Haiti Front And Centre on Special ‘American Idol’

Haiti Front And Centre on Special ‘American Idol’ Episode – UN

New York, Feb 19 2010 5:10PM
The United Nations Foundation (<"http://www.unfoundation.org/press-center/press-releases/2010/american-idol-to-benefit-un-foundation-fund-for-haiti.html">UNF) is joining forces with the wildly popular United States televised singing competition “American Idol” to help the millions of victims of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti last month.

During the 25 February broadcast, last year’s winner Kris Allen will perform his hit songs and share footage of his recent visit to Haiti, where one third of the population was affected by the 7.0-magnitude earthquake.

In total, the 12 January quake claimed more than 200,000 lives, leaving over 300,000 others injured and 1 million Haitians homeless.

Mr. Allen will leave tomorrow for the country, already the Western Hemisphere’s poorest before the disaster, to meet with Haitians and UN staff on the ground to find out the needs for the coming months.

“The people of Haiti are rebuilding their country, and the UN is there to help them every step of the way,” he said.

Yesterday the UN and its aid partners announced they are seeking over $1.4 billion to assist Haiti, in the largest-ever humanitarian appeal launched in the wake of a natural disaster.

The revised appeal folds in the $577 million flash appeal issued just days after the earthquake, which was originally intended to cover a six-month period. It is being expanded to meet needs for one year as the hurricane and rainy seasons approach, and its size reflects the scale of the catastrophe and takes into consideration the need for stepped-up early recovery efforts.

ENDS