Costa Cruceros continues to show its more supportive side, now with the construction of a school in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, where its star, Shakira, is from and through, or in the company of, the Pies Descalzos foundation that the artist created 20 years ago, in 1997.
Apart from this new action in Colombia, In Asia, the Costa Cruises Foundation contributes financially to the education of 500 disadvantaged children in the Philippines, and in Africa it collaborates with the organization Ships of Hope to provide basic medical services.
In Europe, the foundation is committed to promoting social and environmental improvement through 21 projects, one of them, for example in Norcia, where a nursery was opened for 125 children affected by the earthquake that took place in central Italy last year. Today the nursery works 100% thanks to the support of Costa Cruises and its foundation. This is Happiness squared!
Returning to the recent agreement that Costa Cruceros and the Pies Descalzos Foundation, in Cartagena de Indias, will help families and minors in the area of the Ciudad del Bicentenario and Villa de Aranjuez neighborhoods offering access to quality education to children in disadvantaged situations and creating a community center for their families. Construction of the school will begin in 2018, and the first brick will arrive aboard a Costa Cruises ship, on a trip that will leave Barcelona. During it, both the crew and the passengers will be able to leave dedications and special messages for the children of Colombia.
1.300 students between the ages of 6 and 18 are expected to be enrolled. It will follow the Pies Descalzos Foundation's quality public education model that includes nutrition and health programs, as well as educational activities for parents and the community in general.