Whilst a bunch of celebrities are combatting the COVID-19 pandemic by taking part in the most cringe-inducing self-isolation cover of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ that we’ve ever had the displeasure of sitting through — our pop knight in shining armour Rihanna is genuinely taking pragmatic action during this time of crisis. Rihanna has pledged $5 million to relief efforts amid the coronavirus pandemic — $700,000 of that will aid the purchase of ventilators for her home country Barbados.
T donations will be made through the musicians Clara Lionel foundation. In addition to buying ventilators, the money will be used to support services on the frontline of the pandemic, including Direct Relief, Feeding America, Partners in Health, The World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, the International Rescue Committee, and more.
The work that these organisations do span from serving at-risk communities in the United States to accelerating testing and care in countries like Haiti and Malawi.
“When we first began this year, never could we have imagined how COVID-19 would so dramatically alter our lives. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, this pandemic will affect us all. And for the world’s most vulnerable, the worst may be yet to come,” reads a post on the Clara Lionel website.
“We know that one of the most powerful weapons we have against COVID-19 is preparedness.”
