Wyclef Jean [ tickets ] is heading up an effort to provide food, water and other essentials to a number of non-profit organizations that are helping to stabilize the lives of more than 600,000 people who were cut off from food supplies and displaced by the storms that have battered the country over the past few weeks, according to a press release. Jean's "Haiti Storm Relief Fund" also will provide tents, blankets, medical supplies, hygiene kits and money to the non-profits responding to the emergency.

The Yele Haiti movement, founded by Jean to give hope to Haitians in need, already has sponsored food, supplies and water to assist victims in Southeastern Haiti. The organization, which is working closely with the Pan American Development Foundation and the World Food Programme, plans to ship additional containers with emergency supplies into the country over the next few weeks.

Jean, who is a Haitian Goodwill Ambassador, along with Haitian President Rene Preval, have made a public appeal for help from the international community. "My country is facing a serious catastrophe at the moment," Jean said in a statement. "And we urgently require assistance."

He also said the country is facing the long-term problem of diminished tree coverage. "Without restoring our forests we will always be susceptible to mudslides and flash floods from storms and hurricanes," he said.

For more information or to make a donation, visit the Yele Haiti website.