In the worldwide pandemic, even celebrities are getting worried and trying their best to help out the only way they can — either by giving their time or money. Many celebrities have been going live online to entertain the people who are stuck at home in self-isolation, and many have been donating money to help out their communities and the world in general in the fight against COVID-19. Rihanna was one of the celebs who recently donated a big chunk of money from her Clara Lionel Foundation to help those suffering and to finance the organizations that are working to help.
The CLF was founded in 2012 and is named after Rihanna’s grandparents. The non-profit organization funds educational programs and also provides funding for emergency responses around the world. Since 2012 CLF has been one of the first organizations to jump into action and provide relief and help out with emergencies in places where they were needed.
The $5 million was divided between different health organizations including The World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
These organizations will use the money to:
- Help local food banks that serve communities at-risk and the elderly citizens in the United States;
- Facilitate faster testing in Haiti and Malawi as well as supporting Native communities;
- Deliver the needed equipment and protective gear and medicine to medical establishments and doctors working in direct contact with sick people
- Support the building of intensive care units, providing necessary respiratory supplies
- Support the research and creation of the vaccine against COVID-19
- Train medical workers and spread the information necessary to contain and prevent the spread of the virus.
Rihanna has also donated $600 000 to her home country of Barbados which will be used towards the country’s response to COVID19. So far there are only a few cases in Barbados but if the rest of the world is anything to go by, the worst is yet to come and it’s great to see Rihanna be proactive and donate money early on instead of waiting until the situation in Barbados gets out of control. The only advantage we have when it comes to COVID-19 is preparation and prevention, so that money will be used to provide people at-risk and medical workers with needed protection gear.
Rihanna has been doing her best to give back to her community and provide the US, Barbados and the rest of the world with all the support she can give. She’s not the first celebrity to show her concern and donate funds but we’re sure that now even more celebrities will follow suit. It’s a strange time we live in and in the wise words on Rihanna “If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that we can only fix this world together”.