Rihanna, Jack Dorsey Address Digital Divide In Barbados

Songstress and mogul Rihanna is the queen of philanthropy. After leading several initiatives for COVID-19 relief and to combat racial injustice, she’s now on a mission to address the digital divide. According to Harper’s Bazaar, she recently donated iPads to students in need in Barbados.

The donation was a collaborative effort between her nonprofit organization the Clara Lionel Foundation and Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey’s philanthropic #startsmall initiative. 4,000 tablets were donated to youth throughout the country. The Fenty Beauty founder took to Instagram to share news about the effort with a message from Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley. “We all know that education is the most important gift that we can give any child and to the extent that we can ensure that there is no digital divide among all of our students that is our duty,” said Prime Minister Mottley who expressed her gratitude for Rihanna’s generosity. “Of course our government will continue to make sure that we get there. But to the extent that we can receive assistance from those who care enough, who love us enough to be able to help us lift the burden on this long journey then we say thank you because we can always do it better when we do it together. We are always stronger when we work together.” Rihanna also thanked her brother Rorrey Fenty for spearheading the project.

The digital divide has been a pressing issue around the globe. According to ITU, 3.6 billion people don’t have access to the internet. Many people are stepping up to ensure that youth have the tools needed to continue their education amid the pandemic. In April, NBA star Russell Westbrook joined forces with Comp-U-Dopt and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner‘s office of education to donate 650 computers to children in need in Houston.

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