Matt Damon, Wyclef Tour Hurricane-Ravaged Haiti

The Oscar-winning actor and Grammy-winning musician hope to help the United Nations raise more than $100 million

By Jovie Baclayon Sep 14, 2008 7:00 PMTags
Wyclef JeanTHONY BELIZAIRE/AFP/Getty Images

Matt Damon and Wyclef Jean spent the weekend touring the Caribbean—but it wasn't a vacation.

The pair joined forces to bring attention to the desperate situation in Haiti, which has been hit by four tropical storms and hurricanes since mid-August, including Hurricane Ike last week. Hundreds of thousands of residents have been left hungry and homeless, and more than 300 people have died.

"It's inhumane," said Jean, who was born in Haiti. "I wish there was a word in the dictionary. No human should be living like this."

The Oscar-winning actor and Grammy-winning musician toured hurricane-ravaged cities and distributed rice, beans and cooking oil via Jean's foundation Yele Haiti. They are encouraging more people to help the United Nations raise more than $100 million U.S. dollars.

"Hopefully we can make enough noise that people will pay attention," Damon told reporters in the country's capital, Port-au-Prince. "I truly believe in the people of my country."