Shakira, Warren Buffett's son join Colombia school rebuilding effort

Aug. 18 (UPI) — Colombian singer Shakira and philanthropist Howard Graham Buffett, son of U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett, have joined forces to help rebuild schools in Colombia’s Chocó department, the epicenter of the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Aug. 10.

A week after the earthquake, Shakira visited Quibdó, the capital of Chocó, on Monday with Buffett and representatives of CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, and her Barefoot Foundation.

During the visit, Shakira announced a $1.25 million contribution to help build and rebuild schools damaged by the earthquake, as well as the Technological University of Chocó, which sustained severe damage, Colombian newspaper El Colombiano reported.

Buffett said the Howard G. Buffett Foundation will join the initiative by providing funding to rebuild 10 additional schools in Chocó, including schools in Quibdó and rural areas.

Buffett’s involvement in Colombia predates the earthquake. His foundation has participated for several years in initiatives focused on education, rural development and communities affected by the country’s armed conflict.

In 2017, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation contributed $38 million to humanitarian land mine removal initiatives in Colombia, Noticias Caracol reported.

His participation expands the response to the emergency and adds to resources announced by Shakira, Live Nation, the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund and CAF.

During the visit, Shakira stressed the urgency of reopening classrooms as quickly as possible to prevent the disaster from disrupting children’s education. She warned that each day of missed school deepens social vulnerability and called for coordinated public and private efforts to restore classes for thousands of children and young people affected by the humanitarian crisis.

Shakira said Global Citizen will contribute $500,000 and Live Nation, the entertainment company with which she has a professional relationship, will provide another $500,000.

The singer said rebuilding Chocó will require support from multiple sectors. She appealed to the governments of Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom to support the department’s recovery efforts.

“Chocó has been an abandoned place for many years, and that is not going to happen now,” Shakira said. “We must not allow that to happen again.”

She described the situation as a “historic debt” owed to the department and said the emergency could also provide an opportunity to move forward.