One week after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia, Shakira paused her vacation and arrived in Chocó, accompanied by philanthropist Howard Buffett. This is one of the areas most affected by the strong tremor and its aftershocks. The first images of the singer in the department are already known.
“Dear Colombia, my heart is with all those who felt this earthquake today and with the families going through moments of anguish. In times like these, Colombians know how to unite and support each other. All my strength and love for my land,” said the Barranquilla native.
Upon her arrival in Chocó, she was received by Governor Nubia Carolina Córdoba and the mayor of Quibdó, Rafael Bolaños.
In the first videos shared on social media, the artist can be seen getting off the plane that took her to the area and, in others, greeting the population of Quibdó.
Shakira arrived accompanied by American philanthropist Howard Buffett, with the aim of touring the affected areas and learning firsthand about the situation of the affected communities.
The artist and the businessman went to the Carrasquilla Industrial Technological School, where they held a meeting with local children and the governor.
Sources close to the singer indicated that an announcement of economic and social support measures for the affected population in this region is expected, EFE reported.
Shakira’s presence in the area is linked to the work that her organization, the Barefoot Foundation, has been carrying out in Quibdó for two decades. In 2005, the entity delivered the María Berchmans headquarters of the Antonio Ricaurte Educational Institution (INTAR) for primary education.
For his part, businessman Howard Graham Buffett, son of investor Warren Buffett, has a history of investments in social initiatives in the country. After arriving in Colombia in 2008 in partnership with the Barefoot Foundation to build schools in Barranquilla and Cartagena, Buffett later allocated more than 160 million dollars in the Catatumbo region for road infrastructure works, crop substitution, and humanitarian demining. Due to these contributions, the Colombian government granted him citizenship in 2021.
