Wyclef Jean Haiti earthquake: Singer leads charge to help through Yele Haiti charity - and Twitter

Platinum-selling Hip Hop artist Wyclef Jean - a native son of Haiti - is leading the charge to help his beleaguered homeland ... through Twitter.

Mr. Jean's platform of choice seems to be Twitter, where the former Fugees star is urging people to donate $5 to his Haitian charity, Yéle Haiti, by texting "YELE" to 501501. (The donation will be automatically charged to your cellphone bill.)

"I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse," said Jean in a statement. "We must act now... Haiti needs your prayers and support."

Jean said he is on his way to Haiti via the neighboring Dominican Republic and asked people to pray for Haiti and for him.

For more information on how to help, go to Jean's Yéle Haiti website, which crashed this morning due to the volume of traffic.

The Monitor wrote about Wyclef's efforts to help Haitians less than year after the rapper started Yele Haiti back in 2005.

In a moving pre-Christmas message on his website, Jean wrote about Haiti and hope:

"At times when I go to Haiti I ask myself what would have happen if I never made it to America? What would I be doing right now? What if I never became Wyclef, and Wyclef was getting on the plane today to come to Haiti to bring me food and Christmas Gifts how would I feel.

When I reflect on such things, it makes me understand that to live for others is the none selfish way to live. At times we are so caught up with ourselves that we forget about those around us. Some say they can’t help the needy because they have no money to give to the poor. I say no one gave me money, in the hut they gave me hope."

---- See this page for Haiti updates throughout the day.