ICON OF THE WEEK: MADONNA

Follow

There appears to be nothing that Madonna can’t do. By pushing the boundaries of mainstream music and constantly reinventing her image, the 55-year-old American recording artist has established herself as an incredible pop icon that is here to stay. From her over the top fashion choices (need I remind you of the 1990 Jean Paul Gaultier cone bra?) to her unpredictable stunts (remember her lip lock with Britney Spears during the 2003 VMAs?), the performer has been brilliantly shocking the public her entire career. With over 300 million records sold worldwide, the Material Girl has dominated the music charts for decades. On top of all of her career accomplishments, Madonna still finds time to give back.

In 2006, Madonna and Michael Berg co-founded Raising Malawi. This non-profit organization was formed to help bring an end to the severe poverty and suffering that over one million Malawi orphans and other vulnerable children endure. The foundation supports community-based programs that provide these children and their caregivers with necessities such as nutritious food, proper clothing, safe shelter, formal education and medical care. In addition to this, Raising Malawi collaborates with and supports non-government organizations that offer struggling families opportunities for sustainability in the country. Madonna’s organization works at a grass-roots level in order to ensure that there are dedicated people in the villages who truly know Malawi’s challenges and are capable of providing the help that is needed. In just a little over seven years, the Raising Malawi foundation has been able to make a positive, substantial and lasting impact for hundreds of thousands of children living in poverty.

Raising Malawi currently has five projects that help to achieve its mission. Since 2008, the foundation has been supporting Dr. Eric Borgstein who practices at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital and is only one of three pediatric surgeons working in Malawi. Since 2007, the non-profit has been providing financial support to Home of Hope, an orphan care center that supports over 600 children. In September 2013, Raising Malawi announced that they would provide scholarships for girls in secondary school from Home of Hope. Madonna released the film I Am Because We Are in 2008. The documentary looked into the lives of Malawi orphans and depicts hope and real solutions to the challenges faced by those living in severe poverty. Today, Raising Malawi continues to support and regularly visit the individuals featured in the film. The fifth and most recent project is the Grassroot Soccer program. Madonna has partnered with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and Grassroot Soccer in Malawi to teach about AIDS awareness and treatment. This program will launch in March.

“It has pretty much taken over my life, and I’m so grateful it has,” Madonna said when talking about her foundation. It seems like there is no stopping the extraordinarily ambitious singer turned philanthropist.