1.25.2008 - 12:10pm ET

(CSRwire) NEW YORK, NY - January 25, 2008 - America's top Grammy nominated artists and internationally celebrated musicians have partnered with R&B singer and musicians and Melky Jean and Wyclef Jean to launch a worldwide effort to benefit women and children in Haiti and to end poverty in the region. Entitled The CARE FOR HAITI Music Project, the effort will culminate in a benefit album featuring original songs and selections from Patti LaBelle, Jill Scott, Natasha Bedingfied, Tweet, TPain, Sean Paul, Angelique Kijo, and Brooke Hogan among others. Grammy Award-winning artist Wyclef Jean will also contribute songs to the project. Carma, Inc., will serve as the compilation album's executive producer. The world music album will be released in May 2008.

The CARE FOR HAITI Music Project has also partnered with the nonprofit organization CARE and Wyclef Jean's Yéle Haiti Foundation to help generate awareness of the extreme poverty in Haiti and to increase the visibility of the country and its proud history. All proceeds from the benefit album will directly benefit the work of Yéle Haiti and CARE and their mission to help the women and children of Haiti. The initiative is sponsored by The Norbert Simmons Family Foundation.

"80 percent of the population of Haiti survives on just a dollar a day," said Melky Jean. "Those most affected and living in poverty are women and children who make up about 70 percent of the world's poorest people. With The CARE FOR HAITI Music Project we hope to be a catalyst for change and to raise resources to help provide fundamental business skills as well as access to health, food and educational opportunities for the women and children of Haiti. Women are the world's greatest natural resource for fighting poverty; by educating one woman we can change a community and raise the hopes of a country. I'm pleased to have gotten the support and help of some phenomenal women, and the support of men as well to assist in this effort to end the extreme poverty in the world’s first independent Black republic."

In addition to the charitable album celebrating the resilience of Haiti's women, the initiative plans to facilitate trade and educational trips to the impoverished region to promote interest in the country's development. In March a team of fifteen American women will travel to Haiti in a show of solidarity for women and their families, with a goal of furthering the cause of a prosperous Haiti, freed of poverty. Later this year, a benefit concert and tour featuring artists and songs from the world music album will be announced.

"Developing The CARE FOR HAITI Music Project and bringing together this phenomenal group of artists to develop a charitable album are important steps in ending the cycle of poverty in Haiti," said Norbert Simmons, CEO of the Norbert Family Foundation. "I am especially proud to support CARE, Yéle, Melky and Wyclef and to contribute to this effort."

"CARE is thrilled to be a part of The CARE FOR HAITI Music Project and its effort to change the lives of the millions of Haitian women and children living in poverty," said Gary Philoctete, Acting Director of CARE Haiti. "For over 50 years CARE has worked side-by-side in Haitian communities to address the root causes of poverty — lack of access to education, increasing women's voices in family planning and addressing inadequate health care issues. Through our experience we have come to realize that women and girls are key catalysts for breaking the cycle of poverty within communities. We are inspired by the steps taken by Wyclef and Melky Jean, Norbert Simmons Family Foundation and the artists who are committed in raising their voices to help change the lives of women and children in Haiti. Together we can go far for Haiti."

Additional news, information and updates about The CARE FOR HAITI Music Project will be available throughout the year at the organization's website at www.careforhaiti.org

Companies, individuals and others in the U.S. and internationally interested in joining The CARE FOR HAITI Music Project and its mission to end poverty are invited to sign up to contribute their time or make monetary donations at www.careforhaiti.org

In addition to CARE and Yéle Haiti companies including Bridge House Studio, Carma, Inc., Elevation Sports & Entertainment and MVD Inc., have donated their services to The CARE FOR HAITI Music Project and will continue to support the project throughout the year. Special sponsorship for a January 25th launch event has been provided by Eclectic Soul, LLC; Doyle, Barlow & Mazard PLLC, and Harlem Flo Floral Atelier.

ABOUT CARE

In more than 65 countries, CARE works to address underlying causes of poverty through projects that advance education, improve health, increase economic opportunity, and meet emergency needs during and after disasters. CARE advocates for policies that protect human rights and promote the eradication of poverty. CARE blends six decades of experience with cutting-edge research to create programs that do more than treat the symptoms of poverty. The organization works side by side with women and families to create lasting solutions that respect local culture and knowledge. CARE'S record of financial stewardship has earned excellent reviews from Charity Navigator and the American Institute of Philanthropy, and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance.

ABOUT Yéle Haiti

Yéle Haiti is a foundation started by Grammy-Award winning musician, producer and social entrepreneur Wyclef Jean that is changing thousands of lives in this desperately poor but optimistic nation. Through Yéle Haiti, Wyclef uses music, sports and the media to reinforce projects that are making a difference in education, health, environment and community development. Our mission is to use the potent combination of music and development to create small-scale, manageable and replicable projects to contribute to Haiti's long-term progress. Each initiative is imbued with the unique power that only music possesses, reflecting the passion of Wyclef, Yéle's founder. Whether utilizing local hip-hop musicians to deliver food in an isolated and forgotten neighborhood or crafting tunes for the radio to build popular support for a particular project, each program creatively integrates music as a central element in project delivery and radiates the essence of this synergy at its core.

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