Madonna, Gucci raise $5.5m to help Malawi flood victims

US pop star Madonna and rapper Gucci Mane have raised $5.5 million from ticket sales and live auction to be channeled towards Malawians who have been affected by weeks of floods.The funds were raised during an event dubbed A Night to Benefit Malawi and UNICEF held in New York.

According to a statement from Raising Malawi on Friday, the proceeds will be split equally between the US Fund for UNICEF and Madonna’s organisation Raising Malawi.

“After passing through the red carpet, guests entered the cocktail area to view the photographs of Kristen Ashburn, a documentary photographer, whose work has taken her to southern Africa to capture the impact of AIDS in the region,” it said.

Guests at the sold-out event included musicians Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, rap mogul Sean Combs, actor Tom Cruise, musicians Nelly Furtado, Keri Hilson and Gwen Stefani, Donald and Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump and music producer Pharrel Williams.

They entered a Gucci-inspired amphitheater dinner room for a dinner catered by Olivier Cheng.

They were welcomed to their seats by African drummers and a live performance by the African Children’s Choir, it said.

Raising Malawi has been dedicated to bringing an end to the extreme poverty and hardship endured by the country’s 1 million orphans, over half of whom have been orphaned by AIDS.

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