Shakira Seeks Funds To Build Sixth School In Colombia

Colombian singer Shakira is asking for donations to help build the sixth school in Colombia that her non-profit, The Barefoot Foundation, has put together and is expected to be ready in February 2014.

"You can be part of this dream and donating to the campaign 'Build Together," says Shakira on a 21-second YouTube video released Tuesday by her press office in Bogota. 

The school, which will be able to hold 1,700 students that are 18 years of age and under, began construction in October. And the establishment will be located in the neighborhood of Lomas del Peye in the Caribbean resort of Cartagena, about 650 kilometers north of Bogota.

Patricia Sierra, the president of the Barefoot Foundation explained at a press conference that building a space of 7,800 square-meters has a cost of about $8 million. 

Shakira donates 46 percent of the total cost herself and the rest of the money comes from Colombian groups such as the Mario Santo Domingo Foundation, the oil company Ecopetrol and the city of Cartagena, among others, according to Sierra.

She added that the singer will be present when the school opens in February of next year.

The Barefoot Foundation is already running five schools in different parts of the country, from Altos de Cazucá, south side of Bogotá to Barranquilla---the singer's hometown. A total of about 5,000 students have benefited from the foundation's efforts. Pies Descalzos was founded in 1997 with the aim of helping poor children in the singer's native country Colombia.

Shakira has been refocusing her energy on a new album lately after giving birth to her first child, Milán, at the beginning of the year---a product of her relationship with Spanish football player Gerard Piqué.

Her eighth studio album will feature collaborations with a long list of artists, including Skrillex, DJ Tiesto and Akon. This will be Shakira's first studio album since 2010's Sale El Sol which sold over 4 million copies worldwide. There is no official release date nor an official album title at this point.

The singer has also been keeping busy on television with her new found judging duties on the NBC hit series The Voice in which she substituted Christina Aguilera as a panelist. Sources from the show recently confirmed that the singer will return to the program in Season 6 after she takes off during Season 5 to work on her album and to spend time with her family.