Rihanna will be purchasing $700,000 worth of ventilators for the people of Barbados, according to ET Canada. The country’s Prime Minister Mia Mottley made the announcement that the singer will be supporting her native country amid Coronavirus concerns.
The Twitter page Kevz Politics said, “#BREAKING – Barbados PM Mia Mottley announces that Barbadian songstress @rihanna has offered to purchase ventilators worth a total BB$1.4 million (US$700,000) for Barbados as it tackles the coronavirus pandemic.”
According to NME, Barbados has reported two new Coronavirus cases, which brings the island’s count to six cases in total.
Rihanna will be contributing monetarily to Coronavirus efforts through her Clara Lionel Foundation as well. On Saturday (March 21), it was announced that her foundation has donated $5 million to several organizations around the world, “particularly in marginalized communities in the United States, the Caribbean and in Africa, that are treating the sick and working to prevent the spread of the virus,” according to a report from Yahoo.
Clara Lionel Foundation executive director Justine Lucas said in a statement, “Never has it been more important or urgent to protect and prepare marginalized and underserved communities — those who will be hit hardest by this pandemic.”
The donation will be distributed to Direct Relief, Partners In Health, Feeding America, the International Rescue Committee, the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and others, Yahoo reports.
The foundation’s funds will provide support to local food banks that are serving at-risk communities, as well as the elderly in the U.S. – who have been reported to be more susceptible to the virus. It will also assist with testing and care in Haiti and Malawi, distribution of medical equipment, vaccine and therapy research and development and healthcare training.
Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation was founded in 2012 in honor of her grandparents.