On behalf of myself and my Foundation, I express my immense gratitude and pride to have allies and friends like the Mayor’s Office of Barranquilla, the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, the FC Barcelona Foundation, and the LCI Educational Foundation to fulfill a new dream: to build a new school in Barranquilla and continue supporting children and young people in the city”, Shakira.

With 6,000 square meters, the Nuevo Bosque-Pies Descalzos school will impact around 1,000 students annually, who will study k-12 education. Moreover, It will be a community center that will open development spaces for parents and caregivers. “We have witnessed the impact that school infrastructure and education have on children and teenagers in Colombia and we will continue supporting them through adequate spaces for learning and educational projects that strengthen their skills and talents in their present and future,” says the executive director of the Pies Descalzos Foundation, Patricia Sierra.

SHAKIRA OPENS A NEW SCHOOL IN BARRANQUILLA

The project began in 2018 and is now a reality in the Nuevo Bosque neighborhood, in Barranquilla. The school had an investment of more than 16,000 million to build 26 classrooms, two labs, art classrooms, a library, a dining room, a kitchen, and other common spaces for students and the community.

Allie’s spokespeople participated in the ceremony. Xavier Bertolín, Corporate Director of Education and Marketing of ‘la Caixa’ Foundation said “we promote educational transformation to improve the quality of learning and ensure equity and equal opportunities for young people, especially those in more vulnerable situations. With our support for the creation of this new school, we want to help the children of Barranquilla who have grown up in needy environments to achieve a better future”.

Marta Segú, general director of the FC Barcelona Foundation mentioned the “great satisfaction for the Barça Foundation to inaugurate the Nuevo Bosque school in Barranquilla with such relevant allies with whom we share objectives and values. Education and sports are magical tools to transform the lives of children and young people, offering a future of hope for their communities”.

Likewise, Luis Diego Quirós, Director of Operations of LCI Education, said “We are extremely proud to be able to support Pies Descalzos and the city of Barranquilla in strengthening one of the most important social projects: the education of future generations. We firmly believe in the power of education and creative thinking to solve the problems that afflict us today and we want to be part of projects like this one that generate a change and a unique opportunity for a community that deserves it”.

At the event, the artist and founder of Pies Descalzos emphasized the importance of continuing to work with organizations and individuals to promote quality education in Colombia.

THE IMPACT OF THE PIES DESCALZOS FOUNDATION

To date, more than 152,000 children and young people have been part of educational projects of Pies Descalzos schools, more than 880,000 families have been accompanied and more than 9 schools have been built, contributing to quality education in Colombia and to the development of the country to break the cycle of poverty in their lives.

The Foundation continues to believe that education is the way to build a peaceful Colombia. Today, more than 80,000 meters have been built in six territories in the country, thanks to more than 800 allies, who have made it possible to see a significant change in the communities where the Foundation has been present.