Key facts
- Shakira and Howard Graham Buffett are partnering to rebuild schools in Chocó, Colombia.
- The initiative aims to rebuild the Technological University of Chocó and approximately ten non-university educational centers.
- Funding will be channeled through Global Citizen ($500,000) and Live Nation ($500,000).
- Howard Graham Buffett's Pies Descalzos Foundation will oversee the construction of ten new schools.
- The effort comes in response to an earthquake that affected several Colombian departments.
Colombian singer Shakira and Howard Graham Buffett, son of billionaire Warren Buffett, have announced a joint effort to rebuild educational infrastructure in Chocó, Colombia, which was significantly impacted by a recent earthquake. Shakira confirmed that she will mobilize funding for the reconstruction of the Technological University of Chocó and approximately ten other non-university educational centers. The funds will not be donated directly by Shakira but will be channeled through the philanthropic organization Global Citizen, which will contribute $500,000, and the concert promoter Live Nation, a commercial partner of Shakira's, which will provide an additional $500,000. Howard Graham Buffett, who obtained Colombian citizenship in 2021 after investing over $160 million in projects in the country, will collaborate through his Pies Descalzos Foundation. Buffett has overseen this foundation for two decades, and it has a history of participating in the construction of educational institutions in Colombia. Shakira stated that Buffett's involvement is crucial for building ten new schools in Chocó. The announcement follows a magnitude earthquake that struck Colombia on August 10, causing widespread damage and resulting in 287 deaths, 4,147 injuries, and 194 missing persons, according to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management.