Rihanna Meets French President Emmanuel Macron to Discuss Education

Rihanna continued her role as a global humanitarian, meeting France’s President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron in Paris on behalf of her Clara Lionel Foundation.

"I just had the most incredible meeting..." @rihanna meets with French Pres. @EmmanuelMacron and First Lady of France on global education. pic.twitter.com/5feTWeXwpO

— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 26, 2017

Following her meeting with the Macrons on Wednesday (July 26), Rihanna spoke with reporters about their plans for education. “I just had the most incredible meeting with the President and First Lady,” she said. “They were incredibly welcoming to us. We focused on the topic of education…and we’re going to make a big announcement this coming September.”
During her brief commentary, Rihanna said that she would return to work in Africa in October and that she looks forward to working with France’s president on future initiatives. “I can’t wait for you guys to hear where this is going to go,” she said. “I think this is the year for education.”

In June, Rihanna asked the newly-elected Macron if he would “commit to #FundEducation.” Today, she seemed to indicate that Macron was committed to helping her ongoing efforts to promote education in underprivileged areas across the globe: “Thank you Mr. President @EmmanuelMacron and Madame First Lady for the incredible meeting and passion for global and girls education!”

In February, Rihanna was named Harvard’s Humanitarian of the Year following global efforts around education and health.
Accepting the award, RiRi explained her perspective on humanitarian works. “We’re all human,” she said. “We all just want a chance, a chance at life, a chance at an education, a chance at a future, really. At CLF [Clara Lionel Foundation], our mission is to impact as many lives as possible, but it starts with just one. Just one. As I stare out into this beautiful room, I see optimism, I see hope, I see the future. I know that each and every one of you has the opportunity to help someone else. All you need to do is help one person, expecting nothing in return. To me, that is a humanitarian.”