Renzo Rosso, the founder and president of Diesel clothing company, announced today the donation of $250,000 to the Yéle Haiti Foundation, the foundation that Grammy-Award winning musician, producer and social entrepreneur Wyclef Jean started to change lives in this desperately poor but optimistic nation.
Wyclef and Rosso have a long standing friendship. Wyclef has performed at several Diesel events over the years and is scheduled to perform also at Rosso’s 55th birthday celebration later this year.
Renzo says, “I was deeply moved by the horrible tragedy in Haiti. I wanted to do something for the people and support the important work that Wyclef and his foundation have done and are doing for the island nation”.
Rosso, a self-made businessman, has always believed in giving back and that’s why in 2008 he founded The Only The Brave Foundation, which will officially launch in the next few months. The Only The Brave Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that aims to mobilize and empower youth to end poverty, supports projects on economic development, education and health sectors in disadvantaged communities.
This donation, which will benefit specifically the victims of last week’s earthquake, will add up to another pledge that the Only The Brave Foundation contributed to Yele Haiti to start an Only The Brave/ Yéle Haiti music studio in Cité Soleil, with the goal to use music and video production as a tool for social development.
Through Yéle Haiti, Wyclef uses music, sports and media to reinforce projects that are making a difference in education, health, environment and community development. In practical terms this translates to over 3,000 new jobs, close to 7,000 children being put in school, more than 8,000 people a month receiving food and approximately 2,000 young people a month learning about HIV/AIDS prevention.
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