What Shakira Is Doing to Help Earthquake Victims in Her Native Colombia
There was an outpouring of support from a number of celebrities around the world after a devastating earthquake hit Colombia.
Following the 7.4 quake on Aug. 10 in the province of Chocó, stars like Marc Anthony, Chayanne, and many others held a benefit concert for the victims. Proceeds from online donations and ticket sales collected from the “Unidos por Los Nuestros” (United for Our Own) concert will support the nonprofit groups All Hands and Hearts, CARE, Global Empowerment Mission, Techo, and World Central Kitchen.
“Uniting for a common cause — taking action and helping fellow human beings facing hardship — is a duty we all share,” said Anthony, whose nonprofit Maestro Cares Foundation will administer the funds along with the Univision Foundation.
The international benefit concert was initially organized to help victims in Venezuela after two earthquakes, measuring approximately 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, struck that country on June 24. Plans were changed to include support for the residents of Colombia as well after that earthquake.
Now another global superstar is also helping out her native Colombia in a big way.
Shakira, who was born in the country’s coastal town of Barranquilla, visited the hard-hit area of Quibdó in Chocó to see the damage firsthand. The “Hips Don’t Lie” artist announced relief and rebuilding efforts through her Fundación Pies Descalzos, which will construct 10 new schools in Chocó.
“What worries me the most is that schools are not rebuilt once this emergency is over,” Shakira told journalists per the AP. “Every day that children don’t go to school is a day they miss out on their future … there is not a way to alleviate the pain of so many, there are no magic solutions.”
“A school is more than just buildings,” the singer continued. “It’s where a child feels safe, where they can grow, dream, and where they can get the chance at a better future … My commitment is real. We have already raised $1.25 million to get this rebuilding process underway.
“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.”
The quake caused hundreds of fatalities, thousands of injuries, and widespread infrastructural damage across major western Colombian cities like Pereira, Cali, and Manizales.
“To the parents who lost their children, words are not enough,” Shakira added. “All I can offer is my heart, and the promise that their pain will never be forgotten.”
