Shakira opening seventh school in Colombia

Colombian singer Shakira is opening another school in her hometown, Barranquilla.
The Hips Don’t Lie hitmaker launched her Pies Descalzos (Barefoot) Foundation in 1997 and has opened six schools in the country. Institucion Nuevo Bosque will open in 2019.
“When we started to build schools in Colombia 20 years ago, we chose remote areas where there was absolutely nothing at all – no infrastructure, roads or even potable water,” a statement from the singer reads. “We built schools where the government was absent and thousands of children didn’t have access to quality education.
“The transformation was immediate – jobs were generated, malnutrition plummeted and the students responded well academically.”
The 40-year-old also stresses it was important to build the schools to combat poverty.
“We live in a globalised world and we need to invest in children if we want to have a prosperous world,” she says in a video for professional Spanish football club FC Barcelona. “Helping children is the most effective way to eradicate poverty.”
In December (16), another one of Shakira’s schools, which was established in 2009, was named the number one public school across the country in a study, which was measured on the strength of students’ test scores.
“Right now I’m in the middle of shooting something but I have just received incredible news and I want to take a moment to celebrate it,” she wrote on social media. “Every year in Colombia they create a list where they choose the best public and private schools, according to their Saber test results. And guess who leads the list? Fundacion Pies Descalzos in Barranquilla!
“Sending a big kiss to all the students there. I love you guys and let’s aim for more.”