Tag: Madonna

Madonna and buildOn Complete 10 New Schools in Malawi

Posted on by Tammy

As a result of a partnership between pop star Madonna’s charity Raising Malawi and the global nonprofit buildOn, 10 new schools have been built in rural villages across Malawi over the past 18 months – six months ahead of schedule.

The schools will serve to educate 4,871 children, with six already in use, and the remainder to be up and running in this month.

“I am overjoyed that my commitment along with buildOn’s to help educate the children of Malawi has come to fruition,” Madonna said in a released statement. “In a country where girls have little opportunity for education, it’s additionally inspiring to know that more than half the students attending will be young girls. The fact that more than 4,800 children in Malawi will get to go to school next year is a tremendous step forward for their individual growth and the growth of Malawi.”

The project was originally announced early in 2012 year as a major initiative of Raising Malawi, which has already provided millions of dollars in support of orphanages, a network of orphan care service providers, health clinics, a scholarship program for girls, and the schools with buildOn.

The location for each school was chosen from a list of communities in need of new infrastructure. The Ministry of Education Office in the Kasungu District was an important partner, providing both the teachers and curriculum after each school was completed.

Consistently ranked among the world’s 20 least developed countries on the UN’s Human Development Index, Malawi has long been challenged by economic stagnation and a lack of access to education. With support from Madonna and Raising Malawi, buildOn was able double the reach of its school construction program within a year.

“Madonna’s commitment to the children of Malawi is inspiring,” said Jim Ziolkowski , founder and CEO of buildOn. “Through Raising Malawi’s support we were able to build 10 schools that will educate literally generations of children who need it the most.”

For more information on Raising Malawi, visit www.raisingmalawi.org, and for more information on buildOn, visit www.buildon.org.

VIDEO: Madonna Pleas for Peace at MDNA Tour Opening Night in Israel

Posted on by Tammy

On the opening night of her MDNA world tour in Tel Aviv, Madonna addressed the audience, explaining there was a reason she chose to start the tour in Israel.

“As you know, the Middle East and the conflicts that occur here, and that have been occurring for thousands of years, they have to stop,” she said. “You can’t be a fan of mine and not want peace in the world.”

She spoke about peace, equality and unity, pointing out that everyone gathered at the concert, including those taking part in her show may be from different, but in essence are all the same.

“There are people from all walks of life here and even in my show. We are all on different paths, but we are all sons and daughters of the universe, and we are all human beings. And whether we are Muslim or Jew, Christian, Buddhist, Atheist, gay, straight, black, white, Asian – we are all human beings … we all bleed the same color. We all want to love and be loved.”

While it’s easy to say we want peace, “it’s another thing to do it,” she said. “If we could all rise above our egos and our titles, and the names of our countries, and the names of our religions, if we can rise above all of that and treat everyone around us, every human being with dignity and respect, then we are on the road to peace.”

She continued saying: “No matter how many laws we change, no matter how many percentages of land we give back, no matter how many talks, no matter how many wars, if we don’t treat every human being with dignity and respect, we will never have peace. So start today. Start now each and every one of you. You are the future. We are the future, and if there is peace here in the Middle East, then there can be peace in the whole world. Please remember this.”

See the whole speech in the video below taken by a fan at the concert: