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Shakira's Cartagena school advances, with support from Costa

PHOTO: Costa Cruises
Laying the 'brick of happiness' for the new school - Far left, Shakira, with Costa's Dario Rustico, GM sales & marketing South America, and with kids from Cartagena's Villas de Aranjuéz community
Pop star Shakira, through her Pies Descalzos (Barefoot) Foundation, along with Costa Cruises and Colombian and international partners in education and development, kicked off the building of a school in Cartagena by laying the first brick.

This 'brick of happiness' was delivered after traveling the world on Costa ships, where passengers and crew had the chance to add their donations and messages.

Quality education and community development

Cartagena's community of Villas de Aranjuéz will benefit from the school, which doubles as a community center. The 14,500-square-meter facility will provide a quality education for children and young people, along with community development. Besides classrooms, there will be a high-tech center, arts facilities, a kitchen, dining hall and library.

Pies Descalzos, Villas de Aranjuéz will be built by Portuguese construction firm Mota-Engil, through Colombia's Ministry of Education's Financial Fund for Educational Infrastructure.

The Costa Crociere Foundation is supporting spaces for primary and secondary education and community development, while Mario Santo Domingo Foundation will back an early childhood development center that serves children up to age 5.

Innovative, multifunctional design

The Economic Cooperation and Development program of Switzerland's embassy in Colombia with the Architecture Department of ETH Zürich are providing an innovative design for the school with sustainable features and multifunctional spaces for teaching and multigenerational training.

Shakira has served as a Costa spokesperson since 2015.