Now that’s dedication.
MzVee wants to do her part in ending poverty, not in just her home country of Ghana, but all over the world. So, the singer/songwriter wrote a song about it, appropriately called “End Poverty.” The star, who has earned several music awards as well as a nomination, sat down with the World Bank’s Kafu Kofi Tsikata to talk about her work.
The 23-year-old singer rose to fame with her hit single “Natural Girl,” in which she encourages youth to determine their future, not have it dictated to them. “Do not let society push you to be what you do not want to be,” she says. “I experienced that firsthand, from family, school, and even on TV.”
It wasn’t until she discovered her love of music that she found her way forward. “Music helped me find myself and it made me more confident,” she said. “I’m a whole different person because of music.”
Now that she’s achieved fame, she’s using her music to amplify her ultimate hope, to end poverty. “If people cannot educate their kids, then they can’t pursue their dreams,” she said. “If poverty can be eliminated, then people can do whatever they want to do. They will no longer be held back.”
To MzVee, born Vera Hamenoo-Kpeda, education is the path to ending poverty. “Education ties everything together,” she said. “There’s that saying that if you give a man a fish you’ve fed him for a day, but if you teach a man how to fish, then you’ve fed him for life.”
Putting her passion into action, MzVee has set up a scholarship fund to help young girls get an education. “Once you are educated, everything gets better,” she said. “Education helps you climb the social ladder, it can make you more successful and prosperous. Education makes you a better person.”
The song, “End Poverty,” is call to action for everyone in the world to join the fight against poverty. “There’s one line (in Ghanian), “Mikataa mi wor deka” which means “we should all come together,” she says. “Ending poverty is not one person’s work, it’s everyone’s work.”
Check out our other #Music4Dev guest artists:
- Congolese singer Fally Ipupa on providing water, schools, and medical care to Africans
- Nigerian singer D'Banj on gender equality
- Nigerian singer Nneka on women’s rights in Africa
- American singer Fantastic Negrito on racism and cultural preservation
- American singer Drew Holcomb on agriculture and sanitation
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