Excited to share the special news, American rapper Ryan Lewis took to his Twitter account on Thursday to announce the 30/30 Project, which will help build HIV clinics in Malawi, has smashed its original crowdfunding campaign goal on Indiegogo and raised $137,600 from 1,200 backers.
Immediately following the closing of the campaign, Mr. Lewis wrote:
A HUGE thank you to everyone who has supported and given to the @3030project we hit our goal!
— Ryan Lewis (@RyanLewis) May 22, 2014
The cause has been so close to Mr. Lewis’ heart due to his mother, Julie Lewis, struggling with the devastating disease for over 30 years. “A huge part of what’s made me who I am, is something I haven’t talked about in interviews. In 1984, my mom gave birth to my older sister, Teresa. Due to the complicated delivery, she needed a blood transfusion and at that moment, my mom had HIV + blood put into her body.
He continued,“When she was finally diagnosed, she was given only a few years to live. By that time, she had already given birth to my sister Laura and me. We each had a 25% chance of being born with HIV+, but we were extremely fortunate. Thanks to advanced medicine and healthcare available here in the U.S., my mom has lived despite her odds.
“To honor the thirty years my mom has been a survivor, our family is raising funds to build health centers worldwide that will stand strong for at least thirty years. We’re calling it the 30/30 Project. With this amazing year I’ve had, I am honored to be the first donor for the 30/30 Project, jumpstarting the construction of the first health center in Malawi. I am asking you to join my family and see how far we can take this.”
Teaming up with Construction for Change and Partners in Health, the 30/30 Project is set to not only build the clinic in Malawi, it will also build more in other countries in Africa. Since it exceeded its original $100k goal, the campaign will continue to add more facilities in various locations in Kenya and Uganda. Both countries, along with Malawi, have struggled greatly with the disease.
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