communities.
鈥淭here is not a way to alleviate the pain of so many, there are no magic solutions,” Shakira, 49, said during her visit to a large high school in Quibd贸.
鈥淏ut what there is, is commitment to be here alongside those from Choc贸, to not abandon El Choc贸 like it historically has been abandoned, until every Colombian and every person from Choc贸 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 award winner known for hits like 鈥淲henever, Wherever,鈥� 鈥淟a Tortura,鈥� and the 2026 FIFA is a longtime supporter of educational access and advancement. She recently final match in July and performed in May on Brazil鈥檚 Copacabana Beach to a .
After Venezuela鈥檚 twin earthquakes in June, Shakira announced the would commit .
Her announcement Monday is the latest of many commitments from prominent Colombians and other Latin American artists to help Colombia and Venezuela. On Sunday, at a Miami benefit concert and live fundraiser for both countries’ earthquake relief.
Colombian singer pledged to match fan donations to her Con Cora Foundation during her three-night run at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles last weekend. She will also join Maluma, Sebasti谩n Yatra and others at a benefit concert in Bogot谩 this Sunday.
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An earlier correction stated Shakira committed to building 10 new schools, not rebuilding 10 schools. She and Buffett are helping reconstruct the schools, not building new ones.
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Gabriela Aoun Angueira reported from San Diego.
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