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BOGOT\u00c1, Colombia — <\/span>Colombian superstar Shakira<\/a> committed Monday to help build at least 10 new schools in a remote and hard-hit region of her home country after it suffered a devastating earthquake last week that killed hundreds and affected thousands of educational sites across western Colombia. <\/p>\n The globally recognized \u201cHips Don’t Lie\u201d musician made the pledge during a surprise visit to Quibd\u00f3, the capital of the Colombian province of Choc\u00f3, where she toured damaged schools, hugging students and taking photos with them. <\/p>\n “What worries me the most is that schools are not rebuilt once this emergency is over,\u201d Shakira told journalists. \u201cEvery day that children don\u2019t go to school is a day they miss out on their future.\u201d <\/p>\n She was accompanied by Howard Buffett<\/a>, son of billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett and longtime donor to Colombia who has helped Shakira set up schools there before<\/a>. The Howard G. Buffett foundation will collaborate with Shakira’s Fundaci\u00f3n Pies Descalzos, or Barefoot Foundation, on the project.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen she calls, I come,\u201d Buffett said during the visit. The singer also announced pledges of $500,000 each from Global Citizen and Live Nation toward the cause.<\/p>\n The 7.4 magnitude quake on Aug. 10 struck a vast swath of western Colombia, killing at least 287 people and destroying more than 26,000 dwellings, according to authorities. The government has said 194 people are missing, while other civilian-run databases put the number at more than 4,100<\/a>.<\/p>\n The epicenter was in Choc\u00f3, one of Colombia’s poorest regions and where at least 3,100 homes were destroyed and over 265 educational sites affected, according to the regional government latest report Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a place I love, a place where I\u2019ve seen our students grow in our classrooms,\u201d Shakira said in a video posted on X by the Colombian news outlet La FM. Her foundation, which focuses on educational access for youth in Colombia, has been in Choc\u00f3 for 22 years, running two schools from which hundreds of students have graduated, she said. \u201cI really want to see it rebuild again.\u201d<\/p>\n Aid groups have struggled to assess the damage so far in Choc\u00f3, an area the size of Switzerland where communication is difficult. The province has few roads linking it to the rest of the country, and its numerous towns and villages are connected mostly by rivers and unpaved roads.<\/p>\n Most of Choc\u00f3’s 600,000 inhabitants live in poverty, according to figures published last year by Colombia\u2019s national government, and it is largely inhabited by Indigenous tribes and Afro Colombian communities.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is not a way to alleviate the pain of so many, there are no magic solutions,” Shakira said during her visit to a large high school in Quibd\u00f3.<\/p>\n \u201cBut what there is, is commitment to be here alongside those from Choc\u00f3, to not abandon El Choc\u00f3 like it historically has been abandoned, until every Colombian and every person from Choc\u00f3 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The Grammy award winner known for hits like \u201cWhenever, Wherever,\u201d \u201cLa Tortura,\u201d and the 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem \u201cDai Dai\u201d<\/a> is a longtime supporter of education-related causes. She told reporters Monday she planned to dedicate all her \u201cpersonal efforts\u201d to rebuilding a local technological university in Choc\u00f3.<\/p>\n Shakira, 49, attracts massive attention to both her performances and causes: She headlined the halftime show of the 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a> final match in July and performed in May on Brazil\u2019s Copacabana Beach to a crowd of 2 million people<\/a>. <\/p>\n After Venezuela\u2019s twin earthquakes in June, Shakira announced the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund<\/a> would commit $500,000 to education recovery there<\/a>. <\/p>\n Her announcement Monday is the latest of many commitments from prominent Colombians and other Latin American artists to help Colombia and Venezuela. On Sunday, Marc Anthony and Chayanne joined dozens of other artists<\/a> at a Miami benefit concert and live fundraiser for both countries’ earthquake relief.<\/p>\n Colombian singer Karol G<\/a> pledged to match fan donations to her Con Cora Foundation during her three-night run at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles last weekend. She will also join Maluma, Sebasti\u00e1n Yatra and others at a benefit concert in Bogot\u00e1 this Sunday.<\/p>\n The Colombian Football Federation and South American Football Confederation made a joint commitment last week of $1 million to Colombian First Lady Ana Luc\u00eda Pineda’s \u201cColombia, one heart\u201d recovery fund. <\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n This story has been updated to correct that Shakira committed to help build 10 new schools, not rebuild 10 schools. <\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Gabriela Aoun Angueira reported from San Diego.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP\u2019s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP\u2019s philanthropy coverage, visit https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/philanthropy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n