Twitter Reacts To The Weeknd’s $1M Donation For Hunger Relief In Ethiopia

The Weeknd received a lot of praise on Twitter after he revealed that he is donating a large sum to help address the hunger problem in Ethiopia amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Weeknd (born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) took to Instagram Sunday to announce that he is donating $1 million to hunger relief efforts in the East African country. He said the money will help provide about 2 million meals to the people affected by the ongoing tensions between the people of the Tigray region and their government in the wake of the pandemic.

“My heart breaks for my people of Ethiopia as innocent civilians ranging from small children to the elderly are being senselessly murdered and entire villages are being displaced out of fear and destruction. I will be donating $1 million to provide 2 million meals through the United Nations World Food Program and encourage those who can to please give as well,” he wrote on Instagram, alongside photos of the children affected by the conflict there.

The “Blinding Lights” hitmaker, who was born in Canada but is of Ethiopian descent, shared the same message on Twitter and provided a link to the World Food Program USA to encourage his fans to do the same.

His gesture drew mixed reactions from netizens, with some slamming him for seemingly bragging about his good deed.

“Yesssss, donate money and post it everywhere so ppl know ur a good person,” one commented on his tweet.

Another rejected The Weeknd’s call to donate to the cause by replying, “No way, no way.”

However, many lauded the 31-year-old recording artist for having a big heart and for bringing awareness to such serious matters through his platform as a celebrity.

“Thank you for using your influence for good and important things,” a fan wrote.

“Bless you Abel. Thank you for raising awareness on this and donating,” another added.

One fan also slammed the critics and defended The Weeknd’s move to make his donation known on social media.

“He’s posting it to spread awareness. If he didn’t post about his contributions you’d come over here n complain that he’s not donating lmao. Either help the ppl or mind your business bby its really not that hard,” the fan wrote.

The Weeknd has been inspiring many people to help others amid various crises. In June last year, he donated $1 million to those affected by the pandemic. He has also pledged $500,000 to nonprofits fighting for racial equality and gave $300,000 to the victims of the Beirut explosion in August 2020, as per The Hollywood Reporter.