50 Cent donated to an orphanage years ago. When he met a woman he sponsored and rescued, he got emotional
Years after donating to a children’s home overseas, the rapper came face-to-face with one of the kids his generosity helped raise.
Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson once donated to a Ukrainian children's home without realizing how deeply it would affect one life. Years later, that act of generosity came back to him in an unexpected way. In 2014, during the premiere episode of Dream School: NYC on SundanceTV, the rapper met Raya, a 20-year-old student who had grown up in the orphanage his donation helped support. She walked up to him during filming and revealed that his contribution had helped transform her childhood home.
"This is the guy who basically donated to the kids’ orphanage that I’m from in Ukraine. There are a lot of people, like hundreds of them," she said, showing him pictures from the orphanage. "But it’s like just part of it. I think it’s one of the places that they truly cared for us," she said, adding, "All the money that you’ve ever donated goes to the right place. They give us everything. Like clothes, food, school, everything you pay for." The rapper, visibly taken aback, said, "I remember setting up the actual donation process for us; it paid off. For her to be here under these circumstances is phenomenal." He admitted, "I had to kind of hold myself from being emotional while she was talking."
Raya shared her story during the episode, recounting the hardship of her early life. "When I was younger, I was about five years old. My mom was not doing well… she was doing things that no kid wants to see their parents doing. My grandmother brought me to a kids' home because she wanted me to be safe," she said. She added that she last saw her mother when she showed up at the orphanage "high on drugs," and that both of her parents had died before she turned seven. "My grandma is like my mom-mom, so if she passed away, I’m just not ready for it, because that’s the only person that I grew up with."
Just like Raya, life for many who grew up in an orphanage can be incredibly difficult. Many children face long-term emotional and social challenges due to a lack of stability and personal attention. A study titled "My Dream Is to Live at Home," which surveyed more than 500 children in institutional care across Ukraine, found that many felt trapped, powerless, and emotionally neglected. Researchers noted that some of their most basic wishes included being able to take a shower on their own or having more say in their daily lives — small things most children take for granted.
Raya also told producers she usually kept her past to herself. "None of my friends know my life story. They all think like, 'Oh, where are your parents?' I’m like, 'They’re still in Ukraine. They’re having visa problems. Obviously, I’m lying. But I don’t want to have anybody like feel bad for me," she said. When asked why she joined the show, Raya said it was about trying to move forward. "I had my doubts about Dream School, but you know, it’s a good opportunity." The emotional exchange offered a rare glimpse of 50 Cent beyond his public persona. "That was a surprise," he said, "I wasn’t aware that she was there or had been affected by any donations I had made in the past."
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