Bajan superstar and successful businesswoman Rihanna has once again shown that her homeland is never far from her thoughts.

In yet another philanthropic gesture, the musical mogul has come to the assistance of Barbadian students throughout the island. This time it is with a donation of 4,000 tablets to assist with the island’s efforts to ensure no child is left behind while online schooling is key.

In a brief address today (July 7) Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley expressed thanks to the daughter of the soil for her generous donation.

“I want to thank our own ambassador Robyn ‘Rihanna’’ Fenty and her Clara Lionel Foundation as well as the Jack Dorsey Start Small Foundation for coming together and donating 4,000 tablets to Barbadian school children. We all know that education is the most important gift that we can give any child and to the extent that we can ensure that there is no digital divide among all of our students, that is our duty,” the PM stated.

In her sentiments the Prime Minister lauded the efforts of those who cared and loved Barbados enough to help “lift the burden on this long journey” as the country continues to overcome the challenges presented in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“We can always do it better when we do it together. We are always stronger when we work together,” PM Mottley reiterated.

In specific comments directed to Rihanna, she expressed: “Robyn, as usual, thank you. Your Bajan-ness, your commitment to this country, your commitment to this region in the context of building climate resilience has not gone unnoticed. The world has watched you be that extraordinary Bajan, that extraordinary global citizen that has not forgotten that their roots are right here in Barbados,” she said.

COVID-19 caused the closure of schools and the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training rolled out its emergency remote teaching platform in April. Teachers and students alike switched to Google classroom and its GSuite applications as school moved to the online platform. However, the Minister of Education Hon Santia Bradshaw had announced in May that there were still close to 6,500 students in Barbados who still had no access to the requisite devices.

A tech drive initiative was set in motion to address the deficits across the system. The Ministry partnered with several private sector organizations and donations started to roll in from entities and individuals alike.

Barbadian sensation Rihanna has already assisted Government in its fight against the novel coronavirus, when in March she donated BBD $1.4 million which went towards the purchase of ventilators. The Ambassador for the island continues to show no matter where she roams Barbados will always be home.

Source: loopnewsbarbados.com