Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye has reportedly made a sizable donation to School on Wheels, a nonprofit designed to enhance educational opportunities for children who are experiencing homelessness from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The nonprofit organization did not specify how much the singer had donated, but School on Wheels did explain that his contribution would support students in three key areas.
First, Tesfaye’s donation will support the School on Wheels’ Literacy Program. The organization’s literacy program aids children from five through eight years old as they learn to read and write.
“COVID-19 devastated our unhoused students more than any other group. The pandemic erased two decades of progress in math and reading, and researchers have documented that the poverty rate is the best predictor of the extent of that learning loss,” a statement from the School on Wheels reads.
Second, The Weeknd’s contribution will help students without stable housing graduate from high school. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, more than four million youths and young adults face housing insecurity each year in the United States. Of those 4.2 million youth and young adults, approximately 700,000 are unaccompanied minors. Ultimately, housing plays a role in educational success as School on Wheels reports that only 68% of unhoused students graduate high school.
Finally, the singer’s donation will provide students with the technology needed to learn, including laptops, internet access and related software. Internet access has become increasingly important to education within the last two decades. In fact, nearly one in five teens in the U.S. said they sometimes or often do not have enough reliable access to technology and internet to complete their homework.
