Madonna Wants to Lend a Hand to Malawi Orphans
Charlotte Yates
American singer-songwriter Madonna (real name: Madonna Louise Ciccone) is extending her assistance to the orphans of Malawi through its partnership with cryptocurrency payments startup Ripple.
To mark another milestone in her life, her 60th birthday, Madonna announced her participation in a fundraising activity in which proceeds would go to Raising Marawi, a non-profit organization she co-founded with US screenwriter Michael Berg in 2006, to support its work at the Home of Hope orphanage in the African nation.
Under the campaign, which started on July 30 and will end on August 31, Ripple said it will match all public donations to support this initiative and help people sponsor children directly via Facebook. As of writing, it has raised over $26,000 from more than 500 people within two days since its launch.
Madonna said the activity shall serve as a gift “connecting my global family with this beautiful country and the children who need our help most” for her special day.
“We’re honored to be a part of Raising Malawi’s amazing work with some of the world’s most underserved children and are grateful to our investors at Sound Ventures for making the introduction to us and this important cause,” said Eric van Miltenburg, Ripple senior vice president of business operations.
Ripple emphasized its executive team cares deeply about giving back and eliminating barriers preventing the marginalized sector from becoming part of a global community.
“This means fostering programs for financial inclusion, improving access to fundamental human services, empowering teachers and supporting primary education, and promoting environmental literacy and conservation,” Ripple said in a statement. “This recent donation to Raising Malawi is just one such example of how we invest in causes that exemplify this philosophy.”
Malawi, located between Zambia, Tanzania, and Mozambique in central sub-Saharan Africa, is one of the poorest countries worldwide and most densely populated countries on the continent. According to the International Monetary Fund, about 50 percent of its total population of 16 million people are living below the poverty line.
Nearly one million children have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDs, leaving them orphaned or without anyone who can look after their wellbeing. This prompted Madonna and her group to establish Raising Marawi to improve the lives of children in the country. It aims to provide children and caregivers with nutritious food, proper clothing, secure shelter, formal education, targeted medical care, emotional care and psychosocial support. Currently, several celebrities have supported Madonna’s cause such as Alicia Keys, Billy Joel, David Beckham, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, and Tom Cruise.
“There is a great deal of hardship in Malawi, but I also see great opportunity, resilience, and joy—even in the face of extreme poverty,” Madonna said in the institution’s official website.
Set aside her accomplishments, the renowned musician is best known for helping various charitable institutions including the Afghanistan Relief Organization, Greenpeace, Musicares, Ray of Light Foundation, Save the Children, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and UN Millennium Project.
