YELE HAITI
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Yéle Haiti is a foundation started by Grammy-Award winning musician, producer, social entrepreneur and Haitian Goodwill Ambassador Wyclef Jean that is changing thousands of lives in this poor but optimistic nation.
Tuesday afternoon, January 12th, the worst earthquake in 200 years - 7.0 in magnitude - struck less than ten miles from the Caribbean city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The initial quake was later followed by twelve aftershocks greater than magnitude 5.0. Structures of all kinds were damaged or collapsed, from shantytown homes to national landmarks. 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.
Four months on, the tragedy of the massive January 12 earthquake is fresh. Relief operations thwarted widespread hunger here and so far, there have been no reports of killer disease outbreaks. But Port-au-Prince is very much running in emergency mode. Still no humanitarian worker will argue with that sad fact. Despite the efforts and good intentions of a host of foreigners and a government that got a wake-up call, progress has been timidly slow.
Yele's mission is to create small-scale, manageable and replicable projects to contribute to Haiti’s long-term progress. Each initiative is imbued with Wyclef’s passion, as Yéle Haiti’s founder. Whether utilizing local hip-hop musicians to deliver awareness messages in forgotten neighborhoods or bringing his famous friends to Haiti to support the movement, what Wyclef radiates is profound wishes for the country.
Each of Yéle’s projects is conceived to renew hope for Haitians to rebuild their nation. Yéle Haiti wants to project a new forward-thinking image that accurately reflects Haiti’s youthful population and their unique and irrepressible spirit, which is an integral part of their culture. We firmly believe that given a genuine opportunity to shape the future, Haiti’s youth will shock the world with their ability to take the country to the next level.
Meaning of "Yele"
Yele was coined by Wyclef in a song and means "a cry for freedom." The logo means STOP THE VIOLENCE with one hand, PEACE with the other... while the heart is LOVE.
For those willing to volunteer or donate clothes, food, water, blankets, etc., the local HQ, that Wyclef's wife, Claudim runs. It is located on 2 West South Orange Ave, South Orange, NJ. I have volunteered there several times and it was definitely an enriching experience and everyone there is nice as hell.
We need to help Haiti out, there are more than million Haitians located in the states, they are part of our country just as much as anyone else.
