Superstar Shakira, along with the Costa Cruises management team, celebrated the official launch of a donation project in Barcelona to the Pies Descalzos Foundation for the construction of a school in Colombia. The project aims to help families and children in the area by providing access to quality education for disadvantaged children and a community center for their families.
At the launch event, Neil Palomba, CEO of Costa Crociere SpA, presented Shakira with the foundation stone for the school, a brick representing "the brick of happiness," to symbolize the project's beginning. Construction will begin in Cartagena in 2018, when the brick arrives aboard a Costa Cruises ship after a voyage from Barcelona. During the cruise, both the Costa crew and passengers will have the opportunity to leave dedications and special messages.
The new school will be built in Cartagena and is expected to be completed by June 2019, providing access to education and support for 1,300 local students aged 6 to 18. It will follow the "quality public education" model of the Pies Descalzos Foundation, which includes nutrition and health programs, as well as educational activities for parents and the wider community. The school will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities such as a library, auditorium, cafeteria, sports areas, laboratories, dedicated spaces for younger children, and more than 40 classrooms and meeting rooms.
The Pies Descalzos Foundation is a Colombian NGO founded by international artist Shakira in 1997 with the primary objective of promoting quality public education for vulnerable children in Colombia. The close relationship between Costa Cruises and Shakira, who has starred in the Italian company's "Felicità al quadrato" campaign since 2015, has led Costa to actively participate in the philanthropic program of the Foundation created by the singer.
“As a globally operating company, we have both a duty and an opportunity to support communities across different continents,” stated Neil Palomba, CEO of Costa Crociere SpA. “At the end of 2014, we created the Costa Cruises Foundation as a natural extension of the social and environmental commitment Costa Cruises has maintained for years. Today, our partnership with the Pies Descalzos Foundation allows us to help children and families in South America as well.”.
This donation fits perfectly within the context of Costa's support for community activities across different continents, in which it participates through the Costa Cruises Foundation. Costa collaborates with the organization "Ships of Hope" to provide basic medical services in Africa. In Asia, the Costa Cruises Foundation also provides financial support for the education of 500 disadvantaged children in the Philippines, while in Europe, the Foundation is deeply committed to promoting social and environmental improvement in various communities through 21 projects. Earlier this year, for example, a nursery for 125 children affected by the earthquake in central Italy was opened in Norcia, and it is now fully operational thanks to the support of Costa and its Foundation.
