The Weeknd is directing $2.5 million from his XO Humanitarian Fund to help the United Nations World Food Programme's emergency humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
The Dawn FM artist, who is a WFP Goodwill Ambassador, will help provide 4 million emergency meals to Palestinians amid Israel's aerial and ground assault on the Gaza Strip, where at least 15,000 have been killed per the Palestinian Information Center. Abel's donation will feed over 173,000 Palestinians for two weeks and will constitute 820 metric tons of food parcels.
The Weeknd's contribution to the WFP response efforts comes as the UN program aims to feed over 1 million Gaza civilians facing starvation. Since the most recent conflict between Hamas and Israel started on Oct. 7, the WFP has provided assistance to over 764,000 Palestinians. Products included in the emergency food packages have included fortified date bars, canned food, tomato paste, oil, wheat flour, pasta, and fresh bread.
“This conflict has unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe beyond reckoning. WFP is working round the clock to provide aid in Gaza but a major scale up is needed to address the desperate level of hunger we are seeing. Our teams need safe and sustained humanitarian access, and continued support from donors to reach as many people as we can,” said WFP’s Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe Region, Corinne Fleischer. “We thank Abel for this valuable contribution towards the people of Palestine. We hope others will follow Abel’s example and support our efforts.”
The Weeknd was named a Goodwill Ambassador in October 2021 and established the XO Humanitarian Fund in partnership with World Food Program USA. The fund has raised $5 million since it launched and previously sent $2.5 million to support emergency food assistance to women and children in Ethiopia. He committed to pledge $1 per ticket sold from his After Hours Til Dawn stadium tour to the fund.
