Rihanna Launched a Bike Share Program to Help Girls in Africa Get to School

Rihanna, believe it or not, is committed to making sure young women across the globe have easy access to education. It’s the sole purpose of her established Clara Lionel Foundation, named after her grandparents, and the reason for which the lives of girls in Malawi, Africa, are now a little easier.

On Tuesday, the singer and actress’s philanthropic organization announced that it’s teamed up with ofo, the world’s “first and largest bike-sharing platform,” on a five-year partnership called “1 KM Action.” With the help of ofo, Rihanna’s foundation will provide scholarships to girls attending secondary schools in Malawi along with bikes for them to get to school.

“I’m so happy about the Clara Lionel Foundation’s new partnership with ofo because it will help so many young people around the world receive a quality education, and also help the young girls of Malawi get to school safely, cutting down very long walks they make to and from school all alone,” Rihanna said in a statement.

According to the release, only eight percent of students in Malawi complete secondary education as a result of the distances they have to travel to get to class. To learn more about the situation of these young people and take on her role as global ambassador for Global Partnership for Education, Rihanna traveled to the African country to step inside the classrooms and experience what their life is like first-hand. The results are deeply touching.

Watch Rihanna visit Malawi in the video above—and visit claralionelfoundation.org to learn more.