M.I.A. FUNDS AFRICAN SCHOOLS WITH MTV MONEY.

British singer/rapper M.I.A. is building two schools in Africa with the money she earned performing at the MTV Awards after party on Sunday (1Jun08). The star - real name Mathangi Arulpragasam - picked up a staggering $100,000 (£50,000) paycheque to sing at a starstudded bash to follow the California ceremony. And she revealed to guests what she plans to do with the cash.

M.I.A. said from the stage, "They're giving me $100,000. Not bad, eh? I'm going to use it to build schools in Liberia. It costs $52,000 (£26,000) to build a school for 1,000." The 30-year-old - who announced her engagement to singer Benjamin Brewer last week (27May08) - will be following in the footsteps of Madonna and Oprah Winfrey, who have both opened schools in the continent.