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The Weeknd Donates $1 Million To Relief Efforts In Ethiopia

By Michael Bamidele

05 April 2021   |   12:09 pm

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The Weeknd is set to donate $1 million to help Ethiopians amid violence in the country. The Canadian popstar, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, the son of two Ethiopian immigrants, announced on Sunday that the donation is to provide food aid to Ethiopia, where an ongoing conflict between the government and the Tigray…

The Weeknd | Image: GQ

The Weeknd is set to donate $1 million to help Ethiopians amid violence in the country.

The Canadian popstar, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, the son of two Ethiopian immigrants, announced on Sunday that the donation is to provide food aid to Ethiopia, where an ongoing conflict between the government and the Tigray region has resulted in thousands of deaths and over a million displaced people.

“My heart breaks for my people of Ethiopia as innocent civilians ranging from small children to the elderly are being senselessly murdered and entire villages are being displaced out of fear and destruction,” The Weeknd wrote on Instagram on Sunday.

“I will be donating $1 million to provide 2 million meals through the United Nations World Food Program and encourage those who can to please give as well,” he said providing a link for his fans to contribute.

 

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“The outbreak of conflict in Tigray last November coincided with the peak harvest period, leading to lost employment and incomes, disrupted markets, a rise in food prices, and limited access to cash and fuel,” the U.N. World Food Programme said, adding that they aim “to support 1.4 million of these vulnerable people before it’s too late.”

In June 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, the Weeknd donated $1 million in Covid-19 relief, with $500,000 going to MusiCares and $500,000 to an Ontario, Canada hospital. Two months later, Tesfaye also gave $300,000 to a fund helping those impacted by the devastating explosion in Beirut, Lebanon.

The Weeknd is among the world’s best-selling music artists with over 75 million records sold. He has won three Grammy Awards, five American Music Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, and nine Juno Awards, and has been nominated for an Academy Award.