Superstar Award-winning musician Shakira has announced that she will be partnering with the vice president of Barcelona FC, Jordi Carnodoer and the Director of Education of “La-Caixa” Banking Foundation to build the seventh school of the Pies Desclzos‘s Foundation in Colombia. This project is a brainchild of the partnership between the “La Caixa” Banking Foundation and Barcelona FC Foundation, a partnership which has for the past eight years been into promoting education and innovation in different countries.
This school will be situated in Barranquilla, El Bosque, most of which has been torn apart by repeated conflict. The school, Institución Educativa Fundación Pies Descalzos Nuevo Bosque, will be completed and commissioned for academic activities in the next two years. This project will also be financially supported by the Colombian Education Ministry and the government of Barranquilla.
During a press conference, Shakira reiterated their commitment towards helping 20% of children born in the area, who are suffering from malnutrition. She also stressed the importance of sports in transmitting positive values, physical fitness, and unity amongst people.
In her speech, Shakira, who is the founder of Fundación Pies Descalzos said that since the past 20 years, the foundation had built schools in the poorest parts of Colombia, where there are no drinkable water, good roads, and infrastructure. She recalled that they did most of these things without the presence or assistance of the government, and the projects were fruitful, as they helped tackle unemployment, poverty, malnutrition and illiteracy. She stressed that education is the best investment that could be made to fight poverty. She thanked Barcelona FC who has partnered with the foundation by building football pitches in Cartagena and Barranquilla.
The singer, who was born and bred in conflict-ridden Colombia said that it was liberating to see how the people’s lives are transforming away from the constant poverty cycle where they used to be trapped.”
La Caixa Banking Foundation and Barcelona FC will donate 1.2 million Euros in sponsorship of this project. They will also implement their high impacting educational projects in this school. Jordi Cardoner said that the Futbolnet program of the Barcelona FC, which transmits positive values using football as a tool will be introduced in the school and will help in the Colombia peace deal by bringing people together to foster peace. Pies Descalzos Foundation is partnering with La Caixa Banking Foundation for the second time since last year when they hosted a program which helped set up 500 Young Entrepreneurs drawn for four Colombian schools.