Shakira Made A $500,000 Promise To Venezuela's Children, And She's Not The Only One
In the aftermath of the June 24th earthquakes that killed nearly 3,000 people and left tens of thousands missing across Venezuela, Shakira announced in a video posted over the weekend that the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, whose advisory board she has served on for years, will dedicate $500,000 specifically to organizations in Venezuela helping children whose education was disrupted by the disaster. The announcement builds on a commitment Shakira made in May to donate 100 percent of the profits from Dai Dai, the official FIFA World Cup anthem, to the same fund, which is working toward a $100 million total target to expand educational opportunities for children in more than 200 countries. The $500,000 Venezuela allocation will be made available to trusted local organizations already leading education-focused relief work, which Shakira said will be invited to apply for funding to help children return to classrooms, support teachers, and restore access to learning in the communities hit hardest by the quakes. In the video she also called on heads of state to match the fund's commitment to Venezuelan children, naming Canada's Prime Minister Carney, who had already stepped forward, and calling on France, Portugal, and Germany to follow.
Shakira is performing at the halftime show of the World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium on July 19th alongside Madonna and BTS, and the announcement arrives as the World Cup she has been central to turns its attention from celebration to solidarity. She was not alone in responding. Metallica members donated $100,000 through their All Within My Hands Foundation. Rush released a special benefit item to raise funds for victims. Bad Bunny oversaw a shipment of 42,000 pounds of essential supplies. Messi addressed the media in the World Cup mixed zone after Argentina advanced to the next round and said directly that the whole world was with Venezuela. Daddy Yankee launched a humanitarian campaign called Puerto Rico x Venezuela. Former heads of state from Austria, Sweden, New Zealand, Ireland, and elsewhere signed an open letter calling on global leaders to ensure no child is left on the sidelines of the recovery. The earthquake that struck Venezuela, the worst the country had experienced in over 125 years, drew one of the largest international rescue and relief responses Latin America had seen in decades, and that response extended far beyond the search-and-rescue teams into every corner of the global community that felt it had something to give.
