Community Cares: Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz Adopt an African Village

For those still lamenting the manner in which Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz became husband and wife, you can at least find some solace in the fact that the couple is active in their global humanitarian efforts.

The platinum producer Swizz Beatz just shared that he and his newly minted bride have recently adopted an African village.

“We adopted … Soweto. We went there, just to film the process of a particular lady and her daughter. She’s a beautiful lady with a beautiful spirit. She’s HIV positive. We were filming the before-and-after effect of taking [certain] medications.

 ”They were filming giving the lady all these gifts and presents and food … I’m just there to support [Alicia]. I didn’t know that my wife did so many things in Africa. Like her face is in pictures in hospitals that she’s funded … I was like, ‘wow,’ ” he said.

“I’m just sittin’ there, kickin’ it, talking to the locals. Mind you, they have no water, they have no heat, they have no electricity, and they have tin houses. So I’m speaking to this one guy, and he was like, ‘This is beautiful what [you're doing], but we have no water, we have no this, we have no that. We have no tools. How can we help better ourselves?’ And instead of being mad, disgruntled, ignorant, their vibe was like, super-Zen,” he said.

Beatz went on to share that he and Keys reached an agreement with the government where they can purchase container villages, which will give the residents heat and hot water. They also started an initiative to provide an education for every man in the village so they can get jobs.

It’s good to see the couple working together to make a positive impact in the world. –djr