Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean, member of The Fugees, is leading a relief effort through his grassroots charity organization Yéle Haiti, which he created in 2005. The organization restores hope in the Haitian people through the creation of scholarships, support for the arts, food distribution and emergency relief.

“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.”

The recent 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti has forced the nation to ask for help and thousands of people, including musicians, are responding. Within two hours of Tuesday’s earthquake, Jean and Yéle mobilized on social networking sites to raise funds for disaster relief. Jean is encouraging people to text “Yéle” to 501501, which will automatically donate $5 to the Yéle Haiti Earthquake Fund, or to visit http://www.yele.org/.


Other musicians have also been using their high profiles to urge people to donate. Jean’s former band mate Pras Michel, as well as guitarist Slash and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, among others, have been vocal in their online communities.