Pencils of Promise is a charity that aims to bring education to children living in poverty worldwide. In October 2015, they announced their partnership with one of the hottest young stars on the planet, Shawn Mendes.
To make this possible, Mendes requested the help of his loyal fans to help raise his $25,000 goal within two weeks with the #BuildaSchoolWithShawn project. This included selling limited edition merchandise with all proceeds going towards the charity.
However, this goal was not reached in two weeks. It was raised in just seven days! (Impressive — we know!) When the fundraising finished, it was announced that Shawn and his fans completely smashed this total, raising 164% of his original goal — which is approximately $41,000.. Not too shabby, we suppose.
Yesterday, on Shawn’s 18th birthday, Pencils of Promise announced that a school was opened in Shia, Ghana due to the donations from Shawn’s incredible fundraising project. This school is going to change the life of many children who were previously unable to gain access to an education and we couldn’t be more proud of him for his dedication to ensuring he was part of it.
We're excited to announce the opening of @ShawnMendes' school in Ghana! #BuildaSchoolwithShawn #HappyBirthdayShawn pic.twitter.com/aZ9pAA1NOx
— Pencils of Promise (@PencilsOfPromis) August 9, 2016
Before & after of @ShawnMendes' school in Shia, Ghana! Thx for bringing quality edu to hundreds of students! pic.twitter.com/TaB8VD2Ebi
— Pencils of Promise (@PencilsOfPromis) August 9, 2016
At such a young age, Shawn will not only be known for his incredible talent massive and musical accomplishments but also for his huge heart which gave him the drive to become involved in such an amazing projects that will greatly benefit children living in poverty.
What do you think of Shawn Mendes helping to fund this school in Ghana? Tweet us your thoughts at @CelebMix!