Sensational pop star, Rihanna is using her organisation to accomplish great humanitarian deeds, this time partnering with a bike-sharing company to provide better access to education for girls across Malawi.
The pop superstar’s Clara Lionel Foundation has teamed up with bike-sharing service Ofo to fund scholarships for girls in Malawi through the foundation’s Global Scholarship Program.
Along with the scholarship, Ofo will also donate bikes to students who have transportation issues to combat some of the regional transportation challenges contributing to Malawi’s high drop-out rates.
Why bikes? They’re expected to help alleviate the challenges of attending school in Malawi, where the drop-out rates are exceedingly high; only 8 percent of students complete secondary school, with girls especially finding themselves at a disadvantage. There are approximately 4.6 million primary-school-age children in Malawi, according to the Foundation, and transportation across long distances is an issue.
In a recently released video, Rihanna shared details of her trip and spoke about the experience;
“It’s such a pity that they have to drop out because they are so smart, everybody’s learning together and learning at the same pace, it seems. It’s sad that has to end for some of them because they could probably do so much if they had the resources to continue and complete”.
The partnership between Clara Lionel Foundation and Ofo has been titles 1 KM Action and is expected to run for five years.
Superstar Rihanna stated in a statement released yesterday, saying’
“I’m so happy about the Clara Lionel Foundation’s new partnership with ofo because it will help so many young people around the world receive a quality education, and also help the young girls of Malawi get to school safely, cutting down those very long walks they make to and from school all alone”.
The popular Caribbean star has really been an advocate for global education, Last month the Wild Thoughts crooner sat with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss ways to fund her global education initiative.
According to the Foundation, the first batch of bikes have already been put into use in the African nation. This is not Rihanna’s first endeavour in Malawi, nor is it her first foray into the world of girls’ education. In January 2017, she visited Malawi as an ambassador for the Global Partnership for Education with Global Citizen, where she visited local schools and spent time with the children understanding their concerns and helping in classrooms. She has also been vocal about asking world leaders to commit to funding education.
Footage from Rihanna’s Trip to Malawi for Education
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