Wyclef Jean Sets Up Haiti Relief Fund

In case you haven't heard, international music star Wyclef Jean, a native of Haiti, has set up a website to raise funds for the victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

You can read his statement and donate to the relief effort at Yele Haiti.

Other places you can donate are:

Direct Relief International

International Medical Corps

Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. The great military leader Toussaint L'Ouverture defeated Napoleon's armies and the British Army, thereby liberating the Haitian people from enslavement.

Haiti was surrounded by slave-owning nations and their colonies, including the United States, Jamaica, Cuba and other Caribbean islands, and Brazil. Although L'Ouverture's victory over the Napoleonic and British forces sent shockwaves around the world, in the treaty that followed, Haiti agreed to reimburse France for the loss of this lucrative colony. As a result, the Haitian people continued to be shackled by the national debt for approximately 200 years. This contributed to the extreme poverty and political instability of the country.

To read more about recent Haitian history, see Two Films about Haiti.

Within the past two years, it has been reported that some Haitian people were reduced to eating mud pies as they could not afford to buy food.

Two years ago, most of the buildings in the capital Port Au Prince were condemned as unsafe.

The current earthquake has added to the country's troubles. Many of Haiti's people have been made homeless. They are in need of food, clothing, shelter and medical attention, all of which are in very short supply.

Please give genererously.

Please note, in 2004, there was another devastating earthquake in the Caribbean but this was largely forgotten after the Tsunami, and was not mentioned again in major news coverage.

Let us remember our brethren and sistren in Haiti in their time of need. Please give generously.

Remember, we can also send healing energy. The more of us who do this, the greater the effect will be. For more about this, see Healing Our Communities.