Shakira created the Barefoot Foundation in 1997, two years after releasing the self-titled album.

‘The women invoice’ has become a leitmotif that undoubtedly ranks among the most repeated of the last year. Its author is Shakira, and its reason for being is well known. What to do with that billing depends on each person’s conscience, and she has that area very clean: the populous area of Barrios Unidos, in Cartagena de Indias, now has a new educational institution that will cater to 960 students thanks to the financial injection from Barefoot Foundation, created by the Colombian artist to improve the living conditions of underprivileged children in her country.

I am deeply proud of the opening of this new school in Cartagena

The Barrios Unidos school is the 19th school built by the Barefoot Foundation
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In conversation with La Vanguardia, Shakira appears ecstatic. It’s no wonder, this is the 19th school that is born thanks to the Barefoot Foundation: “I am deeply proud of the opening of this new school in Cartagena. This project not only represents an investment in infrastructure, but also an investment in the future of hundreds of children who will now have access to a quality education.” At the inaugural event, held yesterday, representatives of the Ministry of Education of Colombia, the Educational Infrastructure Financing Fund (FFIE), the mayor’s office of Cartagena, and the Santo Domingo Foundation were also present.

Multifunctional educational center

Its 6,272 m2 house 26 classrooms for elementary and middle school, four preschool classrooms, a library, a technology classroom, two laboratories, a kitchen, a dining room…

The educational complex, designed inclusively to accommodate people with reduced mobility, enhances the education offering in the entire Barrios Unidos area (Bicentenario, Villas de Aranjuez, La India, La Sevillana, Flor del Campo, and Colombiatón), which welcomes a population from the entire Caribbean region. Its 6,272 m2 includes 26 classrooms for elementary and middle school, four preschool classrooms, a library, a technology lab, two science labs, a kitchen, a dining hall, a multipurpose room, administrative areas, and a sports area, among other spaces for the education of children and adolescents.

Shakira created Barefoot Foundation two years after releasing the self-titled album, the third of her career. Even back then, before becoming the international star she is today, the artist’s social sensibility was perfectly defined and focused on education as a tool to provide opportunities for a better future. As she told this newspaper: “I firmly believe that education is a fundamental right and a powerful tool to transform lives and communities. We will continue working to provide opportunities to those who need it most, and in the near future, there will be more openings as there are several projects under construction.”