Days after welcoming her 29th birthday, Barbados-born pop star Rihanna has even more to celebrate.
The singer has just been named the 2017 Harvard University Humanitarian of the Year, an honor that puts RiRi in the same ranks as former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan and actor James Earl Jones.
S. Allen Counter, director at the Harvard Foundation, doted on Rihanna’s numerous humanitarian efforts, which include the Clara and Lionel Foundation Scholarship Program.
“Rihanna has charitably built a state-of-the-art center for oncology and nuclear medicine to diagnose and treat breast cancer at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown, Barbados,” Counter said. “She has also created the Clara and Lionel Foundation Scholarship Program for students attending college in the U.S. from Caribbean countries, and supports the Global Partnership for Education and Global Citizen Project, a multiyear campaign that will provide children with access to education in over 60 developing countries.”
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In regards to Rihanna’s contribution to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, she donated $1.75 million to the hospital in 2012 in memory of her late grandmother, Clara “Dolly” Braithwaite who struggled with cancer.
Just last month, the singer visited the African country of Malawi as Global Ambassador for Education for the Clara Lionel Foundation.
Rihanna is scheduled to accept the Peter J. Gomes Humanitarian Award during a ceremony held at Harvard on February 28.
