Rihanna described her trip to Malawi to improve children’s education as “inspiring” on Instagram and a newly released clip of the visit shows why.
The charitable singer made the voyage in January on behalf of her Clara Lionel Foundation. Rihanna was accompanied by representatives from Global Citizen and Global Partnership for Education, for which she is an ambassador, to push for effective education systems that guarantee that the poorest children around the world have access to a quality education.
“It’s one thing to read the statistics, but I want to see it firsthand and find out all that can be done,” Rihanna says.
Wongani Nyirenda, a 14-year-old student at Muzu Primary School in Malawi, said there are some challenges to attending, including lack of food and learning outdoors, which can be dangerous during the rainy season.
Rih is actively engaged with the young children of Malawi, where 50 percent of the population lives below poverty. From teaching students math and chanting with young girls, the singer got hands-on with improving future education by speaking to educators, students and government officials during her recent trip.
Despite the hurdles, Rihanna walked away impressed by the school’s teaching methods.
“It’s amazing the way they learn, though,” Rihanna says. “I love that they learn in melody. That’s like, my favorite thing because kids, they adopt melody really, really quickly.
“And so, if you can use that as a learning tool, I think that’s the most brilliant, brilliant thing.”
