Rebuilding Schools After the Earthquake in Colombia

On August 10, 2026, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake centered in Chocó damaged more than 2,500 schools across Chocó, the Coffee Region, Valle del Cauca, and Antioquia. In some cities, like Pereira, only 1 in 10 schools can reopen right away; the rest need repairs before students can return.

We already know what happens when a school stays closed for too long. During the pandemic, millions of children across Colombia and Latin America lost months of learning, and the ones with the fewest resources to keep studying from home fell furthest behind. That lesson taught us something clear: sending children to study alone from home while a school is rebuilt isn't the answer. They need to get back into a classroom, with a teacher, as soon as possible.

That's why Fundación Aprender a Quererte (FAAQ) is raising funds to support two things at once: rebuilding the school infrastructure damaged by the earthquake, and setting up provisional classrooms so students can keep attending class in person while permanent construction is completed.

Since 2022, FAAQ has worked with more than 50,000 students across 15+ departments in Colombia, many of them in the areas hit hardest by the earthquake. We know what it takes to get a school running again, and we know that every week without in-person classes counts.

Help us make sure no child is left without a school to return to.