"Be the change you want to see in the world!" the pop icon told fans

Madonna Pledges to Build 4 New Schools in Africa in 2018 with Her Raising Malawi Charity

Madonna is getting “Into the Groove” of 2018 — with some charity work!

On Thursday, the pop icon announced that her philanthropic foundation, Raising Malawi, will build four new schools in the southeast African country, where the organization has already built 10 schools.

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“Let’s start 2018 off right!” Madonna, 59, captioned an Instagram post. “I’m challenging you all to stand up, come together and BE the CHANGE you want to SEE in the World!! This year we’ll begin by building 4 brand new schools in the Kasungu District of #Malawi with @RaisingMalawi and @buildOn!! That’s 14 schools in total that will help thousands of kids get the education they so rightfully deserve!”

Madonna has a long history with the nation, as she adopted four of her six children from Malawi: David Banda, 12, Mercy James, 11, and 6-year-old twins Stella and Estere, whom she brought home last February. (The Grammy winner is also mom to Lourdes Leon, 21, and Rocco Ritchie, 17.)

The “Living for Love” singer’s relationship with the African country began in 2006, when she launched Raising Malawi. And this summer, all of Madonna’s efforts culminated in the charity’s biggest undertaking yet. In July, the pop star asked PEOPLE to join her and her family in Malawi for the opening of the Mercy James Centre for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care, the first children’s hospital in the nation.

Image zoom Madonna (center) with her kids, from left: Mercy, Stella, Estere and David — July 2017

Image zoom Madonna and her family on the Sept. 18, 2017 issue of PEOPLE

“I’m here to save lives,” she previously told PEOPLE of her work in Malawi, which in 2017 Global Financial Magazine ranked as the sixth-poorest country in the world. “I don’t want to be the outsider that comes in. I want to help them help themselves.”

Charity advisor Trevor Neilson — who has helped manage the philanthropic efforts of everyone from Bill Gates and Bill Clinton to Bono — has worked with Madonna for six years.