Gucci pledges a million dollars to support Beyoncé's clean-water initiative in Burundi

The dearth of water was the tragic topic trending on World Water Day on March 22. But it was also the day when Italian brand Gucci and powerhouse singer Beyoncé joined forces to work to provide clean and safe water to the people of Burundi. The fashion label has pledged US$1 million (Dh3.67 million) to support the building of 80 wells in the landlocked and poverty-stricken African country.

The BeyGood4Burundi initiative is part of Beyoncé’s BeyGood philanthropic arm and will be supported by Unicef USA and Gucci’s global campaign Chime for Change. The project, through which 35 wells have already been built, aims to support programmes to improve water, sanitation and basic hygiene practices in the hardest-to-reach areas of the country, where nearly half the population has no access to safe water. In some parts of Burundi, women give birth to children in hospitals with no running water.

“Gucci and Chime for Change are proud to stand with Beyoncé and Unicef to help change the lives of hundreds of thousands of girls and women in Burundi,” said Marco Bizzarri, president and CEO of Gucci. He adds that the initiative is perfectly in keeping with Chime’s mission to bring education, health and justice to women around the world.