Two weeks ago (January 7), Puerto Rico suffered its strongest earthquake in over a century, destroying hundreds of homes and leaving two-thirds of the population without power. While the island’s emergency director withheld vital supplies, model Kaylen Ward – AKA the Naked Philanthropist – once again stepped up, selling nudes to raise money for those affected.

Following the success of her recent campaign to combat Australia’s wildfires – which saw her raise over $1 million (£767k) and mobilised other sex workers to join the cause – Ward tweeted on Wednesday (January 15): “I’m sending nudes to every person who donates at least $10 to any one of these fundraisers for the earthquakes in Puerto Rico.” The model shared a list of suggested charities alongside a teaser image of her. She continued: “You must post your donation confirmation in the comments below. Let’s help save Puerto Rico.”

The island was hit by a number of earthquakes after the initial 6.4 magnitude quake which resulted in at least one death. Governor Wanda Vazquez declared a state of emergency as thousands of people slept outside or in their cars for fear of being trapped in their homes if another earthquake struck.

Puerto Rico has suffered a series of hurricanes and quakes in recent years, and is still recovering from 2017’s Hurricane Maria, which devastated parts of the Caribbean, killing an estimated 2,975 people in Puerto Rico alone.

Ward’s philanthropy will hopefully raise a big sum of money for those affected by the disasters, mirroring her success in Australia. As well as donating to charity, the model and other adult performers selling their nudes are fighting to remove some of the stigma surrounding sex workers. “People underestimate the power of this industry,” US-based performer Rocco Steele told Dazed earlier this month. “Mainstream likes to dismiss us because making us legitimate makes people uncomfortable.” 

Discussing her reason for joining the movement, sex worker Lexi Azzola added: “People don’t think of sex workers as environmentalists, they don’t think of them as having other interests. So I thought it would be a really good movement to help give a better face to sex workers.”

Dazed has reached out to Ward for comment.