Live Tonight: Top Artists Perform in "Hope for Haiti Now" Benefit Concert

Over the past week, citizens and organizations from around the world have rallied around Haiti, offering tremendous aid for the relief effort currently underway. But even though tens of millions of dollars have been raised online via sites like YouTube, Haiti's road to recovery will be long, and more financial support is desperately needed.

That's why tonight, in partnership with a variety of media companies, we're live-streaming "Hope for Haiti Now," a benefit concert for earthquake relief. Hosted by George Clooney, Wyclef Jean and Anderson Cooper, the event will feature performances by Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Shakira, U2, Coldplay, Taylor Swift and many more.



The concert starts tonight at 8 p.m. ET on www.youtube.com/hopeforhaitinow, and it will be available to a global audience. Donations from the event will go to a number of different organizations, including the Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Program, Partners in Health, Yele Haiti and Oxfam. After the show, you can continue to donate money and get the latest information coming out of Haiti at our Crisis Response landing page.

Cross-posted to the YouTube blog

Wyclef turns to YouTube to respond to criticism of Yele Haiti

With millions of dollars already raised for his nonprofit organization, Yele Haiti, Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean has emerged as the face of celebrity fundraising for earthquake relief efforts. In the past few days, however, there have been multiple accusations about Yele Haiti's questionable financial record - including allegations that Wyclef is personally benefitting from the charity.

In response, Wyclef turned to YouTube to clarify matters for the public. See his video statement here, which has already racked up over 230,000 views and over 2000 comments in two days:

In the past, we've seen politicians and corporations turn to YouTube to respond to accusations or clarify information, but this is definitely the first time an NGO has been thrust into the spotlight in such a major way, and turned to YouTube to set the story straight.

Unfortunately, it's not quite clear whether Wyclef has really set the story straight in this video. While his work in Haiti is definitely commendable, he doesn't respond provide much specific detail about Yele's hazy financial record. But he does say, "the proof is in the pudding" with promises to post footage of Yele's work in the coming days.

Wyclef, we'll be standing by.

Gripping Videos, Calls for Help, Dominate YouTube in Wake of Haitian Tragedy

In the three days since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti, we've continued to see hundreds of thousands of people using YouTube to share information and donate money to help those suffering in one of the worst tragedies in recent memory. Since Tuesday, the American Red Cross has been featured on our homepage, collecting donations through videos like this one, which encourages people to give via a Google Checkout link next to the video. The International Red Cross just posted an update to YouTube (embedded below), detailing the situation on the ground. Their message? Goods are on the way, but more money is needed. Oxfam, Concern Worldwide and UNICEF have uploaded similar pleas.

Others have come to YouTube with personal appeals. First Lady Michelle Obama, Jimmy Buffett and Lenny Kravitz are just a few of the figures who are rallying support on YouTube. And people on the ground continue to put a very personal face on the tragedy, filming their experiences with shaky hand-held cameras.

Journalists are also uploading videos that bear witness to the devastation. Reporters like Dave Price at CBS and Rich Matthews of the AP are uploading individual vlogs from the streets of Port-au-Prince, and clips like this one from the AP give a bird's eye view of the damage (warning: this is difficult to watch):

On the ground, videos like this one give us just a glimpse into what life is like right now for Haitian citizens -- through the eyes of a person struggling to make sense of the destruction:

We're keeping CitizenTube updated with the latest clips and are contributing videos to Google's Earthquake Relief landing page as well. Though it could never match the resolve of Haitian citizens struggling to survive in the streets of Port-au-Prince and elsewhere, the outpouring of support on YouTube and elsewhere is encouraging in this time of great crisis.

Cross posted on the YouTube blog

In Aftermath of Haiti Earthquake, Reports and Donation Appeals Flood YouTube

As reports of unimaginable devastation continue to come out of Haiti in the wake of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck yesterday, footage of the disaster has been streaming onto YouTube, along with calls for help from nonprofit and aid organizations working on the ground. Haiti's president Rene Preval told the Miami Herald that the death toll is likely in the thousands, and images of collapsed buildings, a dilapidated presidential palace, and enormous piles of rubble in the streets bear witness to a truly catastrophic earthquake -- the worst in 200 years in the region.

We're keeping a running playlist of the video footage coming out of Haiti on Citizentube; there's a broad collection of citizen reports and news wire clips. We're also promoting videos from nonprofits who can help. The American Red Cross is asking for donations via a call-to-action overlay in this video, and Oxfam is using annotations in this one to direct you to their donation site:

As personal stories of the victims of the earthquake continue to pour in, our thoughts go out to all Haitians in this time of great need. We'll continue to update Citizentube with footage from the ground as events progress.

Cross-posted on the YouTube Blog

StillerStrong: Ben gives Lance a run for his money

Watch out, Lance. Ben Stiller is stealing your fundraising mojo...

This week, Stiller launched "StillerStrong," which is self-described as "stealing great ideas from other charities to build a school in Haiti." Hear from Stiller himself about this new project and his new headbands:

Even though the video itself is funny and well-done, what really impressed me was the neat and functional use of external annotations to drive action to various social networking and fundraising platforms. Looks like Livestrong may have some serious competition...check out www.stillerstrong.org for more information.