As the heartwrenching aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti continues to unfold, Haitian-born and Brooklyn-raised rapper, Wyclef Jean is representing his homeland, working through his org, the Yéle Haiti Foundation, to collect major funds. He appeared on CNN immediately after news of the quake broke to ask Americans for their support.

But Wyclef isn't just jumping on the bandwagon in the wake of disaster, he has been working hard to pull Haiti out of extreme poverty for years. His foundation has started projects to deal with basic needs, like food, clothing and shelter, but has taken the work further by promoting government reform, education, and the arts(because c'mon, we could use a few more Fugees in the music world...)

We caught up with Wyclef at a Yéle Haiti event in NYC a few months ago and he told us that he's all about the young people, and wants to build “something that’s sustainable for kids…It’s going to be called the Yéle Center. Hopefully I can start the fundraiser in six months…The next goal is to try to raise money so we can build a physical facility.”

We hope the earthquake hasn't put a stop to Wyclef's plans for Haitians, and you can join him in rebuilding the country and ending poverty there by supporting Yéle Haiti and other orgs in the region.