Colombian superstar Shakira has appealed for global support to help children in Venezuela return to school after the devastating earthquakes that struck the country’s northern region.
According to Billboard, the singer announced that the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund will allocate $500,000 to support education recovery efforts, helping affected children safely resume their studies while assisting schools damaged by the disaster.
Sharing an emotional message on social media, Shakira stressed the urgent need to rebuild educational opportunities for thousands of children whose schools and communities have been affected. She said education must remain a priority even during humanitarian crises.
The singer also urged supporters around the world to contribute to the relief effort and invited organisations working in Venezuela to apply for funding that would directly benefit affected communities.
Natural disasters often damage classrooms, displace families and interrupt children’s education for months. Shakira’s appeal focuses on restoring schools as safe spaces where children can continue learning, receive essential services and regain a sense of stability as communities recover.
Education has remained one of Shakira’s longstanding humanitarian priorities. In 1997, she founded the Barefoot Foundation (Fundación Pies Descalzos) to build schools and expand educational opportunities for vulnerable children in Colombia. She later became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and has spent more than two decades advocating for children’s rights and access to quality education across Latin America.
More recently, Shakira joined the advisory board of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative created to expand educational opportunities worldwide through partnerships linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Venezuela earthquake response marks one of the fund’s latest emergency education initiatives.
According to Shakira’s announcement, the $500,000 commitment will support organisations working to restore access to education after the earthquakes. The funding may provide temporary learning spaces, school supplies, educational materials, classroom repairs, teacher resources and programmes that help children safely return to school.
Organisations in Venezuela involved in rebuilding access to education have also been encouraged to seek support through the initiative.
