COVID-19 survivors
Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina have teamed up with the
United Nations (UN) to launch a $40 million fund for poor nations hit by the
Coronavirus.
The pair, who are UN Goodwill Ambassadors, have launched the organisation’s International Fund for Agricultural Development’s (IFAD) new $40 million initiative – to help rural and poorer economies cope with the pandemic and its aftermath.
Speaking about the role of the new fund in a press release, Elba, who along with his wife recovered from COVID-19 after contracting it while filming in New
Mexico last month, said that while it’s important for countries to prioritise their citizens’ health, the world’s poor must not be forgotten.
“The world’s advanced economies are in the midst of this pandemic right now and, of course, they must do everything they can to help their own people,” he explained. “Every death is one death too many at a time like this. But the fact is, global action is also a matter of self-interest. As long as the pandemic is still raging anywhere, it will pose a threat everywhere.”
The Thor star, whose parents hail from Sierra Leone and Ghana, and Sabrina, who has Somalian heritage, have been on UN visits to Africa and are concerned that the global crisis could result in famine on the continent.
“IFAD needs more assistance to carry on the work that is desperately needed to keep food systems operating in rural areas if we are to come out of this crisis together and avoid needless hunger and suffering,” he said.
IFAD has provided $40 million in seed money to the new fund, and is hoping for $200 million in additional money from governments.