by Sharelle Burt
December 2, 2023
He has held the title of United Nations Goodwill Ambassador since October 2021.
The people of Gaza are getting some support from an international superstar.
The Weeknd is sending $2.5 million to Gaza through his XO Humanitarian Fund , which will help provide the equivalent of over four million meals for citizens affected by the war, Rolling Stone reports. His fund has worked with the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), and he has held the title of Goodwill Ambassador since October 2021. With The Weeknd’s donation, more than 173,000 Palestinians will have food for two weeks. To date, the team has raised $5 million to provide aid and relief to people who don’t have steady access to food.
The Grammy-Award-winning artist, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, also donated $1.8 million of his own money to the WFP initiative.
WFP’s director for the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe Region, Corinne Fleischer, said they are thankful for the artist’s collaboration as she described the conflict in the Middle East as a “humanitarian catastrophe beyond reckoning.” “WFP is working round the clock to provide aid in Gaza, but a major scale-up is needed to address the desperate level of hunger we are seeing,” Fleischer said. “Our teams need safe and sustained humanitarian access and continued support from donors to reach as many people as we can. We thank Abel for this valuable contribution towards the people of Palestine. We hope others will follow Abel’s example and support our efforts.”
According to TMZ, WFP has been bringing in truckloads of food baskets daily, including fresh bread, date bars, canned food, wheat flour, pasta, tomato paste, and oil.
The Weeknd’s efforts don’t stop with money; he’s using his voice and talents to bring joy during dark times. With him scheduled to go on his After Hours ’til Dawn tour in 2024, Tesfaye pledged to give one dollar from every ticket sold to the XO Humanitarian Fund. Tour dates have yet to be announced.
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