The most subscribed individual on YouTube, Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, is a known content creator and philanthropist. His newest video on the platform, entitled “I Built 100 Wells in Africa,” is a project under Beast Philanthropy that aims to provide clean water for 500,000 people in Cameroon, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The campaign for this project, “Water is Life,” now has over 300k donations.
In the video, MrBeast is also seen donating supplies to schools in Kenya, such as computers, projectors and many more. They also built a bridge that connects a village to the schools and hospitals. According to MrBeast, his team spent eight months on the project, and he considers this project as one of the greatest things he’s ever done. As of writing, the video has now more than 50 million views.
Controversy?
Despite the video being well-received in the activist community and gaining six million likes in just four days, it was reported that the video was receiving some criticism. Yahoo News reported that MrBeast was receiving some criticism. Though, as first pointed out by fellow YouTuber and streamer, Ludwig, the only direct criticism MrBeast faced was from aspiring Kenyan politician Francis Gaitho, who claimed his video perpetuates that Africa is “dependent on handouts.” However, Gaitho received backlash for his post on X.
Despite the widespread support for MrBeast’s efforts in Africa, many believed that the creator was getting canceled for doing philanthropy work. This is unfortunately not new for MrBeast; he previously uploaded videos where he helped blind and deaf people around the world. Those videos caused many debates over whether YouTube philanthropy is good or exploitative.
Continuing to do good
Despite the supposed “controversy,” MrBeast said he would continue to use his channel to help people. He is known for big, ambitious projects so his viewers are looking forward to what he will do next. If you want to check out Beast Philanthropy’s campaigns, head to its website.
Featured image courtesy: MrBeast
