Wyclef Jean and Jolie -Pitt Foundation assist in Haiti earthquake relief effort

Wycleff Jean arrives in Port au Prince AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Haitian-born and Brooklyn-raised musician Wyclef Jean has been asking people to donate to his charity organization called “Yéle Haiti”. Said Jean "The objective of Yéle Haiti is to restore pride and a reason to hope, and for the whole country to regain the deep spirit and force that is part of our heritage." Within hours of yesterdays tragic earthquake Jean contacted his followers on Twitter and other networking sites to help the victims on Haiti. He is asking his followers to text "Yéle" to 501501, which will automatically donate $5 to the Yéle Haiti Earthquake Fund, or to visit http://www.yele.org/. Jean landed at the Port -au-Prince airport today to personally assist in the effort.

Jean:  "I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse. The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now"

Photo above:  Delmas road in Port-au-Prince, Haiti  AP Photo/Jorge Cruz)

Haiti's National Palace is seen after in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010, the day after a powerful earthquake hit the country. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)
 

The Red Cross estimates that the quake has affected roughly one in three Haitians -- about 3 million people. Joining forces to help Haiti is the Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt Foundation which announced it would contribute $1 million to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières' (MSF) emergency medical operations responding to the Haiti disaster relief. Said Jolie, "It is incredibly horrible to see a catastrophe of this size hit a people who have been suffering from extreme poverty, violence and unrest for so many decades."

President Obama has made it clear he wants help by stating that “People of Haiti will have full support of the United States”. Former U.S. President and U.N. Special Envoy to Haiti Bill Clinton, has a special place in his heart for Haiti since he and wife Hillary (the current secretary of state) honeymooned in Haiti in 1975 . Hillary Clinton, also urged people to donate to Haiti relief at http://www.clintonfoundation.org/haitiearthquake .

USAID) search and rescue teams AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
 

Many other countries have also joined in the efforts including Spain,Canada, and Brazil. The World Bank promised $100 million in emergency funding for recovery and reconstruction, (subject to approval by the World Bank's board of directors). Habitat for Humanity is also sending a team to help in the rebuilding. AmeriCares is sending $3 million worth of medical aid, and World Food Program is immediately airlifting an additional 86 metric tons of food.

USAID K-9 Units, from Fairfax, Va (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
 

Not all people in the news have been supportive. The often outspoken Pat Robertson, a Christian televangelist ,and talk-show host who has often stirred up controversy. In the past he has suggested that “God was punishing Americans in New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina”. Today he said that this disaster could be a “blessing in disguise” and said that the people of Haiti had made a "pact to the devil" which brought on tragic earthquake in Haiti.
 

Donors can give through a U.S. State Department program to the relief efforts. Individuals with U.S. cell phones can donate $10 to the Red Cross by texting "Haiti" to 90999. The State Department reported that Wednesday afternoon that the campaign had received nearly 83,000 hits.

Related Link:

www.redcross.org/
 

www.hufh.org/

www.yele.org/

news.google.com/news/search