Idris Elba, Sabrina Dhowre tap into $38M fortune to launch coronavirus fund for 'those being forgotten'
Having contracted the coronavirus themselves, Hollywood couple Idris Elba and wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba launched a $40M fund to help others during these trying times.
The duo, who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, had said that they have only "mild" symptoms but had their lives "turned around" due to the virus. He said the experience was "definitely scary and unsettling and nervous". Elba revealed to the Associated Press last week, "You know, everyone's sort of feeling the way we have been feeling, but it has definitely been sort of just a complete upheaval. I think that the world should take a week of quarantine every year just to remember this time. Remember each other. I really do."
The British actor and his model wife serve as UN Goodwill Ambassadors and have worked with the United Nations to help reduce the impact of the virus on farmers and food producers living in rural areas. "People forget that 80 percent of the poor population live in these rural areas. What we are really worried about at the moment, and why we are launching this fund, is that those people are being forgotten," said Sabrina Dhowre Elba.
The duo, along with the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development, is going to launch the $40M fund as Elba believes that people living in these rural areas have or will suffer the brunt of this pandemic. "If you imagine being in a village where no one even knows the name of your village or your population, and that you live in a slum where there is one room and six of you live in it, social distancing is almost laughable," Elba said.
His wife added, "While health, you know, is so important at the moment... we don't want people to forget about what comes after that." The couple has been recovering from their illness in New Mexico, where Elba ended up contracting the virus while filming. They both plan to return to London as soon as they can.
The British actor and his wife have made a sound decision to foresee an issue that most seem to have left on the backburner. As for being able to afford the fund, looks like the couple will have to dig really deep into their pockets.
Еlbа is not only an actor but also a musician, producer and a DJ. While he is well known for his role as Nelson Mandela in 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom', Elba is widely appreciated for his roles in the 'The Wire' and 'Luther' series. As of 2020, Elba is said to have a net worth of $35M — courtesy of his acting and music career. The London born actor also earns from his roles as a DJ and a producer and his estimated yearly income is approximately $7M.
His wife Sabrina, with whom the actor will be launching the $40M fund, is a model and earns on the higher side of the industry's paycheck. After having won the Ms and Mr Vancouver Pageant in 2014, Sabrina had modeled for the Harrods Magazine along with walking the Mouret runway more than a few times. Being a successful model has allowed Sabrina to rack up in stacks as it is reported that she earns near the $48,000 mark annually compared to the average model earnings of around $32,000. As of 2020, Sabrina is said to have a net worth of $3M.
The duo, who both have family roots in Africa, had visited Sierra Leone in December with the UN. Following this trip, Elba is now concerned about how the people living there would fare during the pandemic. "We have to think about forwarding planning. What's the fallout going to be?" he said. The actor who had said that "the world doesn't tick on your time," has set foot into the altruistic list of celebrities that have decided to put their wealth to good use.