RIHANNA'S FOUNDATION DONATES $5M TO CORONAVIRUS RELIEF

Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) has donated $5m to several organizations around the world that are treating the sick and working to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The singer joins a growing list of celebrities, athletes and civilians who are pitching in to help during the pandemic.

CLF’s funds are being distributed to Direct Relief, Partners In Health, Feeding America, the International Rescue Committee, the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and other organizations, particularly in marginalized communities in the U.S., the Caribbean and Africa.

“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,” CLF Executive Director Justine Lucas said in a statement.

Funds will go to food banks that serve the elderly, protective gear for hospital workers and first responders, testing in countries like Malawi and Haiti, healthcare worker training, virus prevention, vaccine and therapy research and development, and the distribution of medical equipment and respiratory supplies.

"CLF believes that one of the most powerful weapons we have against COVID-19 is preparedness,” the group's statement continued. “Protecting our frontline health workers requires getting ahead of it fast, and the time to act is now.”

Rihanna founded CLF in 2012 in honor of her grandparents, with the goal of working with community-based leaders and organizations supporting education and emergency response and preparedness across the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa.

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