Graduating 105 children in Chocó was quite an event. Excited by the work done, Shakira was proud of achieving that goal recently. However, she does not feel that this has been the end of her work for the communities, but she assures that there is still a long way to go and she already has plans for it.
And although she is recognized for what she does on stage, the Barranquilla native has also been echoed globally for her charitable actions, which have been channeled mainly through her Pies Descalzos foundation, whose first field of action is the support for educational activities in vulnerable populations.
Because it is her land, Colombia has been the country that has benefited the most from the artist’s donations. Her fortune, valued at more than $300 million, has a representative percentage to help others, especially those without the ability to easily access fundamental rights.
This was detailed in a recent interview with Hola! magazine. in which the central theme was his contributions to the community. In the conversation he revealed that his main current obsession with the charity he runs is “to reach the most remote places in Colombia, where there is no infrastructure or drinking water. There are no basic resources, not even paved roads, and there are children dying of malnutrition. So, I go in, I put money out of my pocket, in addition to getting resources from the private sector and state commitments.”
Likewise, he expressed that he feels that all that work to achieve this is what has made Pies Descalzos “the second most recognized foundation in Colombia after the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare, which is owned by the State. This important credibility allows us to continue obtaining resources to put them at the service of the most unprotected and vulnerable children.”
Precisely this public prestige is what has made other NGOs or private funds interested in joining their cause, allowing other works to be built. While talking about it, he remembered the Colegio Nuevo Bosque, which he personally inaugurated in his native Barranquilla a few months ago.
“We are also focused on the third year of collaboration with the Educate a Child Foundation in Qatar, which has allowed us to reach 60,000 children who were out of school or at risk of dropping out of school. We have six more schools that are in different phases of development and construction. Apart from the 7,000 children we currently serve, we have reached more than 150,000, but with each new achievement we set more challenges for ourselves,” he continued.
Shakira clarified that it is not only the North American entity that has helped her, but also important businessmen. In that sense, he confessed that it was thanks to Warren Buffett (CEO of Berkshire Hathaway) “that we have gotten him to be our partner and with whom we built one of our first schools in Quibdó and with whom we are building another mega-school in Tibú, both very near the border with Venezuela. I want to continue building more schools. “To reach all corners of Colombia where resources and education do not reach.”
However, the Atlantic native revealed a detail that was not well known until now and it is the impact of her initiative in other parts of the world. She in turn explained that she is thinking about starting a project that addresses another social problem other than education.
“We have already built ten early childhood centers not only in Colombia, but also in Mexico and Argentina. We also want to be able to serve the refugee population from Venezuela in the Maicao region, which is one of the cities with the most needs,” he said in the dialogue with the aforementioned media.
Regarding his personal feelings on the matter, he indicated that he will not “rest until in all those places there is a school that is the center from which the entire community benefits. We are going to continue working in rural areas where there is no infrastructure. “Colombia is a fertile land, of curious minds and pure talent, but almost a million children remain unschooled or outside the system and I will not stop fighting until all the children in my country are in school.”
Finally, he emphasized his personal commitment by saying that “until the day I die I will be working for education, so that these programs are throughout Latin America. I think there is a lot to do and I have a lot of work ahead of me.” With Infobae
