Beyonce and luxury designer Gucci are teaming up to bring the East African country of Burundi clean water for women and children. Gucci has donated $1 million to the cause, Essence reports.
The initiative is in collaboration with the Lemonade singer’s foundation, BeyGOOD 4 Burundi in partnership with UNICEF. Ultimately, Bey’s outlet teams up with different brands and organizations to help raise funds for the cause. They hope to acquire more access to clean water, hygiene, and mechanisms that help support a filtration system.
Gucci’s donation will help install 85 water wells in the country. It’s reported that nearly half of the country doesn’t have access to clean water. Now, the movement will provide more than half a million girls, women and their families with access to clean and safe water. For Mrs. Carter, this was a project that deeply touched her heart considering how dire the circumstances are in Burundi.
“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,’” Ivy McGregor, Parkwood Entertainment’s Director of Philanthropy and Corporate Relations, told Essence. “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.”
“There are hospitals today in Burundi where women have babies and there’s no running water,” she continued. “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.”
McGregor also noted how important it is for young girls to have the privilege of having clean water because it not only affects their personal health, but also other components like being able to attend school.
“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,” McGregor added. “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.”