USA: Wyclef Jean defends his charity and issues a tearful appeal to his fellow Haitians

Record ID: 735460

  • Title: USA: Wyclef Jean defends his charity and issues a tearful appeal to his fellow Haitians
  • Date: 19th January 2010
  • Summary: JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) WYCLEF JEAN SAYING "Yele's book are open and transparent, and we have been a clean bill of health by an external auditor every year since we started." PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) WYCLEF JEAN SAYING "The reality is, my people are dying, and I have to go back to the ground in a few days for a mission relief." WYCLEF JEAN WALKING AWAY
  • Embargoed: 3rd February 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes,Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVAKYVUSV7IZN2OMU62DZ1M32NN
  • Story Text: Haitian-born hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean, who is leading fundraising for his earthquake-devastated homeland, rejected on Monday (January 18) accusations that he had profited from his foundation but admitted mistakes were made.
    The Grammy Award winning musician also tearfully asked his countrymen for patience. Speaking at a news conference in New York, Jean became emotionally overwhelmed as he spoke directly to the people of Haiti.
    "Listen, you all know that I am a tough guy. I don't cry very often. I'm not crying for myself, I'm crying for the people," Jean said in his native creole. "There is no reason for you to be looting or wreaking havoc. Give us a little time. It's tough, things are tough. Don't go messing things up. To the people that escaped from jail, we know that you are frustrated. This is not the time for street violence. Give us some time. I'm coming down on Saturday and Sunday. I will sit down with everyone. I will sit down with (political parties). We will start the mobilization. Give the President and Prime Minister a little time," he added.
    Also during the news conference, Jean dismissed accusations raised by The Smoking Gun website that he had made money from Yele Haiti, a charity he founded in 2005 to raise awareness of Haiti and run education, sports, arts and environment programs.
    "As a young NGO (non-governmental organization) … have we made mistakes before? Yes," Jean said. "Did I ever use Yele money for personal benefits? Absolutely not."
    He did not elaborate on what mistakes he believed the organization had made.
    The Smoking Gun on Thursday posted the 2005, 2006 and 2007 tax returns for the Wyclef Jean Foundation, which it said operates as Yele Haiti and showed the charity paid Jean and his business partner at least $410,000 (USD) for rent, production services and Jean's appearance at a benefit concert.
    Jean, who also posted a video on YouTube rejecting the accusations, said Yele Haiti's finances had annually been given "a clean bill of health by an external auditor."
    A texting campaign launched by Jean after the January 12 earthquake that killed as many as 200,000 people and left its capital Port-au-Prince in ruins, has already raised more than $2 million (USD) for the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund.
    The musician, who carries a Haitian passport and has a U.S. green card, spent three days in Haiti after the earthquake and became emotional after speaking about his time there. He said he plans to return to Haiti on Saturday (January 23).
    "The reality is, my people are dying, and I have to go back to the ground in a few days for a mission relief," said Jean.
    Jean is also due to join actor George Clooney on Friday (January 22) for a commerical-free telethon called "Hope for Haiti, which will be broadcast by major U.S. networks.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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