Singer The Weeknd donates N470M to relief efforts in Ethiopia

Canadian singer The Weeknd has donated the sum of $1M (N470M) to the relief efforts in Ethiopia.

The music star made his donations known via his Instagram page on Sunday, April 4, 2021, as part of relief efforts in Ethiopia, where an ongoing conflict between the government and the Tigray region has resulted in thousands of deaths and over a million displaced people.

"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,” Abel Tesfaye, the Toronto-born son of two Ethiopian immigrants," he wrote.

"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."

The U.N. World Food Programme said the crisis in Ethiopia coincided with the peak harvest period, leading to lost employment and incomes, disrupted markets, a rise in food prices, and limited access to cash and fuel.

This is just one of the numerous donations the singer has made in the last year.

Recall in 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, the Weeknd donated $1 million in Covid-19 relief, with $500,000 going to MusiCares and $500,000 to an Ontario, Canada hospital.