M.I.A Wants To Build Schools In Liberia

British singer/rapper M.I.A. is putting her hard-earned cash towards building schools for kids in Liberia.

The generous star, real name Mathangi Arulpragasam, will follow Madonna and Oprah Winfrey with her attempts to improve the education system in the west African country.

And her cause has already been given a huge boost - thanks to her $100,000 (GBP50,000) pay cheque for performing at an MTV Movie Awards afterparty on Sunday (01Jun08).

She told the crowd at the bash, "They're giving me $100,000 (for tonight's gig). Not bad, eh? I'm going to use it to build schools in Liberia. It costs $52,000 to build a school for 1,000."

Talkshow queen Winfrey opened her all-girls academy in South Africa in January 2007, while Madonna is also set to open a school for girls in Malawi - the same country she adopted little David Banda from.