Rihanna donates $4.2 million to support domestic violence victims in lockdown

Singer Rihanna and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey have teamed up to provide $4.2 million to victims of domestic violence impacted by the COVID-19 lockdowns.

The singer's Clara Lionel Foundation joined with Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey to donate matching sums to the drive. Their donations will cover 10 weeks of support, including shelter, meals and counselling for families experiencing domestic violence during the pandemic in greater Los Angeles.

Last month, Rihanna's Clara Lionel Foundation previously joined with Jay-Z's Shawn Carter Foundation to donate $2m (£1.59m) to support undocumented workers, prisoners, homeless people, the elderly and children of frontline health workers in Los Angeles and New York during the Covid-19 outbreak. She also donated personal protective equipment to healthcare providers in New York State, and gave $5m ($4m) to global organisations to protect healthcare workers and marginalised communities.

Her father, Ronald Fenty, has been recovering from coronavirus after spending 14 days inside the Paragon Isolation Center in Barbados. He told the Sun: "I thought I was going to die." He said his daughter sent a ventilator to his home, which ultimately he did not need.

The 32-year old singer is the latest musician to mobilise in the effort to assist healthcare providers and people affected by coronavirus. Lady Gaga has curated the benefit concert One World: Together at Home – featuring performances from such artists as Gaga, Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Paul McCartney and Coldplay's Chris Martin – to be livestreamed globally and televised in the US on 18 April.