
Altogether now: Happy Birthday Riri!
The Barbados singer and actor is 30 years old today.
Which gives us an excuse to recount one of the best things we think the icon has done recently: ask every single world leader to fund education.
Rihanna became an ambassador for the Global Partnership for Education – an international advocacy group which campaigns for children in poor countries to get a quality education - in 2016.
You might remember that she made swift use of her position, and last year one of the first things she did was make sure world leaders were pledging to the #fundeducation cause. One tweet at a time.
She contacted Argentina president Mauricio Macri
hey there @mauriciomacri, what's your plan for Argentina to commit to #FundEducation? 🇦🇷— Rihanna (@Rihanna) 1498253905
And Canada’s Justin Trudeau
🇨🇦 @JustinTrudeau I know you had our backs during the #GlobalCitizen Festival, will you recommit Canada to #FundEducation?— Rihanna (@Rihanna) 1498254933
As well as French President Emmanuel Macron
🇫🇷 bonjour @EmmanuelMacron, will France commit to #FundEducation?— Rihanna (@Rihanna) 1498255882
And the German government's head of press Steffen Seibert
Germany, I'm checking in to see where we are on the commitment to #FundEducation w/ @GPforEducation? @regsprecher, I'm depending on you!😊 🇩🇪— Rihanna (@Rihanna) 1498257040
Earlier this year, she pressed Theresa May to make a pledge as well:
🇬🇧 Hello @theresa_may and @PennyMordaunt, please continue to prioritize girls’ education and be a top funder of… https://t.co/kiVQFpkj1B— Rihanna (@Rihanna) 1517509327
What became of her efforts?
Over a year later, Rihanna co-hosted an international conference in Senegal to discuss the Global Partnership for Education, alongside Senegalese president Macky Sall and French president Emmanuel Macron.
Senegal, along with the help of Rihanna's tireless campaigning and countries who have pledged funds, raised "over $2.3bn (£1.6bn)".
Today’s @GPforEducation Replenishment Conference in Dakar, Senegal raised over $2.3B for global education!📓✏️🌎… https://t.co/lXAHs0WHPp— Clara Lionel Fdn (@Clara Lionel Fdn) 1517611199
She said:
We have made tremendous progress today, but of course our work is never done. We have a long way to go, and this is a fight we are never going to stop fighting, until every boy and every girl has access to education.
The goal for the Global Partnership conference is to raise $3.1bn (£2.2bn) from donors by 2020 to support education of 870 million children across 80 developing countries.
Well done Rihanna.
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