BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) - Colombian superstar Shakira is stepping in to help rebuild schools and restore a university in one of the hardest-hit regions of her home country following last week’s devastating earthquake.

The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer announced the commitment Monday during a surprise visit to Quibdó, the capital of Colombia’s Chocó province, where she toured damaged schools, hugged students and posed for photos with them.

Through her Fundación Pies Descalzos, or Barefoot Foundation, Shakira will help rebuild at least 10 schools in the region in partnership with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

“What worries me the most is that schools are not rebuilt once this emergency is over,” Shakira told journalists. “Every day that children don’t go to school is a day they miss out on their future.”

Shakira also said she would dedicate her “personal efforts” to rebuilding a local technological university in Chocó.

She was joined during the visit by Howard Buffett, son of billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett and a longtime donor to Colombia who has previously worked with Shakira on education projects.

“When she calls, I come,” Buffett said.

Additional funding has also been pledged for the recovery. The FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund and Live Nation each committed $500,000, while the CAF Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean pledged $250,000 toward rebuilding schools and helping children return to classrooms.

The 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Aug. 10, killing at least 287 people and destroying more than 26,000 homes, according to authorities. More than 265 educational sites in Chocó were also affected.

For Shakira, the disaster hit a region with which she has a longstanding connection. Her foundation has been working in Chocó for 22 years and operates two schools there, from which hundreds of students have graduated.

“It’s a place I love, a place where I’ve seen our students grow in our classrooms,” Shakira said in a video posted by Colombian news outlet La FM. “I really want to see it rebuild again.”

Speaking to students during her visit, Shakira acknowledged that there are no easy answers to the devastation but vowed to stay involved.

“There is not a way to alleviate the pain of so many, there are no magic solutions,” she said. “But what there is, is commitment to be here alongside those from Chocó, to not abandon El Chocó like it historically has been abandoned, until every Colombian and every person from Chocó can return to their normal lives like they deserve and all the children can return to their schools and dream of the futures they deserve.”