Chocó still had the dust of the earthquake on it when Shakira walked through its streets.
It was August 10 when the earth shook in this region of Colombia, taking with it classrooms, desks, and the routine of thousands of children. The singer toured the affected educational institutions and stopped at the Technological University of Chocó, in Quibdó, a place she herself described as “absolutely desolate”. There, she decided that the reconstruction would bear her name.
She announced $1 million to rebuild the schools, half contributed by Global Citizen and the other half by Live Nation. Together with philanthropist Howard Buffett and her Barefoot Foundation, she set out to build 10 new schools and called on Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom to join in. She also warned about something silent: without connectivity, many children in the region cannot even take classes from home. “We will not stop until every child returns to school”, she promised.
