Pencils of Promise (PoP) today announced that global superstar Justin Bieber has been named the first ever PoP Global Ambassador.
The honor was presented just prior to Bieber’s sold-out show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Bieber is donating $1 for every ticket sold during his “Purpose” tour to PoP, to help further its mission of increasing access to quality education in developing communities around the world. Thanks to Bieber’s generosity, PoP is able to expand its reach from the Volta Region into the high-need Eastern Region of Ghana this year.
“I’m excited we’re able to educate more kids in Ghana because of the Purpose Tour. This is amazing,” said Bieber after he was presented with the honor.
“Pencils of Promise is growing every day, not only providing kids with safe buildings to attend school, but also with programs to help them learn to read and write,” said Leslie Engle Young, PoP’s Director of Impact. “It’s because of partners like Justin that we’re able to bring quality education to the kids who need it most.”
The two Eastern districts that will be directly impacted by Bieber’s fundraising are the Lower Manya Krobo and Asuogyaman districts, where 33% of existing classrooms are in need of major repairs; many of the students currently attend class under mango trees. Additionally, 42% of primary students in the region are unable to pass the national English language exams required to progress to secondary school in the Asuogyaman district.
Natalie Ebel, PoP’s Director of Marketing added, “We are extremely grateful to Justin for helping Pencils of Promise achieve its purpose of providing education to all kids, no matter where they’re born.”
PoP initially broke ground in Ghana in 2012. Four years later, the organization has completed 64 school builds there and has another 35 in progress. As a result of Bieber’s continued support and through his “Purpose” tour funding, PoP has already started building 7 new schools in the Eastern Region of Ghana, with 6 more on the way, which will serve over 1,500 new students in 2016 alone.
Bieber has donated millions of dollars to PoP, which funded dozens of schools and provided access to quality education for thousands of students. Bieber previously donated $1 of all ticket sales from his 2010 “My World” tour and 2012 “Believe” tour to PoP and in 2013, visited one of his schools in Guatemala to experience his impact firsthand. In his role as PoP Global Ambassador, Bieber will continue to help children across the globe receive access to quality education, changing the fact that 250 million children worldwide lack basic reading or writing skills.
