If you thought star power was dead, think again. And likewise, if you thought the number of celebrities giving back and doing good was dwindling: enter Rihanna. The Queen of pop (or should we say, politics...?) took to Twitter to directly ask Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to contribute $200 million towards the Julia Gillard-chaired Global Partnership for Education (GPE) of which the musician represents as a global ambassador.
"Hi Julie Bishop & Malcolm Turnbull, will you step up a $200m pledge to #FundEducation at the Global Partnership for Education conference in Senegal tomorrow?" Rihanna, who is the fourth most followed person on Twitter (with 86 million followers), tweeted on Friday.
The GPE conference in Senegal aims to promote the importance of education in developing nations. Rihanna added further pressure to AusPol by pointing out that it is Australia's first year on the UN Human Rights Council, making it an especially good time for Australia to contribute to the cause. "Kick off your first year on the #HumanRightsCouncil by giving the universal human right to education," she added.
Coincidentally enough, just hours after her tweet, which was retweeted over 2,500 times and received 9,797 likes, Julie Bishop's office announced the federal government would donate $90 million to the cause. "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," Bishop said.
The singer/fashion designer/Fenty Beauty founder/modern feminist icon has been an ambassador for GPE, which aims to improve access to education in some of the world's most disadvantaged countries, since 2016. She and Ms Gillard attended the GPE's financing conference in Dakar, Senegal on the weekend, which resulted in commitments of US$2.3 billion from donors.
And it's not the first time the powerful women have united for the cause. Back in 2016, Gillard teamed up with the 'Wild Thoughts' singer to promote GBE, spending a week visiting schools and lobbying officials in Malawi to provide young people, especially girls, access to education.
Rihanna for President? Anyone with me?
