What Rihanna wants, Rihanna gets.
The singer has made education a philanthropical priority, and just hours after asking the Australian government for a large donation to a global education fund, the country’s foreign minister agreed.
Rihanna on Friday fired off a series of tweets to the leaders of Australia, Britain and France, imploring them to contribute to the Global Partnership for Education, whose annual conference is this weekend in Senegal. Rihanna asked the Australian government to contribute $200 million, tweeting at Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and the Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
Just seven hours later, Bishop said in a statement that Australia would be contributing $90 million to the Global Partnership for Education ― less than what the singer wanted, but a sizable sum.
“Today I announce a pledge of $90 million by the Australian Government to support quality and inclusive education worldwide through the Global Partnership for Education,” the foreign minister said.
“This pledge forms part of Australia’s commitment to ensuring more children, particularly girls and children with disabilities, participate in school for longer and acquire the skills they need to build their future.”
The Global Partnership for Education, established in 2002, helps provide “quality basic education” for children in 65 developing countries, including Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia, Cambodia, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Rwanda.
Bishop didn’t mention Rihanna in her statement, and it’s likely Australia was preparing to contribute even before the “We Found Love” singer’s request.
However, News Corp. reported Rihanna’s tweet was part of a “last-ditch effort” to convince Australia to contribute more to the fund.
“We’ve been working for months but the news from Australia isn’t looking great so [we’re] trying to do one last push,” said Michael Sheldrick, director of policy and advocacy at Global Citizen, a social action group hosting Rihanna at the Senegal conference.
Online, Rihanna fans praised the singer following the Australian announcement.
