A temporary solution to some of the homelessness created by the series of earthquakes in Haiti and other natural disasters. Learn more here.

“After what he said on the Katrina telethon and the way he behaved at the MTV Video Music Awards, everyone agrees it’s just best that he does not participate,” says a producer. “Kanye has to make everything about himself. He will do anything to steal the spotlight and, well, this night it’s just not about him.”

via Kanye Not Allowed to Help Haiti — Vulture.

Repeated unprofessional behavior at professional events may affect your professional life..

Kanyeezy needs to do a benefit album or concert w/Wylcef and donate all his proceeds to Haiti and then he can say..”my benefit was the best benefit for Haiti, ever.”

Text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross

Text QUAKE to 20222 to donate $10 to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund

Text HABITAT to 25383 to donate $10 to Habitat For Humanity

Text OXFAM to 25383 to donate $10 to Oxfam A

Text HAITI to 25383 to donate $5 to International Rescue Committee

Text HAITI to 45678 to donate $5 to the Salvation Army in Canada

Text YELE to 501501 to donation $5 to Yele

Text RELIEF to 30644 to get automatically connected to Catholic Relief Services and donate money with your credit card

Text HAITI to 864833 to donate $5 to The United Way

Text CERF to 90999 to donate $5 to The United Nations Foundation

Text DISASTER to 90999 to donate $10 to Compassion International

via With Mobile Giving To Haiti Passing $20 Million, Text Fundraising Comes Of Age.

Wyclef responds in anger and answers question about his integrity, which no one questions. He doesn’t answer valid questions about

• the operational efficiency of his operation,
• its failure to remain in good standing with the State of Florida,
• incomplete or unfiled tax returns the IRS,
• how these inefficiencies effect the immediate impact of dollars donated to Yele for this crisis

All of these leave questions about the efficacy of his organization vs. other purely disaster and aid focused NGOs (like the Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders or UNICEF).  No one has questioned the intentions of Wyclef Jean’s NGO. Wyclef seems to think he is being accused of pocketing funds. No one has done that (at  least not at Gawker and/or the Smoking Gun). Gawker and Smoking Gun are fairly pointing out that Yele has unique problems that do not make them the most attractive charity to donate to if you want your money to help those people we see suffering right now.

Gawker’s Foster Kamer, fairly and firmly, rebuts:

As we’ve noted before—and it can’t be stressed enough—Wyclef’s been in Haiti, he’s been on the ground helping, and he’s definitely trying to help the cause. That said, the talking points Wyclef read off his BlackBerry sound like they came directly from Locke, and they’re mostly vague obfuscations regarding some of their stateside financial organization issues, and whether or not Yele can help at the moment more than, say, UNICEF, the Red Cross, or Doctors Without Borders. These are organizations that have worked immediate disaster relief efforts, that are on the ground now in full force, and that already have the resources to handle both efforts in the wake of a disaster and the financial infrastructure required to do so.

Haiti’s going to need help for a long time after this. Nobody has any questions as to the sincerity of Wyclef Jean’s efforts, or that as a native Haitian, he could be well equipped to handle certain situations other organizations aren’t. Yet, Yele’s ties to Wyclef’s commercial interests and questions about their financial structuring are clearly trumped by seasoned organizations who have experience in accepting and utilizing donations when they count the most, when Haiti’s need for things like food, potable water, and medical care are absolutely crucial: right now.

via Wyclef Jean Delivers YouTube Address over his Charity’s Questionable Financial Past – Wyclef Jean – Gawker.

In my opinion, donate to Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF or the Red Cross now. The Red Cross has pre-funded administrative costs for processing donations for Haiti earthquake relief to avoid a repeat of the 9/11 Relief effort fiasco.

I really do believe that Yele,  is a good organization to donate to in the medium to long term. There is no reason to doubt Jean’s intentions, after all as Yele’s founder, a  millionaire whose albums I have bought, he is literally two boots on the ground in Haiti with his family yanking dead bodies off the streets. As can be seen below, he is a very strong advocate for his country of origin.

Yele Haiti just doesn’t seem like the best conduit to micro-fund immediate disaster relief.

NOTE: this sounds like an excellent blog project to answer the question: What is the real value per dollar donated to an NGO.

“Poverty is the denial of human rights.”

-Irene Khan, Former Head of Amnesty International, Author: The Unheard Truth: Poverty and Human Rights

OR

Update: Ushahidi does Haiti.

ROBERTSON: [S]omething happened a long time ago in Haiti and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. Napoleon the Third and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, “We will serve you if you get us free from the prince.” True story. And so the devil said, “OK, it’s a deal.” They kicked the French out, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free.

But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other, desperately poor. That island of Hispaniola is one island. It’s cut down the middle, on the one side is Haiti, on the other side is the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etc. Haiti is in desperate poverty. Same island.

They need to have, and we need to pray for them, a great turning to God. And out of this tragedy I’m optimistic something good may come. But right now, we’re helping the suffering people and the suffering is unimaginable.

via Think Progress » Pat Robertson Cites Haiti’s Earthquake As What Happens When You ‘Swear A Pact To The Devil’.

The only thing almost as bad as Robertson’s profoundly ignorant and bigoted statement was the f*cking idiot sitting next to him nodding and moaning in empty headed agreement.

Maddow, thankfully, provided Haitian Ambassador to the US Raymond Joseph a platform to give a little history lesson on the integral role French Slaves who would become Haitians played in the formation of the United States and South America.