Costa Cruises, along with the community of Cartagena, Colombia, celebrated on Saturday, May 18, 2024, the opening of the 19th Educational Institution of the Pies Descalzos Foundation, founded by singer Shakira.

The school was developed with the support of Costa Cruises and other organizations. The institution will serve local at-risk youth, promoting quality education for over 960 children and acting as a community center for disadvantaged families.

“This partnership is a symbol of unity, strength and commitment to the next generations, and an important testimony of how education can transform lives and communities,” said Dario Rustico, executive president of Costa Cruises for the Americas. “The Pies Descalzos school represents the hope of a fairer and more prosperous future for the children and young people of Cartagena. In March 2018, the first brick for the school’s construction arrived in Cartagena after traveling aboard Costa ships. At the time, we called it the brick of happiness and it already represented everything we believed in: education is the cornerstone for those who seek better opportunities in life.”

Present at the ceremony were local officials, including, Aurora Vergara-Figueroa, the Minister of National Education of Colombia, as well as representatives of partner institutions and members of the Cartagena community.