Source: Allen Berezovsky / Getty
Beyoncé has teamed up with Gucci to provide clean water for more than 120,000 women and children in Burundi. According to Essence, Gucci is contributing $1 million as part of their CHIME FOR CHANGE initiative. The high-end label’s mission is to “convene, unite and strengthen the voices speaking out for girls and women around the world.”
Ivy McGregor, Parkwood Entertainment’s Director of Philanthropy and Corporate Relations, told the publication, “Beyonce called me and said, ‘Ivy, we have to do something. I heard about this country, Burundi, and what’s going on there. Let’s do the research and figure out what we’re going to do.’ So, as part of my commitment when I came back to her to give the update, I said, we are not just going to send a check, give some money and be gone; we are going to do just like we do here in the U.S.”
- She continued, “There are hospitals today in Burundi where women have babies and there’s no running water. Let’s just pause and think about that for a second. Can you imagine? So, through this million-dollar commitment that Gucci has made, we will not only be digging more waterholes for the wells, but we will be ensuring that hospitals have water and that schools have water. “Girls are disproportionately affected by this water crisis because, as we all know, girls have menstrual cycles. So, because the schools don’t have water, girls are out of school for a week out of every month. Their education is at risk because of a lack of something so basic. So, another part of this second phase is to ensure that some of the schools and health centers in the hardest hit areas have water.”
